عندما نتأمل ملامح التحول في الإدارة السعودية اليوم فنحن لا نقصد مجرد تحديث إداري أو إصلاح تقني، بل نتحدث عن تحوّل جوهري في طريقة اتخاذ القرار، وفي عمق العلاقة بين القيادة العليا والقيادات التنفيذية، وفي حضور الهوية داخل كل مشروع، والذوق داخل كل اختيار.
هذا التحول لا يُقاس فقط بالمشروعات العملاقة، ولا يُختزل في مؤشرات اقتصادية أو بنى تحتية، بل يظهر أحياناً في لحظة عابرة... في محادثة، في كلمة، في إيماءة. وهذا ما يجعل من رسالة خاصة، استعرضها مؤخراً أمير منطقة عسير الأمير تركي بن طلال، بينه وبين ولي العهد الأمير محمد بن سلمان، وثيقة رمزية تختصر ما تغيّر في عمق الدولة.
قد يبدو ظاهر هذه المحادثة بسيطاً: عرض لتصميم مشروع، وتعليق من القائد، وردّ من الإداري التنفيذي. لكن ما وراء ذلك هو بنية ذهنية جديدة، تُحيلنا إلى سؤال جوهري: كيف تتعامل الدولة السعودية الحديثة مع القرار؟ وما الذي تعنيه كلماتٌ مقتضبة مثل: «يليق»، «مناسب»، «نعتمده»... حين تصدر من رأس الدولة أو من ينفذ أمره؟
قبل أن تبدأ الكلمات، كانت الصورة. صورة العرض لولي العهد الأمير محمد بن سلمان في المحادثة كانت الشعار الرسمي للمملكة: السيفان والنخلة. لا صورة شخصية، ولا مناسبة إعلامية، ولا رمزاً شخصياً. بل رمز الدولة ذاته. وهذه ليست مصادفة. بل هو تعبير رمزي عميق عن قائد اختار أن يكون تمثيله امتداداً للدولة، لا تجسيداً لذاته. قائد ألغى مفهوم التمحور حول الذات، وارتضى أن تكون صورته الأولى هي السعودية. لا يحتاج إلى صورة تُعرّفه... لأن الراية تكفي.
حين استعرض الأمير تركي التصاميم النهائية لمطار أبها الجديد، جاءت أولى كلمات ولي العهد: «هذا مطار يليق بأبها». وهنا لا نتحدث عن إطراء عابر، بل عن تقدير ذوقي وسيادي في آنٍ واحد. ولي العهد لا يمدح التصميم من منظور هندسي، بل يربط بين المشروع وهوية المدينة. وكأنه يقول: نحن لا نريد مطاراً فحسب، بل نريده أن يكون امتداداً لكرامة أبها، لذوقها، لهويتها الثقافية. كلمة «يليق» هنا ليست وصفاً، بل معياراً تنفيذياً.
عندها بادر الأمير تركي بن طلال بالرد: «نعتمده طال عمرك». وهي جملة تحمل في طيّاتها فهماً دقيقاً لما تعنيه عبارة القائد، واستعداداً فورياً للانتقال من التقييم إلى التنفيذ. لم ينتظر توجيهاً إضافياً، بل التقط روح الرسالة، وأعاد صياغتها كقرار إداري رسمي.
ثم قال الأمير محمد بن سلمان كلمة واحدة فقط: «مناسب». كلمة قصيرة للغاية، لا تُلفت النظر عند عامة الناس، لكنها في عقل الدولة الحديثة تُعادل ختم القرار. ففي أنظمة الحكم التقليدية تُثقل القرارات بالكلمات. أما في الإدارة السيادية الناضجة فتكفي كلمة واحدة إذا جاءت من موقع السيادة. و«مناسب»، في هذا السياق، ليست تعبيراً عن الرأي، بل إشارة بالاعتماد، وفتح باب التنفيذ.
إذا تأملنا تسلسل المحادثة نجد أننا أمام لحظة فريدة تتجسد فيها الدولة بثلاث طبقات: «يليق» = الحس بالهوية والانتماء. «نعتمده» = الترجمة التنفيذية السريعة. «مناسب» = الاعتماد السيادي الأخير. وهذا هو النموذج الذي تُبنى عليه الدول الذكية: الحس قبل الحساب، الكلمة الموجزة بدل الملف المُكدّس، الثقة بدل الشرح.
ليست كل وثيقة تُكتب بالحبر. بعض الوثائق تُقال على الهاتف، وتُفهم بالعقل، وتُبنى على الثقة. هذه هي الدولة التي يرسم ملامحها ولي العهد: دولة لا تُكثر من الضجيج، لكن كل كلمة فيها تُحسب... وكل «مناسب» فيها يُحرّك آلة كاملة من العمل الصامت. وهكذا، في 3 جمل، تجلّت هوية وطن... واكتملت حلقة القرار.
تابع قناة عكاظ على الواتساب
When we contemplate the features of transformation in Saudi management today, we are not merely referring to administrative updates or technical reforms, but rather to a fundamental shift in decision-making, in the depth of the relationship between senior leadership and executive leaders, and in the presence of identity within every project, and taste within every choice.
This transformation is not measured solely by giant projects, nor is it reduced to economic indicators or infrastructure; it sometimes appears in a fleeting moment... in a conversation, in a word, in a gesture. This is what makes a special message, recently presented by the Emir of the Asir Region, Prince Turki bin Talal, between him and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a symbolic document that encapsulates what has changed at the core of the state.
