‘Media must show curfew breakers’

‘Stay home, relieve burden on frontliners’

“DURING the past two months after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in Kuwait, and its sudden and random spread in several areas of Kuwait, the security media has proved on both levels -- internal and external fronts -- that it is one of the most active Kuwaiti media channels that follow the developments of the virus,” columnist Yousuf Al-Zinkawi wrote for Al-Seyassah daily.

“It is not strange if it is said that the media security department in the Ministry of Interior is among the most active media channels in Kuwait, based on its direct communication with various members of the community, and by virtue of its duties.

“Therefore, Kuwaitis and expatriates alike follow the news reports published by the Ministry of Interior about the internal security situation, so that everyone is aware of the events taking place around them, with absolute transparency.

“Among the various news reports that comes to me from this sophisticated security establishment on a daily basis, information and numbers related to violators of the curfew including Kuwaitis and expatriates, attracted my attention and I am sure it has attracted the attention of all those who follow such news, that a majority of violators are Kuwaitis, despite the belief that illiteracy rates high among the expatriates than others, due to the educational background.

“Unfortunately, and due to the strange social contradictions, it became clear to us that the son of the country is the one who underestimates the laws of his country, as if a Kuwaiti is legally illiterate and unfortunately applies the principle of ‘protector is the thief’ or the fox is guarding the hen house.

“I find it necessary to suggest to colleagues from the security media officials to mention to us who these Kuwaitis are who made it easy to tamper with the laws of their country, with the exception of a few of the violators, of course, even if these laws were primarily for their benefit and to protect their families and loved ones from being infected with the virus.

“I confirm here that I do not want to know the name of any of these violators, this does not interest me at all, but I want to know their work places and positions, and their social status and political orientations.

“This information is enough for me, because I know, through their violation of the most basic laws, the degree of their love for this country that is why I expect them to be from the category of influential people, as I expect that they belong to the group venting about their love for Kuwait with only words and with their songs.

“For the simple people like us, who have been glued like widows between the four walls for more than two months, have not become restless. They are those who love their motherland, and they are the ones who are content with what they have which they have earned through hard work – a few dinars monthly -- for the sake of seeing this country climbing the ladders of glory, and in order to see this country, with loyal and sincere people, happy, calm, and safe ... this, and very simply is our dream we are the simple people.

“For this reason, we stay inside our homes during the curfew hours, not only as respect for the law, but to ease the burden on the securitymen who work 24/7 away from their family and loved ones, so that we can live happy in security and safety. We are simple people who respect the laws, especially in these days when the corona virus seems to have attacked the world mercilessly.

“I swear by Almighty God that we stay in our homes not for fear of the punishment, but to relieve the burden on our children, doctors and nurses who are fighting in the front rows to contain this dreaded virus and with them the volunteers who help the medical staff -- Kuwaitis, Egyptians, Lebanese and other Arabs and foreigners.

“For all this, we hope our colleagues in the Security Media Department at the Ministry of Interior, headed by dear brother, Brigadier Tawheed Al-Kandari, to publish information so that we know who the true lovers of beloved Kuwait are, and how Kuwaitis express their hidden love for this country even while they remain ‘imprisoned’ in their homes.

“Will our wish be fulfilled?”

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Al-Zinkawi

“In recent days, videos and pictures of the deceased criminal Saddam Hussein have been circulating on social media, especially Facebook. These pictures and videos were carefully chosen and highlighted or published at this time. This move was not out of naivety or curiosity, but their publication is certainly intended to provoke and send a conscious message to hit Kuwait,” Hassan Ali Karam wrote for Al-Seyassah daily.

“These pictures and videos were intentionally chosen to bring back memories of 1990 when the Iraqi forces penetrated the Kuwaiti borders on the dawn of August 2 in an unprecedented manner in modern history to occupy Kuwait and perch on the chest of Kuwaitis for nearly seven months before their expulsion and defeat.

“The pictures and videos were not chosen by an amateur, but were definitely taken from the archives of the State Intelligence Service. What could the motive be behind reopening a page that has been folded and that we Kuwaitis threw behind our backs at the present time especially since harmony has been restored between us and our brothers in Iraq?

“There is no doubt there are some who wanted to send a message to Kuwaitis to indicate that “Saddam’s invasion of your country is not an end but can be repeated, this time from the inside. We want to remind you that we are the power that remains and can protect and support your country. Like during the invasion, your existence is threatened without us, so stop the noise and know your size. Do not multiply your grief or threaten to boycott and deport our subjects.

“This is my point of view, and I hope that I am wrong in interpreting their message to us; otherwise they would not dig through their archives to bring back an occasion that is no longer present in the memories of the two countries and their peoples especially at a time when the bond between them is stronger than it was before. There is no doubt that this is the character of thugs, fools and the bankrupt.

“Before Kuwait seeks protection from anywhere, our protector and shepherd is God Almighty, who created this land and blessed it. God will keep Kuwait safe. This country will remain blessed and preserved against all evil on Earth.

“Kuwait, which was subjected to the most heinous treachery and invasion by a neighbor in Saddam’s last foray was not the first. The history of invasions and greed for this blessed land is long and painful, but the spears of greedy invaders had all broken down on its borders. What has remained of Saddam’s invasion in Kuwait? What did the Iraqis benefit from his invasion? Where is Saddam, and how was his end and his deserved penalty? Where is his family? What remains of his history other than curses so much that his grave is unknown?

