‘Unending govt, Assembly rift detriment to nation’s progress’
“AN important question; it may be strange but good enough to make someone angry. I would like to ask you in light of what Kuwait is currently suffering from (negative aspects), and this does not mean that there are no positives, but it is always said and we repeat if you love and care for a person, you must be frank and transparent with him and mention some of his faults or negatives, so that he avoids everything that might hinder his life, his relationships with others, or his future,” columnist Iqbal Al-Ahmad wrote for Al-Qabas daily.
“Based on the above, I will ask a question in light of the obstacles to development, advancement and progress, and the treatment of some important and fateful issues upon which the future of our children and grandchildren is built due to the stalling of the political and economic scene at some stations that cannot be underestimated in any way.
“At this difficult and important stage in the history of Kuwait, let us ask ourselves: Which is more important, development or democracy? This is on the grounds (or assumption) that it is not possible in any way to combine the two things, so if you choose democracy, you have to accept all the negatives that can emerge in light of how democracy and its tools are practiced, and if you choose development, it must be far from democracy.
“I know that the choice is difficult and some may say it is not possible or impossible, but I mentioned it as a mere assumption. Is the absence of democracy for a period of time (temporarily) possible in exchange for turning the wheel of progress, development and acceptable?
“I also know that there are those who will be harsh in their angry response stressing that the wheel of develop- ment that will rotate in the absence of democracy will result in corruption and theft due to the absence of accountability. My response to this issue is that the absence of democracy does not at all mean the absence of oversight and accountability.
“The situation in Kuwait today and at this difficult stage, the existence and persistence of the crisis between the government and the National Assembly for years led to the wheel of development stopping due to the low levels of the government and parliamentary outputs. This greatly contributed to increasing the dose of frustration with the current situation and pessimism about the situation in the future, a matter that is not in the interest of the country or the people at all.
“If the wheel of development is running and government is serious and frank with the people and was serious in holding corrupt and negligent people accountable today, yesterday, and years ago, then the issues of corruption and theft would not surface.
“When the absence of democracy represented in the National Assembly is chosen against the renaissance of the country, I assume that the absence of legislative oversight will not be used to manipulate with state money and the rights of the people.
“In conclusion, we need a dose of hope and optimism to move forward to the ranks of countries that were once and for years so far from our glamour in Kuwait. I know that these countries have progressed and moved forward with achievements, development and openness because they are closer to countries where the decision is central, and it does not need to go through legislative or accounting channels as is the case with us in Kuwait, therefore the order of starting a project there does not face difficulties and obstacles of the size of what is the case in Kuwait.
“In the end, I believe in monitoring, follow-up, transfer to the judiciary and the trial of any corrupt person, regardless of his name and title. If this effective oversight is in place then we will go ahead with the realization of our dreams, or at least operate the development machine to go a long way within a period of time.”
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“In 2007, the government formed a committee to demolish encroachments on state property headed by the late Mohammad Al-Badr where it carried out a widespread campaign to eliminate all manifestations of violation of the law and public decency and encroachment on state property,” columnist Oweid AlSulaili wrote for Al-Shahed daily.
“The movements of that committee caused media, parliamentary, popular and widespread criticism because everyone at that time was accustomed to violating the law, and thought that it is his absolute right, then soon came the day when Lieutenant General Al-Badr, implemented the law and restoring the prestige of the state without courtesy or favoritism.
“I have paid multiple visits to many Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and I have always noticed the difference between what is happening in the Gulf countries and what happens to us as it is rare to find a Gulf citizen transgressing on state property or to see, for example, the building of a Diwaniya outside the walls of the house, or a farm covering the sidewalks, streets or squares, but the most that we see there is setting up car sheds for houses or small gardens without causing closure and blocking the vision of pedestrians and drivers.
“The chaos and lack of respect for the law in the country is caused by the Municipality which is in deep slumber and does not fulfill its assigned role which made the citizen believe that encroachment on state property is an inherent right.
