Page 4 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
ASIA / PACIFIC
After ban ends, Saudi women
see new job in becoming drivers
July 2, 2018
Malaysia to sell bling seized
in ex-prime minister’s probe
By Aya Batrawy
By Ian Phillips and Eileen Ng
The Associated Press
The Associated Press
IYADH,
Saudi
Arabia — Saudi
women are driving
freely through busy city
streets for the first time
after years of risking arrest
if they dared to get behind
the wheel. And with the
longstanding ban now
lifted, a new opportunity
has emerged: Working as
drivers.
It’s a job that had been
reserved for men only and
one that until recently even
many Saudi males rejected
as socially taboo. Driving
was almost entirely the job
of foreigners, often lower-
income and from countries
like India, Pakistan, and
Bangladesh.
Saudi women who want
to work as drivers — for
ride-hailing services such
as Uber, for example — are
challenging an even wider
array of traditional limits
on women’s rights and are
part of a wave of change
that has drawn resistance
from parts of the male
community in the deeply
conservative country.
“It’s very natural for
people to resist change,”
said Ammal Farahat, an
affluent mother of two with
a master’s degree who runs
who her own consultancy.
“Once they start seeing
more positive images and
opportunities and what it
means for women to drive,
they’re going to change
their minds.”
Farahat, who had a
driver’s license from the
U.S. before obtaining a
Saudi one, signed up to be a
driver for Careem, a local
competitor to Uber. She
and her sister, who grew up
in Saudi Arabia with a
German mother who could
drive freely in her home
country, are trying out
becoming drivers together.
Farahat says she decided
to take on the job to defy
stereotypes that working
as a driver is beneath Saudi
women.
For many women who
sign up to become drivers,
the job provides another
source of income and
greater financial indepen-
dence.
“By opening our platform
now to women, we are
empowering them to be
their own boss, to drive or
to work whenever they
want, and to work how long
they want, as well. Perfect
for women who are in the
workforce,” said Careem
co-founder Abdullah Elyas.
It’s not just women. In
recent years, thousands of
young Saudi men have
started moonlighting as
drivers for the two ride-
hailing services.
The change reflects the
shift in Saudi lifestyles
mirrored by the kingdom’s
UTRAJAYA, Malaysia — Malay-
sia’s government will sell much of
the huge stash of jewelry and
luxury goods, including diamond neck-
laces, tiaras, and designer handbags, that
were seized in a money-laundering probe
of former leader Najib Razak, finance
minister Lim Guan Eng told The
Associated Press.
Police said 12,000 pieces of jewelry, 567
handbags, 423 watches, and 234
sunglasses
were
confiscated
from
properties linked to Najib after the
shocking electoral defeat of his long-ruling
coalition. The police estimate the haul, the
biggest in the country’s history, is worth
more than $273 million.
Lim told The AP in an interview that
the government will “try to monetize
whatever we can.” He said the amount is a
drop in the ocean compared to some 50
billion ringgit ($12.4 billion) of losses
related to the defunct 1MDB investment
fund set up by Najib, including from
alleged outright theft and loans used to
conceal the graft.
“We will try to monetize whatever we
can, but bear in mind it is nothing
compared to the amount that has been
robbed from the state,” he said, adding he
was stunned by the police seizure.
Malaysians have reacted with disbelief
on social media at the extensive stash that
included 2,200 rings, some 1,400
necklaces, 14 tiaras, and thousands of
bracelets, earrings, and brooches.
Najib has claimed most of the items were
gifts from foreign dignitaries over decades
R
P
DETERMINED DRIVERS. Ammal Farahat, who has signed up to
be a driver for Careem, a regional ride-hailing service that is a competitor
to Uber, drives her car in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. After lifting a longstanding
ban on women driving, it’s the latest job opening for Saudi women that
had been reserved for men only, and one that sharply challenges tradi-
tional norms. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
shrinking ability to rely
solely on its vast oil exports
for wealth. While 70
percent of Saudis who work
are employed by the public
sector, those jobs alone are
not enough to keep pace
with the number of Saudis
entering the workforce.
