Strong government, or else, back to quandary

FRANKLY and honestly, it is the first time in decades that Kuwaitis feel their political leadership is controlling and monitoring everything that concerns them.

It is also the first time that appointments to senior and sensitive positions are not based on favoritism and “connections”. Even “parachute” appointments are no more.

All recent appointments were made by proper order of the leadership. The heads that got dismissed were because of their inaction and lack of qualification for the position, or because they were appointed through a deal between those who control the administration. Such a situation had resulted in deterioration in all aspects of government work, and matters were made worse by the parliamentary intervention based on the “abhorred” quotas which are a mere electoral investment.

It is not surprising that the leadership follows up all aspects of work in official institutions. It is not strange for the leadership to know people and see their CVs and files, as it is the leadership that is ultimately responsible before Allah and the people for the trust that it bears, which is great for those who fear Allah as far as the country and its people are concerned, and even himself.

Since the famous Amiri speech on June 22 followed by the speech at the opening of the current legislative term, the leadership, represented by His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad, has defined the broad lines of the action strategy for the next stage, the foundations on which the major reform process must be based. It also highlighted the limits of each authority so that no one overlaps the other, as it led to increased vulnerability of the country’s security, political, economic and social fields and almost led to a great devastation.

Therefore, the great change witnessed by the executive authority, whether in appointing eight new ministers, or undersecretaries and other officials in various state institutions, requires everyone to work on the field, and not be satisfied with single visits to institutions even if it leads to increased motivation to work. Such visits should become a norm, as settling for a single visit will only motivate for a certain period, and afterwards interest will be the last thing in the minds of the people, even the country.

From here, the ministers must turn to field work and see the conditions of the country, each within their capacity, and act on the leadership’s directives not to open their offices to “wastas” and MPs. They must instead focus on serving the people on the ground, which should be their priority, and addressing the negatives in the commercial and economic movement. Infrastructure should be the core element of their duties.

In addition, permanent consultations are necessary between the judiciary and those concerned with the executive authority to reconsider the provisions by filling the gaps in the laws and developing them in line with the movement of the times, and to be more humane.

Undoubtedly, the executive authority bears great responsibility, especially with regard to confronting everything that hinders the opening of the country, lifting the restrictions caused by the laws of social coercion, and confronting the strict parliamentary proposals that brought many calamities to Kuwait in the past decades, so that the government does not fall into the trap of electoral gain by favoring some MPs in order not to grill a minister, or to prevent accountability from the prime minister.

The government must be strong; otherwise, what has been achieved in the past few months will lead to more dominance by the parliament over the government. Then all that has been done will end up being “zero” and springing back to the devastating parliamentary-government bickerings.