‘Eyes now on new govt how it will tackle demands of some MPs’
“IN EVERY new government formation, members of the National Assembly come out with media statements calling on the prime minister to choose a technocratic government that stays away from quotas and sectarianism, while the same deputies, in closed rooms, pressure the government to appoint ministers based on their tribe, sects and family affiliations,” columnist Owaid Al-Sulaili wrote for Al-Shahed daily.
“The double standards that the majority of parliamentarians have been following for decades and until today is the result of the absence of real awareness among most of politicians and the absence of people who can build and develop the nation.
“The personal interpretations subject to social, family and sectarian customs have led to a serious decline in Parliamentary work in the country.
“The contradictions experienced by politicians in the country are represented by members of the National Assembly who, until recently, were demanding the government to implement justice in government appointments and to close the door in the face of intermediaries which was translated by the government of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Al-Nawaf by forbidding interference from MPs in government work while opening the doors for citizens to meet concerned officials.
“This is in addition to preventing mediation in the appointment to military colleges and depending on the lottery system to avoid injustice to citizens and the application of transparency and justice among them.
‘These reformist moves were criticized by MPs who claim they had instead called on the prime minister to open the doors to them and make the citizens run after the MPs to complete their transactions while pointing a malicious finger at the ministers of Interior and Defense to pressure them and subject them to their dictates regarding the issue of accepting cadet officers.
“It is not strange for the deputies to strive to achieve their personal interests at the expense of the interests of the country and the people, but the real test is the extent to which the government of Sheikh Ahmad Al-Nawaf, the Ministers of Interior and Defense and the rest of the ministers can withstand the MPs blackmail and cave in to their dictates and personal agendas. It is the real test of the government’s firmness and strength in the face of extortion.
“The government of His Highness Sheikh Ahmad Al-Nawaf enjoys unparalleled popular support, and therefore it is now under the microscope and being tested.
“Its steadfastness in the face of parliamentary blackmail will increase its popular balance and make it strong in the face of extortion deputies, while its concession will be the beginning of collapse and popular discontent.”
“The principle of cooperation between the two authorities does not mean that the government gives in to the National Assembly. Ahmad Al-Nawaf’s first government under a National Assembly which believes that the government is in its pocket, and that what the deputies say, or even one representative, is tantamount to an enforceable order,” columnist Hassan Ali Karam wrote for Al-Seyassah daily.
“If this government understands that the cooperation between the two authorities means that that the National Assembly orders and the government say: “Yes, Sir, I say this did not happen even in the oldest parliaments in the world, which are parliaments governed by parties, meaning it is possible that the parties constitute the majority to topple the government.
“The Kuwaiti government is subject to a parliament whose members see it as weak, and they have the power to paralyze all its work and take its ministers to the interrogation podium.
“I say this while I see the statements of the Minister of Finance, Abdulwahab Al-Rasheed, who is supposed to have the most solid position and opinion of the ministers, and not to give in to mere passing discussions from deputies whose demands are taller than the Al-Hamra Tower and higher than the ceiling of their Assembly. The MPs have the freedom to speak, but not everything they say or demand is reasonable, acceptable and therefore enforceable.
“Minister Al-Rasheed or his government entered a populist race with the deputies. The minister promised citizens – current employees and retirees -- an increase in salaries and pensions despite the escalating global prices and rampant and artificial price rises, and that the government will look at the living conditions of citizens.
“The minister said and promised even if it were upon instructions from the Prime Minister, thus the prices doubled after his statement, and he should have said that the government monitors prices and that it will take legal measures against the manipulators who are behind the rise in prices.
“I say this, and I am among the retired category and the beneficiaries of any increase imposed by the government for them, but what is the benefit of the increases in prices, the absence of oversight, and the absence of field studies of the market situation, and on the other hand, the global situation.
“Kuwaitis, including me, are affluent, and what they say is just luxury. A few months ago, our former prime minister, may God protect him, fell into trouble due to the budget deficit and was confused. Would he withdraw from the Future Generations Fund, or loan or burden the citizen with the consequences of the deficit disability? However, his exit from the government paradise was a relief from responsibilities that are no longer attractive.
“Kuwait is not a country whose financial or oil capabilities are available to withstand the emergency repercussions, and we have lived in the time of “Corona”, and we have seen how our conditions looked, with the decline of oil prices and the lavish and crazy spending at home, and had it not been for God’s mercy, we would have been bankrupt.
“Traditional governments are no longer successful in light of regional or global conditions. Kuwait is the only country within its regional group standing in its place while all regional countries are developing and innovating factories and companies, while Kuwait is the only one that opens its treasury to spend in the air, not spent to strengthen the local economy, or support the state treasury, but delves in personal pleasures such as travel, shopping, and so on. The culture of saving is popularly missing, because the government is unable to achieve that culture.
“To sum it up, the government should not rush behind a populist deputy, or make glamorous promises that it may be unable to fulfill in the middle of the road.
“The solidity of the government’s position is the first solution for a successful government, and promises that are achievable, so leave the populist promises to the populist representatives and do what benefits Kuwait in its present and future. The world is in a race, and we are at a standstill in our place.”
“When a minister submits his resignation, we ask His Highness the Prime Minister to accept it quickly without hesitation. The minister who objects to what a lawmaker says, what a writer writes, what is circulated in newspapers or published in electronic networks has no place as a public figure exposed to praise or criticism,“columnist Dr Naji Al-Zaid wrote for Al-Jarida daily.
“This is because the position entails tasks that must be carried out in the interest of the public. In order to avoid mistakes, it is necessary to be careful and study all decisions before issuing them.
“Oversight and accountability are important in any civilized society, yet they are taken for granted. So, whoever does not want them are free to leave the ministerial position. No one among the people are impeccable, as they are like the rest of God’s creations.
“We want an executive authority that is able to withstand criticism and bear heavy responsibilities entrusted to the ministerial position. The minister is a decision-maker, but it is unreasonable that all his decisions are correct!!
“Just as we appeal to the lawmakers to be generous and direct their energies towards construction, not demolition, we also appeal to ministers to welcome those who appreciate their responsibilities and appoint them with the right guidance when needed.
“We are hoping for political stability accompanied by the construction that Kuwait needs. This will not happen without harmony and understanding between the authorities towards the primary goal, which is construction, not demolition.”