‘Attempts to privatize nation fails’

‘Some parties’ selfish goals un-achieved’

“THE State of Kuwait must be a country that enjoys prudent policies at all levels because it possesses minds and information,” columnist and the legal expert Dr Mohammad Al-Moqatea’a wrote for Al-Jarida daily.

“In his context, we say Kuwait was founded as a State of institutions about sixty years ago, and I realize that the reason was and still is in the government administration, which has stood idle and as spectator for sixty years, rather than being the maker of the event, and adopting sophisticated and wise policies at all levels.

“Our government has been endorsed by the wellknown popular saying, ‘If the cause is known then the surprise will vanish’. Yes, we have a problem with the incompetent and spectacular government administration. Why and what is the secret to that? Kuwait is run by two governments, one official and one hidden, which is the deep State.

“As for the official government, it is characterized by its heterogeneous and formal composition, because it does not have the decision-making, and its ministers are nothing more than government employees, are always awaiting directives and orders and has lost the position of the government and the institutionalization of the Council of Ministers for many decades.

“If we realize another set of facts about the government such as the presence of clear cases of conflict of interest among a number of ministers, especially those who have the ability to influence the government decision, in addition to the fact that in many cases they are not the ones who make the government decision, but rather the hidden government that is the ‘deep State’ that controls the affairs of the country.

“Meanwhile, we have observed that the thing which enhances the weakness of the government and its institutional role, is represented by its fragile structure where the government includes some personalities who look like employees unable to draw public policies, because such type of ministers are accustomed to receive orders, as such, the ambition of most of these ministers is to see their ministerial post renewed although their role is nothing more than complimentary.

“In the context of performance of the successive governments and their abilities, one understand why we don’t have sophisticated government policies and I think the manner followed in dealing with the privatization issue which refers to the gross contradictions and opportunist practices that revolve around how to violate the country potentials.

“Perhaps a quick review of everything that has been done and ‘under the name of privatization’ over the years, reveals painful and shocking facts because various sectors, companies and activities that have been privatized were for successful sectors or companies, or the nature of their activities is that they generate profit without effort, as is the case of a mobile phone company or gas stations or some banks or the sale of stock ownership in many companies, as the mentality of opportunism and the plunder of State funds and capabilities were behind ‘privatization operations’ and this happened because of the opportunistic mentality.

“The parties of the ‘deep State’ have endeavored in many attempts to privatize Kuwait, the livestock company, the flour mills company, cooperative societies and many other activities, to achieve their selfish goals, and to become rich at the expense of the State, but thank God their efforts failed.”

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Al-Moqatea’a

“A Kuwaiti feels surprised about the statements which are issued by some economists from time to time over privatization,” columnist Mishref Eqab wrote for Al-Shahed daily.

“As a matter of fact, there is nothing new in these statements. In other words, some economists have started talking about the same under the current global and dangerous health pandemic crisis during which the oil prices have dropped drastically.

“This happens although when the prices of oil skyrocketed, we didn’t hear these people talking about privatization or imposing tax. However, privatization can be defined as shifting State owned corporations and companies from the public sector to the private sector.

“However, this can be divided into two parts – first based in selling some State assets to the private sector and the second stopping the State rendered logistic services to the citizens and providing them the same through the private sector and eventually invest in the same. But what is currently raising said about privatization shall make the process of privatization looks nearly impossible.

“In this connection, it can be said most of the countries in the world go by the philosophy of rejecting privatization of the sectors which are linked to the sovereignty of the relevant country, because any nation must pay attention to major issues such the politics, administration, security and economy.

“Speaking of the State of Kuwait, oil for us is the sole source of economy because there is no other source, and because since the beginning of the oil era fifty years ago, there has been no planning in the country to look for other alternatives.

“Given the above, we suggest none of the oil sectors should be privatized, because oil is the sole and the most significant artery for the country. Moreover, privatization requires some programs and decisions in addition to radical changes in the government philosophy and action and the imperative need to exploit all human resources in the country’s, infrastructure, because privatization mostly depends on transparency and honest competition.

“In the meantime, we suggest that privatization should not affect the Kuwaitis those who worked in the sectors before they were privatized. In other words, these Kuwaitis must not lose their jobs as a result of privatization.”

