Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud has revealed the details of the discussions and follow-ups in the run-up to the historic decision to allow women in Saudi Arabia to drive.

Speaking on MBC1, the Interior Minister highlighted the hectic preparations that preceded the implementation of this important decision. "Those eight months led to a turning for point for Saudi women," he said.

Prince Abdulaziz shed light on his meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after the decision was made to allow women to drive, saying: “His Highness called me in Jeddah and informed me that he had made a decision after studying it and was heading to allow women to drive. He asked me: How much preparation do you need at the Ministry of Interior? I asked him for time until the next day to review the relevant team. After extensive discussions with the ministry’s leaders in secret, we found that we needed between eight months to a year to implement the decision in the best possible way.”

“Crown Prince asked me to make a presentation on the needs at the Ministry of Interior. We presented the full vision and received his great support to complete the task on time. During this period, we established driving schools, put in place the necessary systems, and the journey began,” he said in an interview with MBC1's “Hekayat Waad” program.

“We were in the car heading to the palace, and going to any meeting was a challenge for me personally, because I didn’t drive, and I had to rely on a friend or colleague to drive me,” recalled Shihana Al-Azzaz, an advisor to the royal court, recalling the moment the decision was announced. “Suddenly, a colleague called and said, ‘Congratulations, the decision to allow women to drive has been issued.’ It was an exceptional and unexpected moment.”

Adwa Al-Arifi, Assistant Minister of Sports for Sports Affairs, spoke about her personal experience, saying: “I was in Russia to attend the 2018 World Cup, but the news that women would be allowed to drive prompted me to return to Saudi Arabia immediately. I had an international license, and the first thing I did after arriving was drive a car. I felt freedom and independence for the first time.”

She noted that the decision was real empowerment for women in the workplace, adding: “I was part of the Formula E team in 2018, and moving from one location to another was essential to get the job done. If I wasn’t able to drive, it would have been a huge hindrance to my work. The decision allowed us to move freely and smoothly, without having to have a driver or wait for someone to drive us, which boosted our productivity and made it easier to perform our professional tasks.”