Questions raised over business with brutal Saudi regime

Thursday 22 January 2015

Politicians shouldn’t be pushing to do business with the state with one of the worst human rights records in the world says one local businessman.

Kirsten Morel - a PR consultant and freelance writer who has been posting his views on social media - says States Members should consider the moral views of Islanders before accepting invitations to visit Saudi Arabia and the State of Qatar or receiving delegates here.

Last May the former Treasury Minister Senator Philip Ozouf visited the region, working to strengthen the Island’s economic and financial ties there. Mr Morel said that it was extraordinary that Jersey's politicians were so blind to the gulf in values between the Island and the Saudi state.

Mr Morel said: “Saudi Arabia stands contrary to many values that we hold dear in Jersey. It is a country that flogs and imprisons women for driving. It also flogs and imprisons gay men as well as flogging and imprisoning people expressing their political views. It holds public beheadings. It deprives women of any personal freedom. It is linked with terrorist financing. The list goes on. 

“It is incredible to think that an openly gay minister visited Saudi in order to attract business to the island whilst knowing that other gay men were in prison because of their sexuality, whilst he was there. Jersey's government acts in our name and should think carefully before being lured to such places by the prospect of doing business.

“These are not values that would be condoned by most people in Jersey and therefore our government should not act contrary to the views of Jersey people by bestowing such governments with official visits of any kind.

Just last week authorities in Saudi Arabia publicly beheaded a woman in Islam’s holy city of Mecca who had been convicted of the sexual abuse and murder of her seven-year-old step-daughter.

Mr Morel said: "I hope that when our government visits such places without paying any attention to the moral values of Jersey's population, then it suffers a reputational impact itself and will ultimately be judged at the ballot box.”