Sheikh Saad was efficient administrator
Pioneer follows example of his noble father
This is the fifth in a series of articles on His Highness Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah Al Salem Mubarak Al Sabah (1930-2008), Father Amir, former Crown Prince and Prime Minister.
TBy Lidia Qattan he end of the war brought a new zest to commerce and trade; all the work that had been suspended during the Great War was resumed with a ponderous start. In 1946, the first shipment of crude oil was leaving Kuwait. At the opening ceremony, Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah, standing among the Sheikhs was glowing with pride, knowing he would soon become involved in furthering the development of his country.
On the 29th of January 1950, HH the Amir, Sheikh Ahmad Al Jaber Mubarak Al Sabah, his uncle demised and his father, HH Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Mubarak Al Sabah was elected Amir of Kuwait on the 25th of February 1950.
Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem’s ruling from 1950 to 1965, marks the phenomenal transformation of Kuwait from a traditional state into a modern democracy with a new status quo in international affairs.
Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem’s wise administration, enhanced by the cooperation of resourceful individuals working with him, engendered an unprecedented zest for innovations, enhanced by an efflorescence of cultural activities that made Kuwait the beacon of higher culture and innovations in the region. made the Kuwaitis remarkably open minded in favor of innovations; hence, when the new wealth became available, they could make the best of it.
Environmental changes inevitably cause the fascinating and strenuous interplay of old and new values, which in turn influence people’s behavior and action as well as their culture.
People create new values and form new ethics in response to their environment, which then reflects on their thoughts and actions and in turn affect their social, political and economic life.
Development
While his father, HH the Amir, Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem was setting the scenario for his country’s full development into a model welfare state with a constitutional government, in 1951, Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah was sent to the Military Academy of Hamden in the United Kingdom for a full study on State Security and Political Science.
During the four years he spent abroad a vast urbanization program was radically transforming his country. A new form of education, based on scientific methods was molding the new generation from kindergarten to high school with progressive ideas, speeding up the modernizing process; even the fine arts were encouraged as a part of the whole enlightening program, while mass communication was spreading new ideas that sped the change of the social, cultural, economical and political life of the country. The implementation of the vast urbanization scheme was also transforming the physical aspect of his country, even the desert was made to bloom with agricultural projects!
While he was in the UK deepening
Sheikh Saad
his studies in political science including Public Security and the Police Force, Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah was very keen to attend cultural activities and visit museums. He was particularly interest in the British Museum, where he could indulge on the rich collection of weaponry from Stone Age to modern times. He also loved to travel, to see new places and get to know other people and their cultures.
As his noble father, Sheikh Saad was interested in everything that expanded his mental horizon and broadened his understanding of things and situations.
By the time Sheikh Saad graduated in 1954 and returned home, Kuwait was in the full swing of transformation. Innovations in every field on a vast scale were rapidly transforming the life and ways of thinking of his people; old traditional ways were being abandoned and new ones were adopted.
The bonanza of job opportunities was attracting skilled and unskilled labor to the country and that brought a flow of people from many lands and different cultures creating a situation that required radical innovation in the security system.
As soon as Sheikh Saad arrived home (in 1954), he was appointed to the Dayra Al Amn Al Am (Department of General Security) which he immediately set to organize and develop on a modern scientific basis, assuming his responsibility with a steadfastness to duty that persisted throughout the years of his involvement in state affairs; only in 2005, after 51 years of full dedication to his country and to the security and welfare of his people, he resigned from office, only because of his failing health.
Problem
From the start of his involvement Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah proved good managerial qualities, dealing effectively with every new problem he had to face. Following the example of his noble father, who in the morning throughout the 1950s could always be found in his tent pitched in front of the Mudirya on the Safat Square receiving people needing help, Sheikh Saad kept his office open for anyone with a problem or in need to come to him. Rarely, if ever, did anyone leave his office heavy hearted or unsatisfied.
While gradually ascending to higher positions in his department, Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah was becoming intimately acquainted with the work of every section, down to the minutest details; hence, his efficiency in getting things done in time.
He loved to interact with his employees, working with them, encouraging them to do their best by his contagious enthusiasm and dedication to his job, as well as by his amiable disposition.
It is said of him that he was endowed with tremendous energy. Indeed he was always on the move, going around the sections of his department whenever he was not in his office. Always alert, he was observing everything and eager to act promptly on any new situation
At the time his uncle, Sheikh Sabah Al Salem, was in charge of the Shurta Al Ama (the General Police Force), Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah was promoted to Vice-President and when Sheikh Abdullah Al Mubarak Al Sabah became Chief of the Police Force in 1959, he made him his personal representative.
To be continued