Mustafa Wahba () was a Saudi Arabian economist who served as deputy finance minister from 1960 to 1962. In addition, he was the first and long-term secretary general of the Communist Party in Saudi Arabia between 1975 and 1991.

Biography

Mustafa Wahba was born in Kuwait, and his father was Hafiz Wahba who was one of the advisors of

King Abdulaziz Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud (; 15 January 1875Ibn Saud's birth year has been a source of debate. It is generally accepted as 1876, although a few sources give it as 1880. According to British author Robert Lacey's book ''The Kingdom'', ...

and was the Saudi Ambassador to the United Kingdom. His mother was a Kuwaiti woman, Sheikha bint Hussain Al Masoud. He had two full-sisters.

Abdullah Tariki Abdullah Tariki (19 March 1919–7 September 1997) (), also known by the alternate spelling of his last name as al-Turayqi and nicknamed the Red Sheikh, was a Saudi politician and government official. He served as the first oil minister of Saudi ...

who became the Saudi minister of oil in 1960 was one of Mustafa Wahba's childhood friends, and they first met in Kuwait. Mustafa Wahba started his education in Egypt and attended Victoria College in

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

. He received a bachelor's degree in economics from

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. Following his graduation he began to work in the Saudi embassy in London where his father was the Saudi Ambassador and then, worked in the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...

. Next, he was employed in

Aramco Saudi Aramco ( ') or Aramco (formerly Arabian-American Oil Company), officially the Saudi Arabian Oil Company, is a majority state-owned petroleum and natural gas company that is the national oil company of Saudi Arabia. , it is the fourth- lar ...

in the late 1950s and served as the deputy director general of petroleum and mineral affairs in the Eastern Province. However, he was fired soon due to his progressive ideas. Mustafa Wahba was one of the supporters of the reformist royals and political figures, including Prince Talal and Abdullah Tariki. In 1960 Mustafa Wahba was appointed deputy finance minister by King Saud making him an assistant to Prince Talal, the minister of finance. The cabinet also included other reformists, including Abdullah Tariki. Wahba was removed from the office in 1962 when

Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...

Faisal assumed the premiership again. Then Wahba dealt with the consulting business and stayed in Saudi Arabia until 1968 when King Faisal ordered him to leave the country. The King stripped Wahba and his family of their Saudi citizenship. Wahba went to the Soviet Union and then, to Syria where he settled. Next, he went to Kuwait where he contributed to the establishment of the Communist Party in Saudi Arabia. He became the first secretary general of the party under the alias Mahdi Habib. He held the title from 1975 to 1991 when the party was dissolved. He was living in Amman, Jordan, at the beginning of the 2000s. He married an Austrian woman from

Graz Graz () is the capital of the Austrian Federal states of Austria, federal state of Styria and the List of cities and towns in Austria, second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. On 1 January 2025, Graz had a population of 306,068 (343,461 inc ...

with whom he had two daughters. Later he wed a Jordanian woman.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wahba, Mustafa Mustafa Mustafa Saudi Arabian dissidents Saudi Arabian economists Saudi Arabian expatriates in Kuwait Victoria College, Alexandria alumni Year of birth missing Year of death missing Muslim socialists