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New Saudi info minister vows to reform media
The newly appointed Saudi Minister of Information and Culture Abdul Aziz Al-Khoja said he plans to reform the local media landscape so that it reflects messages of peace, tolerance and moderation worldwide, following his appointment yesterday as part of a major leadership overhaul in the kingdom.King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud also replaced the head of the religious police and the central bank governor of 26 years and appointed the kingdom's first-ever female deputy minister in the first cabinet reshuffle since taking over the throne in 2005. "The most important thing is that the Kingdom's voice should reach the entire world, convey the message of peace and stability and portray the Kingdom's stance of moderation, tolerance and flexibility," al-Khoja told Saudi Gazette. "We will work hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder to give all aspects of media works a strong push so as to achieve the ambitions of our leadership," he added. Al-Khoja told the paper he would cooperate with Saudi journalists and intellectuals to develop the local media and design a strategic vision for the development of media production. "I welcome their opinions and suggestions because they constitute the pillar of the Saudi media and represent the shining face of the country within and outside the Kingdom," he said. Al-Khoja, who served as deputy minister of information and culture, saidhe would build on his previous experiences with the ministry to move forward with his reforms. "I was a deputy to the ministery for a long period and I was in charge of many gulf and Islamic media, including news agencies and UNESCO-related projects," he said. "I consider all media professionals my friends and we are going to cooperate to develop the media work in the kingdom," he added. Sweeping changes Al-Khoja's statements followed his appointment yesterday as the head of the information ministry, which was part of a sweeping reshuffle of the Saudi leadership by King Abdullah on Saturday Norah al-Fayez, currently an official at the Saudi Institute for Public Administration, became the first woman deputy education minister for female education affairs, the most senior ever granted to a woman in the kingdom. Also named in the sweeping shakeup was a new head of the Muttawa religious police, Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Humain who replaced sacked Sheikh Ibrahim al-Ghaith. The central bank governor Hamad Saud al-Sayyari was replaced with his deputy, Muhammad al-Jasser. The monarch also appointed Abdul-Aziz Khoja, who was ambassador to Lebanon, as information minister, replacing Iyad bin Amin Madani. Sayyari had been at the helm of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA), the kingdom's central bank, since 1983 when he was appointed acting governor before being confirmed at the post two years later. The reshuffle did not affect either of the key ministries of oil or finance, official sources said. Saleh bin Humaid, who was speaker of the advisory Shura Council, was appointed head of the Supreme Judiciary Court and was replaced by the outgoing justice minister, Abdullah al-Sheikh The board of Muslim scholars was also expanded for the first time to include 21 members from all Sunni schools of thought. Posted by: Fred 2009-02-16 |
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