Face of the future king of the Bani Saud but for how long? By appointing his own son as Deputy Crown Prince, King Salman has opened the way for his upstart and vicious son Muhammad to become future king. He dismissed Muqrin as Crown Prince as well as deputy prime minister although according to the archaic constitution, it was Muqrin's turn to be king. Was he dismissed because his mother is Yemeni?
Riyadh,
Thursday April 30, 2015, 16:39 DST
The Najdi Bedouins who have illegally occupied the Hijaz have once again proved that power and authority are sexually transmitted in the desert kingdom. King Salman bin Abdul Aziz announced several decrees today. He not only dismissed Crown Prince Muqrin but elevated Interior Minister Muhammad bin Nayef to become Crown Prince.
He was appointed Deputy Crown Prince only last January upon King Abdullah’s death and Salman becoming king. Thus Salman made clear that he will be succeeded by his ruthless nephew Muhammad bin Nayef of the Sudairi clan. But through a really “interesting” and revealing decree, he appointed his own son, Defence Minister Muhammad bin Salman as Deputy Crown Prince. Thus, while he placed his nephew in line to succeed him as king after he leaves this world, he also made sure that his own son would be next in line.
Salman’s departure may come sooner rather than later given his age and the multiple diseases he suffers from including dementia—he wants to place his favorite son in a strong position that would eventually elevate him to the top spot. Salman was really cruel to Muqrin. He not only dismissed his youngest brother as Crown Prince but also removed him from his position as deputy prime minister. The latter position was also handed over to Muhammad bin Nayef who will continue to head the political and security council, a coordinating body.
Why did Salam dismiss Muqrin from all the positions? Is it because his mother is Yemeni and the Bani Saud have been waging a vicious war against the dirt-poor Yemenis killing at least 2600 of them since March 26? Are we to assume that the Bani Saud no longer trust any Yemenis, even if they are members of the “royal” family? The Bani Saud war on Yemen is waged under the direct supervision of young Prince Muhammad bin Salman as defence minister. He is barely 35 but is known to be vicious. Perhaps, the war on Yemen was unleashed to build Muhammad bin Salman’s macho credentials.
Another interesting development was the change of foreign ministers. The longest serving foreign minister in the world (in this post since 1975), Saud al Faisal who suffers from Parkinson’s disease was removed and replace by Adel al Jubeir. Now this is an interesting development. Al-Jubeir is a commoner but has been Saudi ambassador in Washington DC. Was he elevated as reward for his services in getting the Americans to support the Najdis’ war on Yemen? The multiple decrees Salman issued have not only consolidated power in the hands of the Sudairi clan but also strengthened his own direct descendants.
Power and authority truly flow through the loins in the desert kingdom of the Najdi Bedouins. The more serious question is: how long will they be able to maintain their grip on power? Both internal and external developments point to serious problems for the Najdi Bedouins who may be driven back to their caves in Dariyah from whence they erupted more than 200 years ago.
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