islamism was not the only source of hostility to the government. although now extremely wealthy, saudi arabia's economy was near stagnant. high taxes and a growth in unemployment have contributed to discontent, and has been reflected in a rise in civil unrest, and discontent with the royal family. in response, a number of limited "reforms" were initiated by king fahd. in march 1992, he introduced the "basic law", which emphasised the duties and responsibilities of a ruler. in december 1993, the consultative council was inaugurated. it is composed of a chairman and 60 members—all chosen by the king. the king's intent was to respond to dissent while making as few actual changes in the status quo as possible. fahd made it clear that he did not have democracy in mind: "a system based on elections is not consistent with our islamic creed, which [approves of] government by consultation [shūrā]."