‘Do all expats work for sponsors?’
‘MoI, PAM must review all files’
“VARIOUS government authorities topped by the Ministry of Interior and the Public Authority for Manpower are still following up the issue of visa traders – but not trafficking in human beings,” columnist, major general (retd) at the Ministry of Interior, Dr Adel Ibrahim Al-Ibrahim wrote for Al-Anba daily.
“This file has not just surfaced out of nowhere; it is rather the outcome of accumulations of many decades that is the product of the ‘sponsor system’ which is currently applied in the State of Kuwait. This system has opened the door wide before everybody when it comes to bringing manpower into the country just for the sake of obtaining a commercial license by the sponsors.
“It is known that a foreign worker is ready to pay money to work in Kuwait and this of course, cannot be done without a Kuwaiti sponsor who has a commercial license in addition to the existence of a broker between the worker and the sponsor and in most cases a worker comes to Kuwait to work on a daily wage basis but not for the sponsor, in most cases which is known as the ‘free visa’ which in fact does not exist.
“In this context, we say in spite of the administrative criterion that has been taken by the official authorities including the control and inspection apparatuses unfortunately this phenomenon is still rampant. Such being the case, we wonder what is the solution.
“However, in my point of view, the Ministry of Interior should finally stop the issuance of work visa (Article 18) to any sponsor, individual establishment or agricultural, particularly for some occupations because some establishments bring manpower from abroad in the name of agriculture into the country although many of them are not needed.
“We suggest the Ministry of Interior must hasten to carry out serious inspection campaigns in cooperation with the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MCI) and conduct a blanket survey covering all commercial licenses and the manpower working for these license owners, provided immediate action is taken to suspend the issue and revoke the license of the violator.
“Apart from the above, we call for re-actualizing the legal aspect for dealing with both the workers and sponsors, particularly since we know that many of the home delivery workers work part time for some people although these are not sponsored by the latter.
“Likewise, we the Ministry should punish any sponsor who brings domestic workers and leave the latter to work as menial workers.
“However, if the above happened, then we shall say if there is a seriousness in dealing with the file of the residence traffickers or not.
“Personally speaking, I believe that this is high time for both the Ministry of Interior and the Public Authority for Manpower to review all files and find out how many expatriates work for their respective sponsors.”
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“The primary task of the mind is to keep its owner alive. Sudden fainting situations and the body’s refusal to lose weight sometimes are often caused by suggestions from the mind. Therefore, all actions taken by governments to address the corona virus epidemic arise from the desire to survive,” columnist Ahmad Al-Sarraf wrote for Al-Qabas daily.
“As the world entered the unprecedented phase of Covid-19, we have noticed many things happening “for the first time.” The expression for the first time in history, becomes so widespread and popular all over the world, without exception. For the first time, newspapers are published, and in any region of the world, there are no commercials, except for what is rare. What is the benefit of advertising and no one can shop.
“For the first time, in thousands of years, in any part of the world, the world sees all this number of unemployed people in the religious service, for the first time in history we see this entire drop in artworks from singing and dancing.
“For the first time, across the world, all temples are closed, and worshippers are not allowed to go to them.
“For the first time in the history of mankind, the rise in alcohol consumption and the frequenting of bars have stopped, with the doors closed to visitors.
“For the first time in history, activity of the oldest profession (prostitution) known to man has completely ceased. For the first time in history, the consumption of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances has declined due to the cessation of smuggling, the closure of land, air and sea ports, and the scarcity of funds.
“For the first time in the history of Kuwait, almost everything stops development, except for its roads which have become better.
“For the first time, we discover that it is possible for the various ministries to use the ‘paperless’ system, or not to use official papers, to complete transactions through the WhatsApp and e-mail, without the need of the applicant to visit the official bodies to submit and complete the transaction.
“For the first time, we discover that it is possible for all state ministries to operate at 20 or 30 percent of the size of the current force. For the first time in a hundred years, the price of oil drops to this level, meaning the seller delivers the shipment to the buyer for free, and gives him an amount of money over it for every barrel, to get rid of the problem of storage and countless others which we can call them ‘for the first time’.”
“Shortage of facemasks is a crisis experienced by all citizens and residents during the coronavirus pandemic, which has contributed to increase in the demand for sterilization materials and means of protection in general,” Khalid AlArafa wrote for Al-Anba daily.
“The following was mentioned in a letter sent to Ministry of Commerce and Industry – Everyone complains about the scarcity of health masks in the local market. They were previously determined by you at 100 fils per mask and KD 5 per box. Even though this cost is high, such products are not available in the markets or pharmacies.
“In mid-March, Ministry of Commerce and Industry had announced that the total masks the country received until that date was 7 million, and that the strategic stock would be increased to 30 million masks, which would be at the disposal of the ministry and the Union of Consumer Cooperative Societies. I believe that the stock has reached the required number.
“Minister of Commerce and Industry Khaled Al-Roudhan highlighted about a mechanism for distributing masks, starting with the supply branches. He said it will be distributed in the markets with the approval of health authorities – an approval that I believe it is unnecessary at this time. However, an MP said Ministry of Health is awaiting approval of Ministry of Commerce and Industry to provide the masks. “Therefore, our hope is that the Minister of Health will resolve this matter with his counterpart at Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and speak in full transparency about the real reasons behind the delay in distributing these masks.
“As long as Ministry of Commerce and Industry confirms that the stock is sufficient and can meet the need of everyone in addition to adjusting the prices of masks by a decision from KD 5 to KD 7.500, despite the lack of availability in the markets.
“The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends wearing masks as a precautionary measure. Ministry of Health also recommends its use. So why have orders not been given yet to distribute them?
“The question that arises is: What prevents Kuwait from supplying masks in the markets and pharmacies to this day despite the increase in cases of infection, most of which are from contact?
“Minister Al-Roudan is among the first ministers we praised for their role in the coronavirus crisis because of their continuous presence at the heart of the event. We hope Al-Roudhan will continue with his efforts to quickly supply masks in the markets before it is too late. Everybody needs it and its availability in the markets depends on your decision and that of the Council of Ministers.
“Hurry and distribute the masks to make sure people can protect themselves with this personal protective measure. We are calling on the officials to make masks available. May God protect everyone from all harm.”