Alwaght-The Saudi regime has literally bribed its citizens amid growing calls for protests against the monarchy over austerity measures imposed following a budget deficit.
Saudi King Salman issued a royal decree on Saturday restoring "all allowances, financial benefits, and bonuses" after calls for protests in four Saudi cities over the weekend. The monarch also ordered an additional two-month salary bonus for regime forces involved in a brutal and inhuman aggression against neighboring Yemen.
Last September the Saudi monarch cut ministers' salaries by 20 percent and scaled back perks for public sector employees in one of the kingdom's most drastic measures to save money after tumbling oil prices and increasing costs of the aggression on Yemen.
The measures were the first pay cuts for government employees, who make up about two-thirds of working Saudis. These harsh measures angered many and ignited underground dissent as the austerity measures impacted negatively on ordinary Saudis while the ruling family continued to plunder the country’s resources.
Under the Twitter hashtag "April 21 movement," Saudis circulated statements last week demanding the reinstatement of benefits, a halt to the sale of shares of state oil giant Aramco, a constitutional monarchy and the restoration of the powers of the religious police.
Security forces lined the streets of central Riyadh over the weekend, although no demonstrations appeared to materialize.
In another move to buy the loyalty of citizens the monarchy’s central bank instructed banks to maintain the current favorable terms of consumer and property loans, having ordered their rescheduling in the fall to aid Saudis affected by the cuts.
Meanwhile to contain dissenting voices within the ruling Al Saud clan, the ailing King also made a handful of young princes from various branches of the clan deputy governors of the kingdom's provinces.
