Twitter flies into rage over Saudia appointment of Lebanese PR

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) has denied that a Lebanese woman has landed a top job as director of public relations, in the wake of a Twitter storm over the rumored appointment.
Saudia spokesman Mansour Al-Badr said that Christy Sarkis has been appointed as media and international communication consultant and not head of public relations (PR), as some social media users had claimed.
“Sarkis’s vast communication experience in the international airline industry merited the consultancy assignment,” he said.
Social media was abuzz with chatter about the appointment amid concerns over foreigners taking jobs that many nationals are qualified for.
A number of Saudis tweeted their disapproval over the posting, saying that many Saudis were suited for the top PR job.
Twitter user @aL3omdah_Raed wrote: “Either they (Saudia) denied or not, either she (Sarkis) has been assigned a consultant or director, this doesn’t hide the fact that employment of foreigners is rampant in some Saudi companies while the national cadres are marginalized.”
The Saudi journalist Bandar Al-Ateef (@b_otyf) said that the appointment of Sarkis is not the first decision to be taken at the expense of Saudi citizens. “There are hundreds of jobs occupied by foreigners,” he said.
Meanwhile, the National Anti-Corruption Commission, known as Nazaha, responded to citizens’ complaints over the allegedly “unjust” appointment.
It said on its Twitter account that Nazaha dealt with the reports and referred them to the competent authority in the commission to take appropriate action.
A text message has been widely circulated on Twitter under the hashtag #Priority_For_Saudis from a Saudi Careem driver who holds a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering, and a master’s in engineering management, with both qualifications gained in the UK.
According to Sabq.org, a member of the Shoura Council disclosed that the recent nine months carried painful statistics on the dismissal of 50,000 Saudis in the private sector, while employing 172,000 foreigners to do similar jobs.
“We will reach 2030 and the Saudis are working as servants and drivers in their home country,” wrote Abdullah Al-Theeb via his Twitter account @altheeb74.