O leadership … Opportunity seldom knocks twice

EVERYTIME an injury is healed, another one starts oozing. This is what the corruption of this country is all about. With every dawn comes a new scandal, and the latest one is the embezzlement of KD 50 million in the Public Institution of Social Security.

If this is true, then it means that the aforementioned institution’s doors are open to anyone to violate the rights of retirees.

There is no doubt that there are other institutions whose affairs are worse. In fact, it is clear that the crooks have increased in number to a point that the Public Prosecution Office does not know where to start its investigations. Also, none of those concerned are ready to do anything.

It seems as if the money is not for the people and the state, but for the cave of “Ali Baba and the Thousand Thieves”. This is because when someone sees that the corrupt are not being held accountable, it will incite others to loot also.

The global financial situation is not good, and it is exposed to major tremors that foretell an earthquake. In this regard, a penny saved is a penny earned, which means the money should be invested by establishing local production and investment projects as well as a developed infrastructure because countries always need to fortify their sovereign funds.

Currently, all reports refer to a crisis similar to the Great Depression in 1929, which started in the United States and spread throughout the world. Based on this, action must be taken to ensure sovereign assets, which happens by building a financial force that is employed locally in the best ways.

Unfortunately, our stakeholders did not think about this. This is because they are devoted to absurd battles, such as the unending conflict between the National Assembly and the government, or the interpellations against ministers whose identities are not yet known, or the allegation of some, or the wait for the result of the ruling of the Constitutional Court, and if there be another National Assembly or if the dissolved parliament will return.

While we in Kuwait devote ourselves to this nonsense, countries are seeking to maximize their sovereign assets, especially local ones. Although some of them relied on oil as a main source of income, their governments worked to diversify the sources through an integrated system of infrastructure and services, and to establish institutions that serve their future.

On the other hand, Kuwait was at the mercy of a single source of income, which is oil, and did not seek to change its vision of the state budget.

At a time when the first chapter is greatly inflated, productive and service capital projects stopped to achieve a return in the future.

Norway, for example, did not use its sovereign fund, which is the largest in the world, to tinker with spending. Switzerland, which does not have natural resources, relied on expanding the services sector until it became the treasury of the world.

Therefore, when the state lacks a prudent vision for the future of its generations, it falls into impotence. What Kuwait is witnessing is a natural result of political tampering, and the stubbornness of each party on its position.

For this reason, its diseases abound; either it is from the embezzlement of some ministers or some officials through some bribed judges, or the smuggling of drugs by officers, or the closure of the country even in the face of international officials because they are over 55 years old, just like what happened with a foreign official a few days ago, which narrows the options for decision-makers.

For all this, it is not surprising to have such a level of corruption in this country because the continuation of governmental and legislative stagnation will lead to chaos that is difficult to heal. This means that the wounds will bleed and even fester, and may infect the body with gangrene.

Therefore, we appeal to the leadership that it is necessary to pay attention to the homeland, and make a firm decision to end all this tragedy that Kuwait has been living through for years, because opportunity seldom knocks twice.