‘Al-Bashir era created differences’

‘Donors confab despite disconnection’

“ACCORDING to press reports, Kuwait is organizing an international conference for the reconstruction of the Sudan,” columnist Hassan Ali Karam wrote for AlSeyassah daily.

“While the publication of this news coincides with a statement by the Kuwaiti ambassador to Khartoum that the President of the ruling Transitional Sovereign Council and the Sudanese Prime Minister want to visit Kuwait separately.

“The visit of these two senior officials to Kuwait, if it took place, soon or even later, in the end that the Sudanese officials who currently assume power after the success of the mass revolution and the departure of the reactionary, and corrupt and oppressive regime of President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir, put Kuwait at the bottom of their list of visits to brotherly and friendly countries.

“Perhaps they have other agendas, priorities, or excuses, where Kuwait is not necessarily concerned about the same based on their vision, and if this presumption is true, then it is assumed that in return Kuwait should not pay attention to the prospective visits or be concerned with the Sudanese problems, or even pay attention to them as a kind of ‘tit for tat’.

“We say the above, because Sudan doesn’t represent a great and dangerous power that can destabilize the world, let alone we shall not die of starvation if it closes down its resources for us. In spite of the above, however, Sudan is not a poor state, because its wealth lays buried under its soil and exists above its earth.

“In other words, the wealth of Sudan is enough to meet the requirements of the entire Arab world if this wealth is managed well. But I think the Sudanese don’t believe that the State of Kuwait is one of the strategic states and one of the international donors. In other words, it looks like this means we are nothing for them as long as they get the necessary aid, grants and loans which looks guaranteed.

“In this connection, we would like to point out that the State of Kuwait which poured money into the pockets of the former Sudanese president Omar Hassan Al-Bashir and before that Ja’afar Mohammad Nimeiri, the Sudanese regime supported Saddam Hussein following the latter’s invasion and occupation of Kuwait, will not hesitate to support a revolutionary government that had come to rule through a military coup and currently passing through a difficult economic circumstance (the US dollar equals 100 Sudanese pounds until last week) and this is the problem.

“But the question here is, is there an indication that Sudan has retreated from the misconceptions that the previous regime has entrenched in the minds of the Sudanese, including the current political leaderships, and does the current revolutionary regime see Kuwait as an exceptional state but not as a sisterly country – non-pivotal and ineffective.

“If their view of Kuwait was on this basis, and we hope that it does not, then what pushes Kuwait to tighten the ‘belt’ and show its willingness to organize an international conference in order to save Sudan’s economy.

“We say the above, because the states which the Sudanese used to be proud of, have not hastened to organize a conference to rescue Sudan, and why the State of Kuwait which geographically is situated too far from Sudan, will organize this conference, particularly since we know that the countries which have benefitted from the Kuwaiti aid don’t thank nor praise it. However, do you see that this means we must review our policy?

“Our story with Sudan is long and painful, and it is one of the stories that Kuwait is supposed to learn from, particularly since we know that it is the State of Kuwait which had spared no effort towards assisting the Sudan in its capacity as sisterly state.

“In this context, we elucidate that the State of Kuwait and since the 1960s had extended a lot of grants and loans worth millions of dinars to Sudan and the Sudanese president General Ibrahim Abboud, was the first president who visited the State of Kuwait during that time.

“Moreover, the State of Kuwait, was looking forward to see Sudan being transformed into a food basket for it as well as for the other sisterly states, particularly in light of the money that was poured by the State of Kuwait to develop the agricultural and the livestock sector in addition to the joint industrial projects in that spacious country including the sugar plantation whose fate we do not known until today.

“As a matter of fact, our story with Sudan is long and painful and we presume that the State of Kuwait was supposed to learn the lesson.

“In other words, millions of Kuwaiti dinars were poured into Khartoum to develop Sudan, but the money found its way into the pockets of Sudanese government officials. In spite of the above, we are still abiding by the proverb which says ‘Let bygones be bygones’ although the people are the same and the minds and visions have not changed.

“We say the above, although we are positive that the Sudanese are kind people and have love for Kuwaitis, but the disconnection between the two people happened during the regime of Al-Bashir.”

Also:

H. Ali Karam

“‘The New Coronavirus’, has rapidly spread in many areas of China,” columnist and professor at Kuwait University Dr Ali Al-Zuabi wrote for Al-Shahed daily.

“This fatal virus has steadily seeped into many other countries of the world including Japan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, India and the United States of America.

“This infectious virus is unknown and strange in terms of evolution and spread. Its symptoms are mostly similar to that of the flu and TB and can be spread from one person to another through cough and sneezing or touching contaminated things including the door handle and so on.

“Now, the due question is, what about the actions that have been taken by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health to prevent the fearful spread of the Coronavirus which constitutes a direct threat to Kuwait’s health security, particularly since we know that many Kuwaitis have spent their mid-year holiday in East Asia, and the Asian manpower arrives into the country on a daily basis.

“In other words, we are in a fearful situation and the few preventive health measures taken so far are in the form of poor statements and have yet to reach an effective impact level, and this is likely to make the State of Kuwait as a weak point in terms of encountering this dangerous disease, particularly since we know that our own manner of greeting constitutes a very effective factor towards fostering this disease.

“Anyway, the official and popular efforts along with firm preventive measures should be taken at the country’s air, land and marine outlets, before it is too late, because the fate of the country and the people is on test.

“But the poor and ambiguous statements and intentional ignoring linked to this dangerous disease will not bear fruit but make the situation from bad to worse and this is what we are afraid of.

