The Religious Policeman

...they may vote for the wrong people

In a staggering display of arrogance, even by the standards of the House of Saud, Prince Sultan ruled out elections for the "Poodle Parliament", sometimes known as the Shoura Council, on the grounds that Saudis are illiterate and would therefore vote for the wrong people. This, from a leading member of the Royal Family that boasts of its achievements in adult literacy.
Top Saudi Prince Rules Out Elected Shura Council

RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia is not yet ready to have an elected parliament because voters may pick illiterate and unqualified candidates, Defense Minister Prince Sultan said in remarks broadcast Monday.



Prince Sultan, the third most senior member of the royal family after King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah, was responding to a question on whether Riyadh could hold elections for its 120-strong consultative Shura Council, now hand-picked by the king and with a largely advisory role.


"No, because if there were elections to the Shura Council then people would emerge who cannot read or write but who have leaders and people backing them without debate," the prince said in remarks broadcast on Saudi state television.

Well, I've got news for Prince Sultan. If we ever get elections, you'll be the first to go buddy. You and your palaces and all your privileges.

So no wonder you'll resist democracy as long as possible.