A THOUSAND AND ONE SAUDI ARABIAN DREAMS

Augustman speaks to His Excellency Mr. Abdullah Almadhi, Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Singapore, about the Middle Eastern country's audacious vision of the future, and its unique friendship with Singapore

- SUFFIAN HAKIM

AT THE ROYAL EMBASSY OF SAUDI ARABIA’S celebration of the nation’s 93rd National Day (23 September) at the Shangri-La hotel’s vast Island Ballroom, His Excellency Mr. Abdullah Almadhi, Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Singapore, dressed handsomely in a white formal thobe and black bisht, welcomed his guests and introduced the official tagline of Saudi Arabia’s 93rd National Day: “We Dream and We Achieve”.

I was in attendance alongside dignitaries, members of the diplomatic and business communities, and citizens of both Singapore and Saudi Arabia. It was a great occasion, with Saudi Arabian music playing softly as we mingled and partook in some amazing Arabian food. We were also shown a short film encapsulating Saudi Arabia’s history and its vision for the future, a vision that is perhaps best encapsulated in the ambitious Neom gigaproject, which we discuss in this issue’s prologue (p. 16).

I’ve met the Ambassador thrice, and in every meeting, I leave His Excellency’s office wiser. In our first-ever meeting, as we were discussing literature and the moral conflicts faced by characters, he said to me, “Being a good person is an everyday act. We don’t become good people. We choose to do good things every day.” It’s a personable brand of wisdom, honed over a life in diplomacy.

The Ambassador has dedicated his entire life to public service and to the Saudi Arabia mission, serving in the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Manila, Damascus, Doha and Prague. In 2013, he was promoted to Ambassador and was posted to the embassy in Pretoria in South Africa.