"The translation of the khutba (sermon) at the Grand Mosque in Makkah is very essential," Abdul Aziz Al-Thunayyan, a member of the Shoura, said. "This can be done by distributing interpretation receivers at a nominal fee to those who need them."
He proposed the establishment of an institute to train Saudis to serve in the two holy mosques and said Saudi employees must be paid attractive salaries. "Many Saudis are not interested in working at the two mosques because of the low wages."
Al-Thunayyan stressed that jobs at the holy mosques, including those related to maintenance and cleaning, must be reserved for Saudis.
Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Al-Maiman, another council member, supported Al-Thunayyan’s views and emphasized the need to employ Saudis at the two mosques. He said companies that win cleaning and maintenance contracts should be forced to allocate at least 50 percent of jobs for Saudis.
Zainul Abideen Barri urged the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques to introduce a system to prevent the use of mobile phones by pilgrims while performing tawaf (circumambulation). "The public must be educated so that they do not use cell phones while performing tawaf."
The Shoura members made their comments while the consultative body was discussing the presidency’s annual report. The members also criticized the presidency for failure to construct more toilets, making use of surplus funds.
Muhammad Al-Zulfa, also a Shoura member, censured the presidency for not paying the salaries of its employees through banks. Abdullah Feefi, another member, stressed the need to train employees at the two mosques to deal with visitors politely.
