Where Shoura beats parliaments

Tariq Fadaeq, who has been appointed a Shoura Council member for a second term, said the inclusion of 30 women for the first time in the advisory body would result in great achievements for the nation.
“The council members deal with challenging issues that are diverse in nature and require sound decision-making to safeguard the interests of the entire nation. As members of such a distinguished body we perform extensive research before making any decision,” Fadaeq said in a statement.
“A distinguishing feature of the Saudi Shoura Council is that its members are free from partisan views and bias, unlike some members of legislative councils in other countries,” he said, adding that the antagonistic and belligerent behavior exhibited by members in some European parliaments and councils have escalated at times to physical violence.
He said the inclusion of highly qualified Saudi female members in the Shoura Council would enable the council to achieve greater progress, adding that the council now comprised highly educated and specialized male and female counterparts, representing a wide spectrum of fields.
“Female council members represent not only half of society but more than that, because as mothers they influence and nurture the future generation of our country,” he said.
Another member of the Shoura council, Sadaqa Fadil, stressed that King Abdullah’s decree on the participation of women in the council’s decision-making process was a huge step toward female empowerment.
“The process of comprehensive reforms, development and growth spearheaded by King Abdullah required that Saudi women be given the right opportunities to partake and fulfill their duties in building and serving the nation,” Fadil said in a statement on the occasion of his third-term appointment to the council.
“Since women constitute half of the Saudi population, it is unreasonable for this vital organ of the population to be denied the opportunity to participate within the limits of the Islamic Shariah in building our nation,” he concluded.