‘Kuwaitis welcome home HH Amir’

‘Strengthen internal front, unite’

“OVER the past few days, Kuwaitis were worried about the health of His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah when news spread that the Amir was undergoing some medical tests in the United States of America and all sections of people without distinction expressed deep love and concern for their father, their Amir,” columnist Dr Nasser Al-Mutairi wrote for Annahar daily.

“As the plane lands at the Kuwait International Airport bringing home His Highness the Amir, the citizens will go wild in rapturous applause, their joys knowing no bounds. This signifies the deep relationship between the ruler and his subjects which has stood the test of time and passed from generations to generations – a rare example of a ruler’s bond with his people.

“What confirms this historical fact of a deep relationship between the ruler and the ruled in Kuwait is the most prominent and most important events witnessed by Kuwait throughout its history because on every occasion the citizens have thrown their weight behind their rulers in times of crises and battles that preceded the independence of Kuwait.

“During the reign of the late Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem AlSabah, this unique relationship between Kuwaitis and their rulers emerged through the constitutional system of the modern state, which is built on the foundations of justice and rights on the one hand, and the support and democratic man- date of the people on the other.

“At a later stage, Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, the late Amir of Kuwait, read a poem embodying the unity of the people and the inherent leadership in this good country when he said: ‘I and my People are One, Religion is One, Aim is One, to Serve People.’

“This balanced and transparent equation is also the title of the reign of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, which is an extension of the reigns of the successive rulers of Kuwait, both in the historical and the modern constitutional period.

“In our reception to His Highness Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad, we find it an occasion to recall two basic facts: His Highness constitutes a strategic asset and a safety valve for the country with his experience and skill and a shadow following all fluctuations in the regional and international conflicts.

“It is no secret to anyone how much effort and energy HH the Amir exerts non-stop to protect Kuwait from all the dangers and conflicts in the region at the political and strategic levels.

“Our first responsibility is to strengthen our internal front and consolidate national unity politically and socially to help His Highness the Amir endeavor and enhance the atmospheres of political stability at home and abroad. We pray to Almighty God to protect Sabah al-Ahmad, our father, our prince and a ‘leader of humanity’.”

Also:

Dr Al-Mutairi

“The progress and regress of countries are measured by the effectiveness of their councils and public institutions when it comes to achieving desired goals and marching towards a better future for the coming generations,” columnist Hamed Al-Seif wrote for Annahar.

“We have countless of these councils and institutions representing all different sectors in the state – housing, legal, planning, financial, control, social, industrial and commercial – and they constitute a burden on State Treasury and serve as a direct indicator of our regress. What have all these institutions done for the state in terms of benefitting from them?

“Any observer of these public institutions can come to the conclusion that some of these institutions such as the Supreme Council for Planning, the Supreme Petroleum Council, the National Assembly, the Council of Ministers, the State Audit Bureau, the Anti-corruption Authority (Nazaha) the Fatwa and Legislation Department, the Civil Service Commission, the Housing Authority, the Kuwait Institute for Advanced Science, the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Researches, Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources, Environment Public Authority, Kuwait Investment Authority, the Capital Markets Authority, Public Benefits Societies, the foreign investor, the governmental committees, the committees of the National Assembly, the sports authority, the Municipal Council, the Credit Bank, the Central Bank of Kuwait and all the ministries of the state are a burden on the State Treasury.

“With this huge number of different disciplines and which are costly to the state from the monetary point of view, we wonder what they have done for the country. The measurement is the level of the current situation of Kuwait and the comparison is easy with the rest of other countries, especially the Gulf countries ‘neighboring’ us.

“We are in an unenviable position in terms of all the material and the abundant availability of human resources, but these institutions and councils have failed to put the country on the right track because of their inability to meet the aspirations of the citizens and this is due to the state of inaction and non-accountability.

“What is crystal clear is the lack of seriousness on the part of these institutions to initiate reforms because of the inability to put the right man in the right place. In this area we will not be wrong if we say we have placed our personal interests above the interests of the country, not to change for the better.

“Therefore, it is easier for any observer to single out a few who are really hard working and think good of the country. Take for example the committee that is entrusted with demolishing encroachments built on government land because it is known that this committee has taken a serious decision to apply the law on everyone without discrimination and as a result everyone was forced to fall in line either forced to or done voluntarily. Why don’t we treat this committee as a role model and move forward?

“If the state is determined to apply the laws without discrimination for the benefit of the future generations, it will be able to do so and receive full support of citizens who have shown their hunger to lift the country to a higher pedestal.

“Every citizen wishes to see our wise government to shun negativism and embark on positive ideas and save the country from the current debilitating situation and show a serious attitude when it comes to apply the laws in word and spirit.

“The state has reached a point of historic opportunity to correct the situation because it is capable of doing so. No one stands in its way and shall receive all support from the good people living in this country, but if those in charge show willingness to correct the path instead of supporting the corrupt and influential who time and again meddle in the affairs of the country the problems will never be solved and we will continue to live in a world of problems and further deterioration.

“The state has a big responsibility to steer the nation on the right path keeping in mind the future of our children as many nations around the world have done. History is ruthless and if we lose the opportunity for reform our country we will continue to move in circles and go back to square one no matter what we do.”

