‘Kuwaitis must work for homeland, accept taxes like other rich nations’
“‘THE citizen’s pocket shall not be touched’. This term is widely used by many MPs in confronting the government whenever the issue of increasing fees or imposing taxes to cover the budget deficit surfaces, saying Kuwait is a rich country and does not need to overburden the citizen,” columnist Dr Abdelmohsen Hamadeh wrote for Al-Jarida daily.
“In the meantime, these MPS demand the government to pay attention to diversifying sources of income, and these deputies should know very well that Europe and America are hundreds of times richer than Kuwait, and taxes and fees form the core of their budget. As for the diversity of sources of income, it is known that industry, agriculture and tourism are among the most important sources of income for countries and Kuwait’s share of these sources is negligible if not none.
“When the Silk City project was proposed, on the basis that it is a thoughtful investment project that will contribute to transforming Kuwait into a global financial and commercial center and help diversify sources of income, some people opposed it on the grounds that it will lead to the emergence of negative phenomena that negatively affect the inherited values and morals especially clerics, thus this valuable project is still a ‘stalled’ project.
“It is clear that the state today is facing a real budget deficit because expenditure has surpassed revenues, and the main reason for the increase in expenditures is the increase in salaries, wages and subsidies provided to citizens and this increase was done randomly without a thought being applied to it until it started devouring more than a quarter of the budget, and the MPs with their proposals are the ones who contributed to raising wages to achieve electoral gains without taking into account the interests of the state. The important thing now is: How will we face this deficit when the MPs refuse to touch the citizen’s pocket? Debt is forbidden, and the future generational fund is a red line.
“Some MPs claim the deficit is not real and our economy is rock solid, but from their point of view the government claims ‘shouts’ deficit to evade the rightful demands of the MPs, such as dropping loans that may cost the state more than a billion dinars.
“There is no doubt the state is facing a real crisis and it will not be able to get out without a strong government, firm and capable of confrontation as the constitution describes the Council of Ministers as the dominant and controlling party over the state and it will only be able to do so with the presence of ministers who are able to take studied decisions which the state needs to address its problems, and are able to defend and implement those decisions.
“The competent minister must explain during a press conference the cause of the crisis and his opinion on the treatment of it instead of the masses giving their opinion based on rumors they read in the social media.
“We have to know that Kuwaitis must assume their responsibilities and duties towards their homeland like all other peoples of the world, and if the state needs to impose taxes, then we must accept that with open arms, because this money will benefit the citizen himself because it will be spent on education, health, security, defense and road repairs.”
Also:
“The supervisory position in any work, whether governmental or private, needs special specifications that must be available in those who occupy it and take charge of it, and we put the conscience in the first place, through which it is determined whether the employee who occupies the supervisory position is worthy of this responsibility or a burden, before taking into account other considerations such as degree of education, culture, experience,” columnist Dr Mohammad Khaled Al-Azmi wrote for Al-Rai daily.
“In fact, we say that the employee who has a religious, human and patriotic sense, does not need a watchdog to work sincerely, because his conscience is the one that takes over this task and becomes a watcher over himself, so that he only pushes himself in the right path that is in the interest of everyone, and not a personal interest.
“In view of the spread of corruption in some official bodies, the role of oversight has become necessary in order to control and follow-up business, but it has been noted that there are individuals in control who look for personal interests and are driven in their work by non-professional motives, such as selectivity, racism, and the exchange of benefits, putting their conscience on the back burner.
“Therefore, it is necessary to follow up and monitor the performance of the employees who have been entrusted with the follow-up and control tasks in the various ministries. Not everyone fears God and works according to the tasks required of him.
“Corruption and loss of public money is really painful, especially if some of those responsible for oversight are complicit with corrupt officials, who facilitate the seizure of state property or public money.”