Official statistics show
that the average public sec-
tor salary for Saudis is
about 10,600 riyals per
month ($2,800), far from
enough to comfortably
cover the costs of one-in-
come households in major
cities like the capital,
Riyadh.
Unemployment is close
to
12
percent.
The
overwhelming majority of
job seekers in Saudi Arabia
are women, and around 34
percent of Saudis seeking
employment are between
25 and 29 years old. The
lifting of the driving ban is
expected to gradually im-
prove women’s participa-
tion in the workforce and
buoy the economy.
There will still be many
roadblocks for women.
They need a male relative’s
approval to obtain a pass-
port or travel abroad. And
the support of a father,
husband, or brother is seen
as key to a woman being
able to work or drive.
Careem
says
2,000
women have registered
with the company to sign
up as drivers since the
kingdom announced in
September the driving ban
on women would be lifted.
Uber,
meanwhile,
launched a website with
more than 100 Saudi
women registering their
interest in driving.
Already, more than
150,000 Saudi male drivers
are signed up with Uber,
with the majority working
part-time. Careem says 95
percent of its fleet of
drivers are Saudi men,
totalling around 170,000.
But 80 percent of Uber’s
customers are women; 70
percent for Careem.
When the royal decree
was announced last year
that women would be al-
lowed to drive, some Saudi
women eager to drive their
own cars shared pictures
on Twitter deleting their
Uber and Careem apps.
Elyas says the company
is not worried about
business being hurt, and is
embracing the change.
“There is a need (for)
being driven by a woman in
Saudi and we’re opening
with that whole new
customer segment, which
we are excited to serve with
our service going forward,”
he said.
While there has been a
loosening of social restric-
tions in recent years, the
culture here still shuns the
mixing of unrelated men
and women. A male driver
initiating
conversation
with a female passenger
can lead to a complaint.
Uber conducted its own
research and found that 74
percent of prospective
women drivers interviewed
said they’d only be inter-
ested in driving female
riders.
To accommodate this,
Uber is rolling out a new
feature in Saudi Arabia
that allows women drivers
to select women riders. The
company describes it as an
effort at “being mindful of
the cultural context” in
Saudi Arabia.
Careem says its drivers
too can decide to confirm or
decline an order based on
the rider’s gender by seeing
their name.
As she drove around the
streets of Riyadh, Farahat
talked about how her
daughter and niece, both
under five years old, will
never know the challenges
her
generation
went
through in getting from one
place to another and
needing to rely on a man for
transportation.
“They’re not growing up
in the same Saudi Arabia I
grew up in at all,” Farahat
said. “It’s exciting, but also
I know every generation
has their own challenges,
so what challenges would
they go through? It will be
different.”
Fay Abuelgasim contri-
buted to this report.
SEIZED STASH. An officer of Malaysia’s Federal
Commercial Crime Investigation Department shows
pictures of jewelry during a press conference in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia. Malaysian police say the total value
of cash, jewelry, and hundreds of watches and hand-
bags seized from properties linked to former Prime
Minister Najib Razak in a money-laundering investiga-
tion amounted to more than $273 million. (AP Photo/
Vincent Thian)
and said the police valuation was grossly
inflated and appeared to be a “political
vengeance” against his family.
“Imagine if that amount was discovered
or revealed in the United States, it would
be mind boggling even for a country as
wealthy, rich as the United States,” Lim
said. For a small country such as Malaysia,
“it is completely out of this world,” he said.
Najib set up the 1MDB fund when he
took power in 2009, but it accumulated
billions in debts. U.S. investigators say
Najib’s associates stole and laundered $4.5
billion from the fund from 2009 to 2014,
some of which landed in Najib’s bank
account. They say $27.3 million was used
to buy a rare diamond necklace for his wife,
Rosmah Mansor.
New
Prime
Minister
Mahathir
Mohamad has reopened investigations
Continued on page 9
Department of Consumer & Business Services
Workers’ Compensation Division:
What we do
In Oregon, all employers must have workers’ compensation insurance or be self-insured.
The Workers’ Compensation Division enforces laws and regulations and provides services
and resources to assist those in the workers’ compensation system. Workers’ compensation
insurance protects workers by paying for treatment and lost wages. It also protects
employers against legal claims that may result from injury or related illness at work.
