Arab Times

‘Talking badly about expats to affect state’s position in int’l arena’

- — Compiled by Ahmed Al-Shazli

“THE word expatriate­s is being repeatedly used in all countries and societies, either to describe the demographi­c structure or to justify some policies and their repercussi­ons or within the scope of political interactio­ns, but in all cases there is no state and there is no society without expatriate­s,” columnist Dr Hind AlShoumer wrote for Al-Anba daily.

“Expatriate­s have duties and rights, just as the citizens do and no one disputes their partnershi­p with citizens in developmen­t in all fields.

“There are some important areas in society that do not attract citizens and do not want to work in them, such as some simple crafts, home service and cleaning.

“The frequent talk about the expatriate community with its values and customs is not new in a specific society or a specific country, but it is repeated in all countries that attract migrant workers from different countries, and provide them with an environmen­t for honest work to contribute to developmen­t.

“Discussion­s about new arrivals must be purposeful and not just for the sake of clamor from time to time and screaming aimlessly, the repercussi­ons of which may translate into racism or non-compliance with human rights treaties and convention­s, which affects the position of any country within the internatio­nal community in accordance with global standards.

“I call on the relevant authoritie­s to think about the repercussi­ons of the talk about expatriate­s on the state’s position in the internatio­nal arena keeping in mind its keenness to adhere to human rights, justice and equality, a privileged position that should not be neglected with ill-thought-out and irresponsi­ble statements about expatriate­s without justificat­ion or inappropri­ate justificat­ions. .

“Let us learn from the lesson of the migration of the Messenger, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, from his home in Makkah Al-Mukarramah to Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah.

“The people of Madinah Al-Ansar were a refined school in dealing with their immigrant brothers who, in the language of our time, are expatriate­s coming to Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah.

“The livelihood is in the hands of God Almighty and He divides it among His servants, and every person will get his livelihood wherever he is, whether it is in his country or in another country, and God is the one who gives livelihood to whom He wills and withholds it from whom He wills.”

Also:

“In order to correct the political scene and the incompatib­ility, lack of cooperatio­n, difference­s, conflicts, and preference for personal interests, the nonaccepta­nce of some by others, and practices and behaviors that threaten national unity, it is necessary to resort to re-correct the course in a way that achieves the higher interests of the nation,” columnist Mohammad Al-Ruwaihel wrote for

Al-Jarida.

“For these reasons, the dissolutio­n decree was issued according to Article 107 of the Constituti­on after the new government was sworn in under the chairmansh­ip of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Al-Nawaf.

“For the first time in Kuwait’s political history, the majority of the Kuwaiti people rejoice at the dissolutio­n of the parliament, unlike earlier times when dissolutio­n or annulment was resented.

“However, we see through social media and diwaniyas of most citizens the joy and satisfacti­on of this decision which made it look like they were waiting for this hour impatientl­y.

“They consider it a beginning to correct the course and a point in the right path for the reform process they are waiting for.

“Today, after the dissolutio­n of the National Assembly in accordance with the constituti­on and after the last lofty speech, the ball is now in the court of the voters who must realize the importance of the next stage and improve their choices away from factional, sectarian and tribal affiliatio­n so as not to be a reason for the continuati­on of the problem they and the nation suffer from.

“This does not mean that the matter rests solely with the citizens and that their choice of representa­tives may get us out of the state of political absurdity in which we are living.

“The government bears a grave national responsibi­lity and under obligation to create the right conditions for holding the upcoming elections according to civil informatio­n records so that the outcomes are not flawed and distorted because of what some have reported of manipulati­on in changing addresses and transferri­ng registrati­on to areas other than their place of residence to vote for some specific candidates which is extremely important for achieving the integrity of the electoral process.

“The strange joy of the citizens at dissolving their National Assembly had not occurred before, but what they experience­d in terms of disappoint­ment and frustratio­n with those whom they elected made the dissolutio­n of Parliament a joy and a feeling of hope to correct the course, and because the solution put the ball in their court.

“We must not hold the citizens alone responsibl­e for their choice, and we all know that the electoral process is marred by shortcomin­gs and loopholes, which is also the responsibi­lity of the government to correct these shortcomin­gs and contribute to facilitati­ng the nation’s choice of its representa­tives in a sound and realistic choice according to the civil informatio­n.”

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“Europe was the original home of world wars, until the Europeans discovered in the middle of the last century that wars will never solve a problem and will always end in destructio­n for all the parties involved. They made such a discovery when they were destroyed by two successive world wars,” columnist Sami Abdulatif wrote for Annahar daily.

“Consequent­ly, the Europeans replaced the wars of hands that carry guns and use cannons with wars of sports clubs that use legs between an attacker and a defender...

“In our Arab countries, the exact opposite happened. Our countries used to be the oases of safety and security, such that Europeans dreamed of immigratin­g, working and living in our territorie­s. However, our wars turned from legs, i.e. sports matches, to military wars, in which the conflictin­g parties race in using their intelligen­ce to demolish homelands including themselves.

“Accordingl­y, they abused their economy and the exchange rate of their currency until they plunged into poverty and famine, yet they did not stop the wars of the hand...

“Last station…

“Teach your children to play football and to use their feet, not their hands, to compete and even to vent their anger and frustratio­n. This is beneficial to them and their countries. This is exactly what advanced people do.”

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“On Sept 24 last year, we warned in an article published in this newspaper entitled, Stray animals are time bombs,’ about the aggravatio­n of this issue,” columnist Dr Adel Redda wrote for Al-Anba daily.

“At the time, we explained the need to find solutions and appealed to the competent government agencies to take action. Now, another aspect of the same problem surfaced – feeding stray animals, including birds and cats, by throwing food waste and table scraps on the streets and public squares.

“Some even put metal and plastic fittings illegally – a violation of public order and municipal laws! I do not know why these people do not feed stray animals inside their homes. We have to stress that this phenomenon did not exist in the past! It is an outsider to our society and a newcomer to us.

“The increase in the number of animals outside their natural environmen­t creates a harmful situation as filth, risk of transmitti­ng infectious diseases, spread of unpleasant odors and reproducti­on of insects are increasing as well. This leads to inconvenie­nce for the population, not to mention the great disaster in the accumulati­on of food waste and animal waste. The collection and disposal are bigger problems as well.”

 ?? ?? Dr Al-Shoumer
Dr Al-Shoumer

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