“The majority of the citizens built diwaniyas outside the walls of houses and farms which reached to the point of blocking visibility, closing roads and sidewalks, and even some exceeding them to building farms and in the squares opposite the houses and in front of the public streets in clear defiance of the prestige of the state and the law.
“The violation did not stop at this point but rather reached the structure, so some homes turned into residential buildings, which disturbed neighboring homes and overburdened the infrastructure and this is something that happens under the eyes of the municipality and its leaders who are complicit with those violations which occurred due to the failure and inaction of its employees.
“Encroachment on state property has many forms. If you visit, for example, the area opposite Al-Jahra Industrial and even Ali Al-Salem Air Force Base, and as far as your eyes can see, you feel that you are in a village in Africa because of the so many makeshift livestock pens with a miserable appearance, and the overwhelming chaos of Asians selling fodder in a country that is supposed to be one of the richest in the world.
“The next government should follow up on the file of encroachment on state property because government agencies, especially the municipality are partners in the chaos that befell Kuwait.”
“Despite the attempt of former US president Donald Trump to manipulate and defraud the results of the US elections and pressure officials to change them in his favor, and finally to encourage his supporters to demonstrate in front of the Congress building, which caused the infamous storming incident, all his attempts failed in view of the people who are satisfied with the democratic system, cohesive federal institutions, and the congress and senate in which politicians put the interests of their country above narrow personal interests,“ columnist Abdulrahman Al-Awwad wrote for Al-Sabah daily.
“Yesterday, Trump left the ‘White House’ by force, showing signs of depression and sadness. If he was a little late, law enforcement officers would have forced him to leave the House where the new US President, Joe Biden, will live for the next four years.
“There are lessons to be drawn from this historic event in the US elections. The first is that democracy has a clear road map for getting out of any political crises which may afflict countries governed by democratic regimes.
“Secondly, attempts to manipulate and deceive in democratic regimes do not usually succeed in the presence of politicians who love their homeland and believe in the importance of the State of institutions, the Constitution and the law, as it certainly will not be in the interest of people who have realized the meaning of freedom and lived it in the details of their lives.”
“What are the most charitable committees and societies in Kuwait? Wherever you look, you see a charity or humanitarian committee. They seem to have found a basis to help families in Kuwait and extend a helping hand to the needy abroad,” Fatima Al-Khalidi wrote for Annahar daily.
“However, some of our charity and humanitarian committees extend a helping hand to families abroad and provide very little to families here. Even if they give, they give so less to a poor family that it is not enough to even pay the rent of an apartment. It is as if these committees do not know how expensive the apartment rents have reached in Kuwait, the difficulty of living here, and the high cost of living.
“Unfortunately, if a student goes to them for help to pay his fees at a university or school, they say to him, “We pay students abroad only”. The new thing now is that they do not pay science students unless he is a science student from the scientific department. As for the literary department student, they do not pay him any tuition fees under the pretext that the state does not need his specialization. The state, as they claim, only needs scientific specialization.
“These are our charity and humanitarian committees ... they help students in the farthest countries of the world, east and west, and build schools, universities and homes for them. But here in Kuwait there is no zakat for the poor, the needy, or the students according to their understanding.”
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“We do not have any useful way to guide our children, who are directed by dozens of media platforms, especially cartoon films,” columnist Dr Khalid AlSaleh wrote for Al-Rai daily.
“Those wishing to increase this information can search on Google for a study conducted by Dr Badr Al-Azmi and Dr Fahd Al-Lamei about the effects of cartoon films on children’s perceptions.
“As for our teenagers, they are subject to the influence of modern social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.
“Kuwait occupies an advanced position in the Arab world in terms of using websites, especially among young people. Dr Muhammad Al-Ajami stated in his study that 38 percent of social media users are between the ages of 25 and 34 years. If we add young people between 15 and 25 years old, they will constitute the largest percentage in the use of the language of the age.
“As for the adults who are leaders of society and those with real influence on the State, daily newspapers and Twitter are the most influential on them, followed by television stations.”