A letter to decision makers

To start with, we must thank the Interior Ministry for their efforts in protecting Kuwait’s security and instilling safety in our society. But despite of the safety provided, the youth have become reckless these days. For example, they drive their vehicles at extremely high speeds, while showing off with their vehicles aggressively and randomly, creating disturbing noises that annoy pedestrians and lead to obstruction of traffic.

We see young people riding their motorcycles in a uncontrollable way. We are experiencing the start of a ‘romantic’ winter, which encourages youth men to take their female friends on a ride. Some people might call this as ‘personal freedom,’ but the girls in these cases have forgotten that they do not live in a foreign country, but a Muslim nation, and that this behavior is not part of our society. We cannot force those girls to change their behavior, but all we can do is pray for them and their families, and this is where our real issue starts.

What families cannot do, the interior ministry must correct. This does not mean that the interior ministry is not doing what it should towards our society, but our message today is directed to the decision makers, who are urged to give more authority to implement decisions and change many laws, and to transformed punishment into a tool that teaches values to be learnt by the future generation. For example, in the United Arab Emirates, when the family fails to correct its children, the father reports his son and hands him over to military authorities. It is not a prison, but rather a military school where a child learns discipline, so that children can become components of a generation why can depend on in the future. Why can’t we implement this experience in Kuwait?

In the past, our schools used to commit students, both girls and boys, to military education. There were many obstacles faced then, but I believe that the interior ministry can overcome the obstacles and implement this idea. Whoever is arrested while a juvenile should be sent to a military college, be it in the interior ministry or the army according to the needs and the juvenile’s capabilities. I believe that this should not be limited to youth men only, but also young women. I think that this will provide a radical solution for youth recklessness. After the idea is implemented, the youth will fear the law, and behave in a more disciplined way.

— Translated by Kuwait Times