Majlis Ash-Shura, 1372 A.H.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,

On behalf of the Majlis, Mr. Fou’ad Reda, secretary of the Majlis, delivered the following speech:

It is the pleasure of the Majlis to submit its deep thanks and great appreciation for your honorable presence in this blessed day to open the new session of current year. This honor along with implied elevated aims is the nourishing blood of public life. It crowns its works and grants it happiness along with the feelings of pride. The royal presence of your Honor makes it more proud of its earliest and still feelings of self-esteem under the glorified Majesty of the King, and the support of your Excellency, and the Excellency of his deputy.

My lord,

Your honorable royal command of adding twenty more members to the Majlis was met with good pleasure in all our souls; which indicates your honorable estimation of great responsibilities undertaken by this Majlis, and the extra collaboration and cooperation they require to fulfill all big duties it has.

The Majlis can’t but submit its most sincere praise and loyalty to the Majesty of our glorified King, may Allah sustain him, represented by your beloved Esquire for the high trust and honorable support and encouragement. It assures to your Excellency that it is totally ready to fulfill the duty on its shoulder so hardly and faithfully within authorities mentioned in its basic law under the direction and support of your Excellency, and under Excellency of the chairman of Majlis Ash-Shura, deputy of the glorified Majesty of the King, which the Majlis has always been enjoying in all sessions.

My lord,

The Majlis acclaims glorious works, honorable directions and general assignments of your Excellency during your blessed residency here with pride and glory, which tackled many facilities and main administrations in the country. Thanks be to your Honor, may your Excellency be recorded in history.  

The Majlis takes the chance to express before your Honor its thanks to the government of glorified Majesty of the King, being represented in its ministries and general administrations, headed by the royal Honor of prince Faisal for the successful exertions, commended efforts and general projects to advance the nation and country towards an appropriate position in all fields of health, military, education, construction, economy etc.

Finally, on behalf of this fortunate nation under the Majesty of glorified King and your Excellency, we pray to Allah, glorified and exalted be He, to sustain your Honor, the Honor of his deputy president of the Majlis Prince Faisal, the Honor of his deputy Minister of interior and Health prince Abdulla Al-Faisal, the Honor of Minister of defense and aviation Prince Mashaʻal, and all honorable princes. We pray to Allah to keep them all to support public benefit under the Majesty of our glorified King, may Allah prolong his life and provides him with His Word, Amen.

Peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings.

Then, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Saud, delivered the following speech.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,

Dear Sirs,

Peace and blessings of Allah be upon you. It is my great pleasure to open this annual session of your honorable assembly with best welcomes.

Praising Allah for success He bestowed upon us, we sincerely address the founder of our country and the builder of the glory of our nation the Majesty of our glorified King, may Allah keep and sustain him. We turn to him with plentiful thanks and kindest compliments for establishing this Majlis to comply with legitimate ruling: {who conduct their affairs by mutual consultations}

Dear brothers,

Today you receive you celebrate the birthday of this respected Majlis, saying goodbye to the previous year, and earlier years with useful resolutions and beneficial draft laws. They were only done by the Majlis for the sake of fulfilling the task it was established for, that is the service of this nation honestly to achieve its rise and growth.

We are certain that you receive the New Year, maintaining your worry about the goodness of people that we are used to see, and maintaining the firm intention to fulfill great tasks upon your shoulder. No doubt that you will attain this superior goal because of the unmistaken opinion and efficiency to balance matters you have. This balance is what brings glory and welfare to the country and nation.

Dear brothers,

It is really a pleasant opportunity to meet you here since we could declare what we did, and what we intend to do during our residency here. This include public reforms, and constructional projects in all vital facilities in the country whether educational, economical, health, agricultural, social, and moral. All of them are scheduled to be achieved as soon as possible, taking into consideration fulfilling the most important before the important, rising and advancing the country, providing means of well living to people so that they say goodbye to miseries of poverty, ignorance and illnesses.

Dear brothers,

I think you agree with us that reform is a hard and rough job that requires awakened eyes and efforts, and honest collaboration from different classes if it was to yield fruitful and vast results. However, being sure of your sincerity and backing, we are persistent to achieve it, depending on Allah and deriving guidance from the Majesty of the King, may Allah keep him. By the will of Allah, we would overcome every hardship we face so strongly and painstakingly. Reform is going ahead and all obstacles are knocked down by the wheel of construction. People of bad intentions have their hopes disappointed. We will certainly achieve our goals with good intention and loyalty as our basis to serve the country and raise its position, and to bring our nation to a point that fits its pat and glory, and lofty position among nations.

What brings us to an ease is that, by the will of Allah, we could execute a lot of reforming projects during the three previous months we stayed here. Making these reforms, we did not ignore reforming legitimate law; as we set a system that guarantees justice in settling cases quickly. We were also concerned with boosting legitimate rulings, and reforming public morals since they are among the most important basics to reform the nation, since building would fall if not established firmly. Necessary measurements were taken to decrease customs duties on items that are essential to people so that each of them could get sufficient food and clothes because spiritual values have an outstanding influence in building society, and financial factors related to living of its members have a clear effect in correcting it. There are also other economical and agricultural projects that we aim to fulfill.

At the same time, I would like everybody to be reassured that we took necessary measurements to prevent injustice to everybody, and to avoid punishing any innocent. I want everybody to know that the government would always receive every complaint or grievance, and that the Majesty of our King and we are always ready to receive any person with a complaint and listen to him. We want every citizen to feel that his rights are preserved and his honor is kept. Only within limits of legitimacy, one could win over the other, no matter elder or younger, or poor or rich be he. We would not forget to assure everybody that each official should fulfill the affairs of citizens as soon as possible within the rulings of legitimacy and system without procrastination or insulting.

Still there is a word to say:

Success in establishing or reforming could only yield satisfactory results with each of you, to be more specific, with each one in charge with official or national duty fulfilling it and abiding with performing his tasks in accordance with morals and virtue, sticking strongly to righteousness and justice, stemming from satisfying Islamic Shariʻah, rather than satisfying people’s desires and purposes.

Virtue, justice and righteousness, that is to say, Shariʻah of Prophet Mohammad is the strong power that would clear hearts from spites so that they are unified, and eradicate grievances from souls so that they are purified. It is the invulnerable power that would raise the country, and enable us to have a great inviolable nation with ample honor. We beg you to be, as you have always been, an idol for citizens in good actions, honest service for the goodness of the country and welfare of people.

Before coming to an end with my statement, I want to tell you with great sadness that I decided to leave this holy land in a few days, by the will of Allah. I want to take the chance to express to you, and to dear people, my great thanks and gratefulness for honest loyalty and warmness they showed. I will forget neither you nor them. And I will remain watching the fulfillment of projects that are beneficial and good for the glorified people. May Allah keep you.