The surface of this conversation may seem simple: a presentation of a project design, a comment from the leader, and a response from the executive administrator. But behind that lies a new mental structure that leads us to a fundamental question: How does the modern Saudi state deal with decision-making? What do succinct words like "suitable," "appropriate," "we approve" mean when they come from the head of state or from someone executing his orders?
Before the words began, there was the image. The image of the presentation to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the conversation was the official emblem of the Kingdom: the two swords and the palm tree. No personal image, no media occasion, no personal symbol. Rather, it is the symbol of the state itself. And this is not a coincidence. It is a profound symbolic expression of a leader who chose to represent himself as an extension of the state, not a manifestation of himself. A leader who abolished the concept of self-centeredness and accepted that his first image is Saudi Arabia. He does not need an image to define him... because the flag is enough.
When Prince Turki presented the final designs for the new Abha Airport, the first words from the Crown Prince were: "This is an airport that befits Abha." Here, we are not talking about a fleeting compliment, but about an appreciation of taste and sovereignty at the same time. The Crown Prince is not praising the design from an engineering perspective, but linking the project to the identity of the city. As if he is saying: We do not want just any airport; we want it to be an extension of Abha's dignity, its taste, its cultural identity. The word "befits" here is not a description, but an executive criterion.
At that point, Prince Turki bin Talal responded: "We approve it, Your Highness." This phrase carries within it a precise understanding of what the leader's phrase means and an immediate readiness to transition from evaluation to execution. He did not wait for additional guidance, but captured the spirit of the message and rephrased it as an official administrative decision.
Then Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said just one word: "Appropriate." A very short word, which does not attract attention among the general public, but in the mind of the modern state, it equates to the seal of the decision. In traditional governance systems, decisions are burdened with words. However, in mature sovereign management, one word is sufficient if it comes from a position of sovereignty. And "appropriate," in this context, is not an expression of opinion, but a signal of approval, opening the door to execution.
If we contemplate the sequence of the conversation, we find ourselves in a unique moment where the state is embodied in three layers: "befits" = a sense of identity and belonging. "We approve" = rapid executive translation. "Appropriate" = the final sovereign approval. This is the model upon which smart nations are built: feeling before calculation, concise words instead of a piled-up file, trust instead of explanation.
Not every document is written in ink. Some documents are spoken over the phone, understood by the mind, and built on trust. This is the state that the Crown Prince is shaping: a state that does not make excessive noise, but every word in it counts... and every "appropriate" in it moves a whole machine of silent work. Thus, in three sentences, the identity of a nation was manifested... and the decision-making loop was completed.
This transformation is not measured solely by giant projects, nor is it reduced to economic indicators or infrastructure; it sometimes appears in a fleeting moment... in a conversation, in a word, in a gesture. This is what makes a special message, recently presented by the Emir of the Asir Region, Prince Turki bin Talal, between him and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a symbolic document that encapsulates what has changed at the core of the state.
The surface of this conversation may seem simple: a presentation of a project design, a comment from the leader, and a response from the executive administrator. But behind that lies a new mental structure that leads us to a fundamental question: How does the modern Saudi state deal with decision-making? What do succinct words like "suitable," "appropriate," "we approve" mean when they come from the head of state or from someone executing his orders?
Before the words began, there was the image. The image of the presentation to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the conversation was the official emblem of the Kingdom: the two swords and the palm tree. No personal image, no media occasion, no personal symbol. Rather, it is the symbol of the state itself. And this is not a coincidence. It is a profound symbolic expression of a leader who chose to represent himself as an extension of the state, not a manifestation of himself. A leader who abolished the concept of self-centeredness and accepted that his first image is Saudi Arabia. He does not need an image to define him... because the flag is enough.
When Prince Turki presented the final designs for the new Abha Airport, the first words from the Crown Prince were: "This is an airport that befits Abha." Here, we are not talking about a fleeting compliment, but about an appreciation of taste and sovereignty at the same time. The Crown Prince is not praising the design from an engineering perspective, but linking the project to the identity of the city. As if he is saying: We do not want just any airport; we want it to be an extension of Abha's dignity, its taste, its cultural identity. The word "befits" here is not a description, but an executive criterion.
At that point, Prince Turki bin Talal responded: "We approve it, Your Highness." This phrase carries within it a precise understanding of what the leader's phrase means and an immediate readiness to transition from evaluation to execution. He did not wait for additional guidance, but captured the spirit of the message and rephrased it as an official administrative decision.
Then Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said just one word: "Appropriate." A very short word, which does not attract attention among the general public, but in the mind of the modern state, it equates to the seal of the decision. In traditional governance systems, decisions are burdened with words. However, in mature sovereign management, one word is sufficient if it comes from a position of sovereignty. And "appropriate," in this context, is not an expression of opinion, but a signal of approval, opening the door to execution.
If we contemplate the sequence of the conversation, we find ourselves in a unique moment where the state is embodied in three layers: "befits" = a sense of identity and belonging. "We approve" = rapid executive translation. "Appropriate" = the final sovereign approval. This is the model upon which smart nations are built: feeling before calculation, concise words instead of a piled-up file, trust instead of explanation.
Not every document is written in ink. Some documents are spoken over the phone, understood by the mind, and built on trust. This is the state that the Crown Prince is shaping: a state that does not make excessive noise, but every word in it counts... and every "appropriate" in it moves a whole machine of silent work. Thus, in three sentences, the identity of a nation was manifested... and the decision-making loop was completed.