“They considered it the ‘awakening of the conscience of society’ when the coronavirus came. It has opened the wall of our mind with a ray of light to see the reality unaided, and to wipe the sugar of negligence, as the situation becomes a continuous state of affairs,” Saud Al-Samakah wrote for Al-Seyassah daily.

“Here we are, day and night, sleeping and waking up, as if we are in front of a “tsunami”, hit by our only source of livelihood. We are in the midst of negligence by shutting down our feeling outlets and sense of thinking after managing the illusion of ‘permanence of the situation l’ and sustainable well-being.

“Many spoke, advised, and set live examples of the importance of exploiting the present, before it was erased by the culture of inattention and intoxication of luxury, so as to exhibit a sense of regret.

“God willing, the situation today is stable from the perspective of balance and calamities throughout human history, though it leaving behind another form of affliction for all countries of the world. It achieved economic recovery that compensates for the losses caused by “Corona” epidemic, for we only refer to one source of income that stopped and made the price of its barrel to touch the price of the “Coca-Cola” fund!

“Consequently, we are tested against our will to pay with our consciences today, and to seek forgiveness for what we have been suffering over the decades by our irresponsible life.

“Today, there are steps to take that require surgical operations. For example, making austerity decisions in career requires firm sovereign decisions with regard to replacement, starting with the army of foreign advisors replaced by the Kuwaiti components. We have in mind our young people who are efficient and with good sense of opinion to enable them perform the task as required, given that “the people of Makkah are more knowledgeable about its reefs.”

“The wastage of hundreds of millions must be stopped on “executive” missions under the name of official missions when government starts working on a joint administrative apparatus when the scene has prevailed over the elements forming the majority in legislative and executive authorities and wreaking havoc on its own interests. It has established a pattern for nominating leadership positions that intersects civil and military service laws, not to mention common sense. The nomination for leadership position became dependent on proximity to this or that corrupt deputy, and not on the basis of the conditions of service laws that apply to him.

“The functional apparatus of the state is just like the head on a body, which determines its validity or not. The functional apparatus today after the absurdity it has endured over many years, due to previous deputies and ministers characterized by corruption, is undoubtedly coming for the state- just like a corrupt head. Do not hope for any positive productivity in the first place. How would it be like if the state came out of this downward trauma and thickened by wounds? The second issue is for the government to pay attention to those milking, without giving them the slightest offer, as they have made profits out of losses- especially as they do not pay taxes nor rents to the governorates for spaces they use for their trade, in addition to their banks, rooms, homes, and malls.

“Therefore, it is time for us to start, and there’s no option for luxury, though it is one of the requirements and necessities for the next stage. For the first time in the context of the history of this country, the option of “we or not we” will be brought before us ... and God is our helper.”

“The coronavirus crisis will definitely introduce new concepts, terminology, and vocabulary to the language, perhaps more than any other crisis in history. Some of these vocabularies will remain. They will stay in our memories and transform into a popular culture; some will evaporate, and get blown by the dust. The terminology of crises has a presence in political and social narratives, and has a major impact on languages and awareness of things,” Prof. Ghanim Al-Najjar wrote for Aljarida daily.

“In April 1982, Argentinean forces occupied islands close to them, differing over their sovereignty between Britain and Argentina, and war broke out between them. Britain used to call it Falklands, while Argentina called it Malvinas. The war lasted until June, killing 649 Argentinean soldiers and 255 British soldiers. It ended with the victory of Britain and the raising of the British flag in Falklands. Although relations were restored between the two countries in 1989, the names still remain an issue, as Argentina entered the Malvinas Islands in the Constitution as part of Argentina in 1994.

“However, the term that has no dust in political use worldwide is the term “anti-Semitism”, not in its traditional sense, but by transforming it, as the virus mutates, into a political weapon that is used to justify aggression and harm others, in particular to justify the occupation of Palestine or use it against those who criticize Israel and its racist behavior. In the context of the Holocaust during World War II, they created the “Holocaust” industry to intensify injustice.

“It is clear that the deadly coronavirus crisis introduced many terms in our language. It is not known how many of these vocabularies will remain, how many of them will fall within the popular culture, and how many will evaporate once the current crisis ends. We will look into this at a later stage.”

— Compiled by Zaki Taleb