“Saddam destroyed Iraq, displaced his people and impoverished them, and wreaked corruption on the land. He indulged in adventures and failed wars. Therefore, his end by hanging in the gallows was a worthy penalty for his crimes and his arrogance against his people and neighbors.

“Those who remind us of the tyrant Saddam and his conquest of Kuwait must revise their thought of spreading misfortune, stupidity, ignorance and vanity. Bringing back Saddam’s images will neither provoke or intimidate us, nor push us to fall into the arms of the ignorant, the mob and the losers. They must know the limits of their power before they lend it to others.

“The COVID-19 crisis, which struck our country like all countries in the world, had demonstrated how Kuwaitis in times of crises become a single entity, which was what happened during the invasion. They resisted the invaders and offered their chest with courage to die as martyrs, while the invading soldiers were hiding from them.

“These are the Kuwaitis for those who do not know them. I tell these people to return their disappointed goods to their archives, as they may need them during bad and stinking circumstances. This is because Kuwait is a force preserved by God and by the faith and love of its people; therefore, no evil will befall its people.”

“Classifying topics based on their importance and dealing with them on a specific timetable is the norm of any institution or person who seeks success and development in his work and private life. Problems and files should be tackled from the roots, and not to let things heal themselves or allow situations to accumulate before we realize the size of negative situations,” Abdul Hadi Al Sedhan wrote for Al-Rai daily.

“We should not wait to feel the results and effects around us, especially if the matter is related to the country and its development or improvement of public services and dealing with its outstanding issues and problems!

“I have written about priorities of the parliament and how to deal with the government, and in recent years, it became necessary to classify the importance of the topics among a number of deputies. Some of them focus on the minor negatives of government. While those minor and secondary matters may be important, it really needs to be handled through interaction or legislation in the parliament but not at the expense of big issues and important topics. Some, as usual, focus on services for loved ones and relatives, while others having foresight cannot put solutions without cooperation from their colleagues!

“Here we are again suffering from aggravation of the issue of demographics, especially on the repercussions of the acute conflict following the emergent and oppressive coronavirus. As if demographics issue is a new problem we have not heard about before or we are dealing with a giant we do not know! Where are necessary laws and legislation to amend the formula? Where is the activation of the parliamentary and governmental legislation?

“The commercial and legislative renaissance is necessary to hit the residency dealers. These are priorities the government and the parliament should have focused on. Another major issue is the development of health sector, which needs an actual renaissance and infrastructure development to ensure a logical and realistic consistency between the population and health services. Real development should connect and align with various axes such that it does not precede the other.

“Therefore, the parliament’s work should at any time be systematic and institutional that directly confronts major problems in cooperation with the government with its various branches, which has executive authority. This involves plans for a period of time to ensure that work is not done at random or improvised without setting sustainable solutions. We do not want to go into a vicious cycle, whether for the government or parliament, and then collide with other crises - God forbid. Life has many challenges and variables for individuals, so what about countries.

“The government in turn may help the parliament in acquiring the culture if it further improves on its performance amid the classification of business priorities within ministries, and if given the importance of time and talent. It will work well for the government if the focus is to speed up vital projects and the topics I have mentioned, rather than the officials wasting a large part of their time on the traditionally slow correspondence and conditions associated with complex administrative systems. God Almighty is indeed the helper at all times.”

“Once the time for work comes, there will be no time for complacency, laziness and favoritism. Some cooperative societies have become empty despite the availability of goods and food stocks that are sufficient for months, as Minister of Commerce Khaled Al-Roudhan said on more than one occasion. However, the boards of cooperatives that are supposed to implement the emergency plans to provide all the required goods have slackened. They lazily relied on employees and did not check the storages of cooperatives,” columnist Abdulrahman Al-Awwad wrote for Al-Sabah daily.

“Is it reasonable that vegetables are thrown into the vegetable market, while some cooperatives have not received vegetables for a week or more? Is it reasonable that there was no bread in some cooperatives for a day, two days and even a week, considering it is one of the most important food items for the people?

“Today, we remember the onion crisis that struck the country a month ago when onions disappeared from the markets overnight, yet some merchants are now throwing onions into trash containers as shown in video clips uploaded recently.

“People assigned in certain departments in cooperative societies have had shortcomings and they must be held accountable. They must be immediately replaced with people who are able to give and work, people who do not have the language of comfort and laziness. We are currently experiencing a pandemic and this crisis should not turn into a food crisis.”

“In the absence of a vaccine for the novel coronavirus and in light of repeated recommendations by doctors to strengthen the body’s immunity by avoiding sugar and processed food that weaken the immune system and expose the body to many viruses and diseases, we must think about the spread of processed foods and implement solutions which were rejected at the beginning of manufacturing such products as poor alternatives to traditional foods we consume daily,” columnist Mohammad Al-Motni wrote for Annahar daily.

“Has the human being become weaker and more likely to catch diseases as a result of consuming processed foods?

“No sane person today opposes the idea that manufacturing negatively affects the quality and value of foods. Its poor results made the idea of returning to nature more powerful and widespread as a way to address this harmful change, considering processed foods are manufactured using the increasing number of people and the inability to provide them food in the traditional way as justifications.

“Do governments shoulder the responsibilities of supporting natural products and controlling the amount of sugar and preservatives in our processed foods?

“Will the governments set standards for the manufacturing processes of food companies and factories, besides their role in approving the entry of imported food commodities with the sole criterion of suitability for human consumption, without any requirements related to nutritional value of ingredients and their origins?”

— Compiled by Ahmad Al-Shazli