“Everyone saw how Kuwait, its leaders and people, were horribly offended by a small group of Jordanians who chanted the name of Saddam Hussein during last week’s football match between Kuwait and Jordan in Amman”, columnist Zayed Al-Zayd wrote for Al-Nahar daily.

“We are not concerned with that group of few Jordanians did by praising someone who tortured his people before torturing everyone else but what really concerns us is the quick protest filed by our government towards Jordan, and the quick response from the highest authority in Jordan, which proves the success of Kuwait’s soft diplomacy.

“This diplomacy is the outcome of policies Kuwait uphold by not interfering with other’s internal issues and supporting the major courses of nations, and engaging in the elevation of poverty through development and philanthropic projects, and its firm position towards the Palestinian case.

“We are proud of our diplomacy and all the credit goes to the founder of Kuwait’s diplomacy HH the Amir of this beloved country.”

“Despite all the legislation and laws enacted by Kuwait or the signed international agreements aimed at preserving biodiversity and environment, our environment is still suffering from transgression on one hand and negligence on the other, and the best example is the demise of fish in Kuwait Bay from time to time,” columnist Abdul-Rahman Al-Awad wrote for Al-Sabah daily.

“The importance of those laws and legislation that organize the environmental aspect of this country are no less significant with laws organizing the life of people due to the significant role such laws play in achieving environment sustainability with its natural elements, and also providing people with food resources.

“The environment is suffering due to misuse and transgression on its natural resources, and testimony to that is the poor quality of air, the continuous increase in temperature, and disappearance of desert plantation in our country among other negative effects our environment endures as a result of negligence or failure to deter the transgressors.”

“It was not the first military operation carried out by Turkey inside Syrian territory, as it was preceded by two military operations. This military operation and Turkish penetration to the north-east of Syria, received an Arab condemnation represented by the Arab League, and international condemnation from most countries of the world as invasion of a state and annexation,” Walid Al-Rujaib wrote for Al-Rai daily.

“This happened in collusion with the American administration, which withdrew its forces from those areas, just before the Turkish operation, coupled with Russian support and blessing- translated by veto against the Security Council statement, which condemned the Turkish military attack.

“Turkey’s rationale for its operation is to create a buffer zone but the fear is that the demographic and residential nature of the country will be changed and abandoned. This practically confirmed our concern since the beginning of the crisis six years ago over the possible division of Syrian territories, collapse of the government, instability and discontinuity of Syria’s existence, which is in line with the US-Israeli strategy in the Middle East.

“Regardless of our position on Syrian regime, the unity of Syrian Arab territories and the existence of state institutions are the most important and essential to all regimes. Regimes come and go, and they belong to Syrian people alone. Turkish bombing led to ISIS female prisoners escaping from prisons. This attack proved a mistake for the Kurds to bet on America’s help. The US administration abandoned them and sold them at the first deal with Turkey, despite the right of Kurdish nationalism to have a national homeland.

“Despite all the tragedies in Syria, the Arab League considered Turkey’s aggression and invasion of the territory of an Arab state a direct threat to Arab national security. The Arab League and some countries of the world demanded to stop the aggression and withdraw Turkish forces immediately, and also called on the international community to assume its responsibilities by ensuring eviction of foreign forces from Syria.

“The continuation of foreign intervention in Syria only exacerbates the situation and increases the suffering of Syrian people who continue to make sacrifices, and dispersed in exile. The solution lies in the hands of the Syrian people alone, and there is a need to find peaceful political solutions through which the Syrians will choose their just democratic system of government in line with the national constitution. The people should live in a handover of power, in light of social justice and equality for all ethnic and religious components. There should be concerted efforts to end the terrorist presence, which has caused corruption and crime over the past years”.

“Minister of Interior honored a traffic officer who said “No” to a Sheikh”, Talal Al-Saeed wrote for AlSeyassah daily.

“By the way, I want to inform the Sheikhs that they will hear thousands of “No” either due to actual reasons or without any reason but just to seek being honored or receiving exceptional promotion. What is the benefit that we citizens receive from such honoring when we are sure there are reasons behind it? We need hardworking and dedicated employees who deal directly with the public to be honored especially in this era when doors are closed for citizens and they are prevented from their basic rights.

“For example, if a citizen goes to the traffic department for carrying out a transaction, he is informed that the system is not working and is asked to come back on the next day. When a citizen visits the citizen service department, he discovers that the department does everything but serve the citizen. If a citizen visits the General Department for Investigations, he will not find an investigator.

“They even arrest innocent citizens and detain them in the police stations, and eventually they will say, Sorry! You are not the wanted guy.” This is what recently happened with the media figure Madhi Al-Khamees. We have heard the story of Madhi Al-Khamees but there are thousands of similar cases that occur but we do not know about them.

“For them, it is easy to convict an innocent citizen, paying no consideration to his dignity and the material and moral damages he suffers. We still believe that the nation has many trustworthy and dedicated employees, and we ask for them to be honored and promoted.”

— Compiled by Ahmad Al-Shazli