Protests demanding reform are gaining momentum even in the traditionally conservative oil-rich Gulf kingdoms, writes Sherine Bahaa Until recently, the prospect of opposition protests taking place in the conservative oil-rich Gulf kingdoms would have been as unthinkable as these countries' oil and gas wells running dry. However, following the toppling of two Arab presidents in Tunisia and Egypt as a result of popular protests, and with speculation running high about who will be next, the Gulf monarchies seem to have got the message and have begun to introduce reforms. Many wealthy Gulf Arab countries, including Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, have recently pledged handouts of billions of dollars in benefits and offered modest reforms to appease their populations in attempts to forestall demands for change. Whether these handouts are seen as bribes or inducements, promises have been made that more will follow, though according to many analysts the Gulf rulers may have failed to apprehend that at this stage it may not be money that matters most. "It is usual for the king to give the people something as a token, but this time it's bigger, showing a bit of a panic," said Dubai-based analyst Kate Dorian with reference to Saudi Arabia. "The Saudi kingdom is trying to avoid seeing the same upheavals as those that happened in Tunisia and Egypt," she said. A common sentiment across the region is an entrenched feeling of discontent, analysts say. "People are not happy with the concessions so far, and the future is still very murky. Nothing that has been proposed or granted has any real long-term benefits," wrote Iman Al Najjar, a Saudi woman, in her blog Saudiwoman's Weblog. Nevertheless, the opposition movements in the Gulf have in the main been different from those that took place in Egypt or Tunisia. Protestors in the Gulf are not massing in the streets in the same way, with protests rarely numbering more than one or two thousand, but their demands are much higher then their numbers. Protestors in the Gulf do not burn police stations or create street disturbances, and they have little to complain of in terms of poverty or deprivation. Yet, they do have significant grievances, one Saudi young man setting up what he calls Shakwa.net (Arabic for grievance), a Website where members of the public can post complaints. In no time the site attracted hundreds of posts, and more are appearing with each passing day. Returning after three months of medical treatment in Spain recently, Saudi king Abdullah took the traditional route in dealing with discontent in the country by digging into state budgets and handing out some US$36 billion in additional benefits to the population in the hope of heading off unrest. He also promised that a further US$400 billion would be invested over the next four years for education, infrastructure and healthcare. A day later came the news that the Saudi authorities were considering buying the social networking site Facebook, associated with the protests in Tunisia and Egypt, "in order to end the Arab revolt." While the report was probably a joke, the Saudi government had little option except to deny it. In an open letter published on Sunday, some 100 Saudi intellectuals, activists and academics called on the king to launch political reforms and allow citizens a greater say in the country's affairs, one main demand being that elections be held to the country's parliament, the Shura Assembly. While there have been no open protests in Saudi Arabia, the possibility remains open.There are three main population centres where protests could emerge: Riyadh, with a population of more than four million, Jeddah with more than two million, and the Shi'ite areas in the country's eastern province. Saudi Shi'ites, who have complained of second-class status in the country, have been watching the protests in neighbouring Bahrain, where Shi'ites are demanding democratic reforms. In the latter country, protests have developped rapidly, with people taking to the streets, notably in Pearl Square in the capital Manama, to express their grievances and aspirations. Seven people have been killed and hundreds more wounded in protests in the country since the "Day of Rage" on February 14. Among the reasons given for the protests have been Shi'ite complaints of repression by the Sunni ruling elite. However, sectarian reasons were later downplayed, with demands for reform overshadowing all other grievances. Arriving home from exile, Bahrain opposition leader Hassan Mashaima said that "we have to be one line, Sunnis, Shiites, secular, all the opposition groups against the regime." Hundreds of anti-government protesters blocked the entrance to the country's Shura Council on Monday, forcing lawmakers to abandon the session. Demonstrators carrying banners reading "The People Want to Topple the Regime" led the protesters, who chanted the same refrain. One Shi'ite protestor went further by calling for the introduction of a constitutional monarchy in the Gulf kingdom. A day earlier, 18 Bahrain MPs from the Al-Wefaq Shiiite opposition bloc officially submitted letters of resignation in protest at the deaths of demonstrators. The protest came two days after the king of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, had sacked four government ministers, including the ministers of cabinet affairs, housing, health and electricity. Earlier, the government announced a 30% reduction in the mortgage costs of 30,000 households. However, these concessions were apparently not enough, with protesters returning to Pearl Square and continuing to demand that the entire government resign and be replaced by an elected government. The situation has been similar in the Gulf state of Oman, where 2,000 protesters have taken to the streets over the past week demanding jobs and political reform. The unrest in Sohar, Oman's main industrial centre, was a rare outbreak of discontent in the country, which has been ruled by Sultan Qaboos bin Said for four decades. Political parties are banned in Oman and Sultan Qaboos exercises absolute authority. On Sunday, in a bid to calm tensions, the sultan promised that 50,000 jobs would be created, unemployment benefits of US$390 a month introduced, and steps taken to consider widening the powers of a quasi-parliamentary advisory council. As many as six people were killed in Sohar on Sunday, when police opened fire on stone- throwing demonstrators after failing to disperse them with batons and tear gas. As the weeks pass and more and more Arab countries join the demands for change, it seems that Gulf rulers are not immune from the protests currently taking place across the region.
