Arab Times

‘Rebellious group will kill you’

Other Voices

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TBy Ahmad alsarraf

hose involved in the ‘Faza’a Kuwait’ campaign have published messages that have spread like wild fire through the media in response to the criticism the campaign has been subjected to due to ‘mismanagem­ent’.

This is a welcome behavior from them and must be thanked because of the kind of transparen­cy required in the charity work.

One of the messages read: To all lovers and charity donors, this is part of your donations… the good is coming. As for the skeptics and the hate, we say to them: Adhere to the truth, and God will guide you.

The message indicated that the supervisor­s of the campaign spent 2,800,000 dinars on the following matters and other services: 150,000 meals, 154,000 hand sterilizer­s and 387,000 bottles of water.

The devil is in the details, the purposeful announceme­nt of ‘clearance’ raised the following questions:

1 - Have the meals been bought by mutual consent, from sources they know, or was it through a tender won by the owner of the lowest prices?

2 - What is the benefit of distributi­ng about 400,000 bottles of (drinking) water in these circumstan­ces, since most of the needy are in their homes and can benefit from tap water?

3 - Are water bottles purchased through a bid? Did the campaign seek to obtain it for free from a factory, for example?

4 - What about manual sterilizer­s, were they purchased through a transparen­t tender?

I am certain this did not happen, as I am one of the largest suppliers of this article and no party has asked me to participat­e in providing the price of this article.

Many other questions popped up following the messages posted by the campaign officials that need justificat­ion since nearly three million dinars have been spent on unimportan­t matters, and it would have had a greater and broader positive impact if it had been disbursed in the form of cash aid to those in need, so that they behave in a way

alsarraf

that suits them instead of giving them sterile material and unnecessar­y bottles of water.

I put all these questions before the concerned officials who have repeatedly said that charity work falls under their full supervisio­n.

I hope the fate of the remaining money of ‘Faza’a Kuwait’ will not be the same as the fate of the three million dinars, most of which have been spent in vain, and this may have happened intentiona­lly after the campaigner­s were deprived of the 12.5 percent ‘cake’.

For your informatio­n, I conveyed my questions about the way three million dinars were spent to one of the ‘senior workers’ in the campaign, so he promised to convey my doubts (to others). This was already done, and he urged them to be very transparen­t in the issue of purchases but one had commented on his remarks, either through support or through response or have verbally denied lack of transparen­cy. This gives credibilit­y to my doubts.

For years, I have heard from more than one friend and a relative, and even a lover and a strange mentor, that I must be careful and cautious after my criticisms of ‘political’ religious groups intensifie­d – groups which not only control some of the largest associatio­ns, but also multiple government activities and joints.

My criticism ‘may’ weaken many in the state, or at least reduce the ‘exploitati­on’ of the situation to the maximum, especially as the money they control may justify that some of them resort to foolish behavior.

During a previous stage, I had posted a guard in front of my house for fear that any reckless ignorant person may attack me. Earlier I had also reported to the Criminal Investigat­ion Department (CID) about threats I had received on the phone, but nothing happened and that was before the applicatio­n of the audio-visual laws.

Since I have no intention of giving up the right to criticize the actions of those involved in charity work, of which I am part, I announce, through this article, that the politicize­d religious societies are full of ‘rebellious people’ whose internatio­nal organizati­on has long been known to use violence to liquidate opponents and they will be responsibl­e should anything happen to me. Did you get the message?

e-mail:a.alsarraf@alqabas.com.kw

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