One of the most important reforms that Mohamed bin Salman was supposed to achieve is social justice, which is lacking at all classes in KSA. Despite promises of a better future, Bin Salman is determined to complete an existing project based on social injustice, apartheid and class persecution; that is the project of NEOPM city.
Everyone knows that the “massive” city of NEOM -as the regime calls it – is the most important project in the 2030 Vision of the Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman. He seeks to achieve radical reforms in all areas in KSA, as he claims. It is apparent to everyone that all steps taken to achieve his reform vision, especially in the city project, were damaging ones that would ultimately lead to complete destruction in the kingdom.
A Bad Beginning
With the announcement of NEOM project, a fundamental problem, which the Saudi regime could not solve or deal with, appeared. Part of the city project is supposed to be established on an area in the “Khribat” in Tabuk, which is inhabited by the sons of the Al-Huwaitat tribe. For the project to be completed, the tribe was forced to evacuate the area, leave their homes, and the lands of their ancestors, and instead of seeking to compensate its people, the regime decided to displace them from their homes, killed one of them, arrested dozens, and kidnapped others, as part of the terror campaigns which has been ongoing for over
a year now.
The brutal campaigns against the sons of Al-Hawitat continued as they demonstrated against their forcible displacement, and building the city continued at a time when Huwaitat people were fighting for their survival. Their appeals for help reached all officials in the kingdom, including bin Salman, however the answer was “nothing”.
Amid the dilemma suffered by Al-Huwaitat members, who try to figure out what to do after their displacement, bin Salman moved his yacht to the shores of NEOM, in a very provocative move to the feelings of tribe.
The aforementioned yacht was bought from the Russian businessman Yuri Scheffler in the summer of 2014, when bin Salman was spending his summer holidays in France. It was worth $ 550 million, and ranked 15th among the largest yachts of the rich in the world, as it has a helipad, resort, swimming pools and underwater room.
Moving the yacht aroused anger of many, and caused a wave of harsh criticism of the spoiled son of the king, accusing him of foolishness. Bin Salman’s response was even more provocative as he said: “I bought the yacht of my own money … I am the son of the ruling family of the Hijaz”, not Just a young man from the toiling middle class.
The regime which wants to build its new city on the ruins of the villages and houses of Al-Huwaitat, contracted to build 5 royal palaces in the city project at a cost of 15 billion riyals, a large meeting room, and a golf course in addition to all afforestation. These facilities are only for the ruling class, senior public officials and the super-rich.
Everyone should always remember that bin Salman regime, which claims its respect for social justice has acquired a large part of NEOM’s lands with weapons, arrests and terror, as human rights reports showed that more than 4,000 houses would be removed to fulfill the dream of the Crown Prince. This project also will result in the destruction of large agricultural areas, with tens of thousands displaced, without providing them with an alternative housing, or compensation for their losses.