“Such being the case, we hope the officials of the Ministry of Health will hasten to take preventive measures to deal with this virus and follow the example of Japan, South Korea and Singapore in this regard where a medical team in each of these states run a check on incoming passengers before they step down from the plane.

“We pray to Almighty Allah to protect the State of Kuwait and its people.”

“The issue of medical errors and medical negligence in hospitals have returned strongly these days after some hospitals witnessed deaths. Ministry of Health always disposes of any incident as a reaction through the formation of investigation committees, and many have been formed for such a purpose but the outcome is rarely witnessed”, Khalid Al-Arafa wrote for Al-Anba daily.

“Recently, a teacher Nawal Al-Kandari passed away after suffering from a health issue that took away her sight. She also ended up suffering from other diseases while she was in the hospital. Her mother made several appeals to the health officials to save her daughter who was lying in Jahra Hospital where she sustained other diseases which led to the deterioration of her health.

“Unfortunately, the calls made by Nawal’s mother went unheard for days until her beloved daughter passed away. We have not yet found any official in the ministry responding to her mother’s appeals, which confirmed that the deceased was neither given an isolation room when her situation started to deteriorate nor taken to the Intensive Care Unit or even transferred to a specialized wing or another specialized hospital.

“With all these appeals, we want the ministry to explain the reasons for not calling a medical team to deal with the situation, and study the condition from various disciplines to diagnose the case. Why was the case not presented to a committee as a matter of urgency to send it abroad? These questions need a convincing and transparent answer.

“Dear Minister of Health Sheikh Dr Bassel Al-Sabah, we hope there will be more transparency in Ministry of Health. We hope the results of all the investigations that the ministry received during the past of such cases will be announced through the official media so that we feel reassured, because it is not natural that a citizen is begging an MP or an influential person for his/her right to healthcare.

“Advice from the heart, open your doors, and listen to the concerns of people, because the majority of them do not have an MP or a medium that enables them to reach you. It is unfair that people lack confidence in the health services, especially since the state loses millions of dinars annually.

“Nonetheless, the question arises – where is the result of the investigation concerning the intervention of MPs in the committees of the Medical Council? Was it actually saved for fear of their political accountability to the minister? This is a sample of the investigation committees, whose fate is unknown, despite the availability of evidence from an official.

“We await your auspicious response in a transparent manner.”

“Come, let us open the file of Ministry of Health again. Many of us had previously explored revealing its concealment and exposing those behind it. I can assure that the lion’s share of the total reports submitted to Kuwait Anti-Corruption Authority, which subsequently referred some people to the judicial authorities, are reports related to crimes of misappropriation of public funds in Ministry of Health”, Bassam Al-Assousi wrote for Al-Qabas daily.

“MP Rakan Al-Nisf has the pride of being at the forefront of controlling these crimes and guarding their irrefutable evidences with the help of some sincere elements from inside and outside the ministry. As a result of the intensification of pressure, the concerned minister and the former undersecretary were referred to the judiciary and are awaiting the decision.

“It seems the crimes of waste, facilitation and misuse of public funds are still continuing, despite the vigorous attempts and the “valiant” efforts of the current Minister Sheikh Dr Bassel to stop the hit-and-run attacks, misappropriation and undue advantage.

“And the attack, I wish to say it that my pen ink blushes that those who carry out these operations are some “angels of mercy” from the people of the white dress, I repeat, gentlemen with courage, and we should not bury our heads in dirt. It is somewhat justified, but majority of these reports are against doctors, some of whom are referred to as builders. Certainly generalizing here is absolutely rejected, as there are doctors and physicians who are well known for their competence, integrity and good reputation.

“Honestly, I feel pained a lot as a lawyer who move around the courtrooms very often and watch some doctors stand outside the criminal court chambers due to their involvement in cases related to dispelling or facilitating the misappropriation of public funds. What is painful is that these reports were submitted by some honorable citizens who uphold the highest levels of patriotism and constitutional responsibility whereby citizens have to defend the sanctity of public money. This role was originally entrusted to those in charge of the management of the health facility, and I do not know why they failed to initiate it?!

“Finally, through our review of many issues in this regard, I hope that specific mechanisms, rules and regulations will be put in place to purchase medical equipment and materials. When there are no such systems, the situation becomes vulnerable to waste and we will not rediscover the wheel. There are many supervisory authorities that are able to control the issue of purchasing and supplying, but only need a “brave and courageous” decision. Corruption has struck its groin and has tentacles all over the institution and blocked the noses, but we still have great confidence in the minister. He must use all sterilization and disinfection operations until health is revived in the body of Ministry of Health.”

“The development issue still occupies a large part of discussions of people, intellectuals and official forums but without feasibility or progress on the ground due to the lack of commitment to a strategy that puts in place a mechanism and implementation steps at the State or institution level within a specific timeframe,” columnist Dr Abdulaziz Al-Turki wrote for Al-Qabas daily.

“A strategy includes plans or methods to achieve a specific goal in the long run by drawing plans and prior action, but it requires management and commitment to achieve its goals.

“Development programs and plans need strategic management linking a set of administrative decisions and regulations which define the organization’s vision and mission in the long run in light of its competitive advantages. The organization must be keen on implementing its vision and mission by studying, monitoring and evaluating opportunities and risks in the work environment and its relationship with strengths and weaknesses of the organization.

“Therefore, everyone should realize that the implementation of a comprehensive development plan requires the application of all stages of strategic management to ensure the plan is linked to external and internal variables – political, economic, educational, social, financial, legislative, human and professional, and at the level of the executive, legislative and regulatory agencies in various sectors in the country. In this manner, we will achieve the goals of comprehensive and sustainable development within a specific period.”

— Compiled by Zaki Taleb