Workers’ compensation services include :
• Resolving disputes fairly and quickly. • Prevention and reduction of injuries and illnesses at work.
• Ensuring injured workers receive medical treatment and appropriate
benefits to recover and return to work more quickly.
If you are injured at work or for more information, call the
Workers’ Compensation Division at 1-800-452-0288 or 503-947-7810.
www.wcd.oregon.gov
What do you think about a new MAX line to
SW Portland, Tigard and Tualatin?
Alternatives for a new MAX light rail line serving southwest Portland, Tigard and
Tualatin were studied in a Draft Environmental Impact Statement. The study is
available for review and comment. Your comments can improve the study and help
determine which route is pursued for further study, design and funding.
Comment at swcorridorplan.org
through Monday July 30, 2018
The Southwest Corridor Steering Committee is scheduled to hold a public
hearing 6 p.m. Thursday July 26 at Tigard Town Hall, 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,
Tigard.
Submit comments | swcorridorplan.org | swcorridorDEIS@oregonmetro.gov
| 503-797-1888 or TDD 503-797-1804 | Metro SW Corridor, 600 NE Grand Ave.,
Portland, OR 97232.
ƐƚĂĞƐƵŶĂŶŽƟĮĐĂĐŝſŶ de su oportunidad para comentar sobre las prioridades de transporte en la
ƌĞŐŝſŶ͘WĂƌĂƌĞĐŝďŝƌƵŶĂƚƌĂĚƵĐĐŝſŶĚĞůĂŶŽƟĮĐĂĐŝſŶƉƷďůŝĐĂĐŽŵƉůĞƚĂĞŶĞƐƉĂŹŽů͕ůůĂŵĞĂů 503-797-1888.
ąLJůăƚŚƀŶŐ漏ǀҲĐҿŚҾŝĐӆĂƋƵljǀҷĜӇӄĐƚƌŞŶŚďăLJljŬŝұŶĜҺŝǀӀŝĐĄĐӇƵƟġŶǀҲĐŚƵLJġŶĐŚӂƚƌŽŶŐ
ǀƶŶŐ͘DƵҺŶŶŚҨŶĜӇӄĐďңŶĚҷĐŚĜҥLJĜӆĐӆĂƚŚƀŶŐ漏ďҪŶŐdŝұŶŐsŝҵƚ͕džŝŶŐҸŝƐҺϱϬϯͲϳϵϳͲϭϴϴϴ͘
劥Ⱆデ傋㖈鸑濼䝠ⵄ欽鸎⦐堤剚鐱陾㖈䝠䨾㖈爢⼥꣡鵛Ⱆ❜騟箁涸〳腊隶⹛կ銳
格》㸤侮涸籖넒⚥俒缺陼晜Ⱆデ锝丸䩧 503-797-1888.
ˑ̸̨̨̨̨̨̨̨̨̨̨̨̨̛̛̛̯̱̖̥̣̖̦̖͕̯̱̭̖̭̯̥̙̦̭̯̭̯̯̭̜̯̼̯̦̭̯̖̣̦̏̔̏̌̽̏̽̌̏̽̏̏̽̚̚
̶̨̨̨̨̨̛̛̛̛̪̯̖̦̣̦̬̯̯̬̦̭̪̬̯̹̖̥̬̖̦̖̌̽̐̌̏́̌̌̏̏̌̐̚͘ˀ̡̨̨̨̛̱̭̭̱̖̬̭̪̣̦̀̏̀̐
̸̨̨̨̨̨̨̨̨̛̛̛̪̱̣̦̱̖̥̣̖̦̥̙̦̪̬̭̯̪̦̥̖̬̱̍̐̏̔́̌̽̚ 503-797-1888 .
ؿऌ۰Ӗଜ࣯ضˬ˃ࢂɼМଞض߾оଥࢂʺࡶࢿݤଟܹЕ̛ୣձߊԮ
Җչ̛ࡢଞʨТЬଞ˲߭Իءࠇѹए۰ࢷחࡶ؇߅ؿݤԮִ