‘Stop stagnation ... country has become sick, unable to move’
“IT IS said that one decision at the right time - I mean the balanced decision - is better than hundreds of decisions with hindsight, that is to say when it is too late. The balanced decision which is taken with reason, sincerity and the intention of reform, and not the decisions of favoritism and nepotism that destroys more than it builds,” columnist Mesfer Al-Naees wrote for Al-Rai daily.
“Our main problem lies in inappropriate decisions that have made the balance of justice tend towards favoritism and nepotism, so many officials are misplaced and positions have become greater than their capabilities, so they take alternative methods that are tinted with corruption, in order to cover up their many failures, so that their concern is to fight a person who is competent.
“Based on the above officials who are inefficient hire consultants to implement their plan whose goal is to fight every creative person who is ambitious because it will threaten the positions of others and distort the reputation of a Kuwaiti employee and will portray him as unproductive and does not work since most of the officials who sought help from the foreign counselor put him in place because racism and factionalism run in their veins, in order to repel the Kuwaiti employee so that they can stay put in their positions.
“Many officials have been in high positions for many years with little accomplishment but rather frequent failure, but remains because he implements what is being asked of him without objection. The time has come to lay down an ambitious rescue plan to save the ministries and state institutions from some officials whose way of thinking is outdated and do not keep pace with modern methods of leadership and management, so we must say to them ‘Stop stagnation, as the country has become sick and unable to move’.
“I see that this is the real role of the parliamentarians through strict monitoring and pressure towards pumping new blood in the government body. There is a real opportunity for HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled -- who has been assigned again after the government submitted its resignation -- to choose competent ministers with decision-makers who are close to the citizen and his concerns in order to convey his suffering properly.
“It is important to read the election results well so that the ministerial formation is not done in an illogical manner, and political clashes occur with the National Assembly, and we return to square one and the only loser shall be the country and the citizen.”
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“At the end of last October the Directorate-General of Public Relations and Security Media Department of the Interior Ministry released a statement saying, ‘As part of the efforts of the Ministry of Interior to prevent gatherings of all kinds, private and public, in implementation of the decisions issued by the health authorities to limit the spread of the Corona virus, the Ministry, through its follow-up team to prevent the holding of gatherings in all parts of the country, dealt with a number of wedding and similar invitations which violated the decisions of the health authorities, and the violators were summoned for interrogations and legal measures were taken against them,” columnist Abdulaziz Kheraibet wrote for Al-Shahed daily.
“The Ministry of Interior also called on the citizens to abide by the decisions of the health authorities and shun gatherings, whether public or private, stressing that the Ministry of Interior will take legal measures against the violators.
“It is noteworthy to mention that the implementation of Law No. 64 of 2020 issued by the Ministry of Health, prohibited gatherings, including wedding parties and others, whether they are held in a public or private place such as private housing or private diwaniyas, and prohibiting the holding of banquets, receptions and other things for non-family members and to prevent receptions or gatherings in public or private diwaniyas.
“The Ministry of Information announces daily through Kuwait Radio and Television calling on viewers to honor the country’s laws and regulations specially those issued by the health authorities from time to time to prevent the spread of communicable diseases, but we see laws are being violated as people continue to hold parties and gatherings.
“We also saw gatherings at the diwaniyas of the new MPs who were elected to the Parliament on a day the weather was unstable but the citizens cast their vote for their trusted candidates.
“The corona virus pandemic has not vanished yet and we have recently witnessed cases of new wave of COVID-19 variants. Does this mean that we are far from returning to normality?
“We are well aware of the role of the competent authorities, including the Ministry of Interior, which are following up on what is happening, but we want to know the obstacle for not applying the decision and the law on violators and prohibiting and preventing the holding of gatherings in all parts of the country, in line with the decision of the health authorities and the law that is still in effect and announced from time to time in the media and social media platforms.
“It is worth noting that the state is responsible for complications in the event of non-compliance with the preventive and health measures, requirements and precautions, and we are still in the fourth stage of the plan to return to normality, and there are still varying rates of infection transmission and infection with the new Corona virus, and the Ministry of Health announces deaths due to infection on a daily basis, many government agencies apologize for not receiving visitors in light of these exceptional circumstances.
“Therefore, we ask the authorities to explain why the decision and the law are not applied on all in these exceptional circumstances?”
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“No one is against modifying the demographic structure but it is not easy to change it overnight,” columnist Dr Naji Saoud Al-Zaid wrote for Al-Jarida daily.
“The issue is not limited to excess employment or to those over the age of sixty, although we have another opinion on that as it is incompatible with humanity in many cases.
“What worries me about the subject is the feeling of the distinguished expatriate, which Kuwait needs scientifically and technically. This feeling of being threatened to be eliminated any moment. Despite the assurances, newspaper reports and Internet posts through social media platforms make that distinguished expatriate anxious about any hasty decisions which threaten his stability and that of his family, especially the education of his children.
“Such expatriates have started thinking about leaving Kuwait for another country which would give them stability and reassurance. They cannot be blamed for that.
“There are distinguished professors at Kuwait University, as well as in private universities, whose specializations are not acceptable for Kuwaitis. There are doctors, dentists, veterinarians, engineers and technicians who are badly needed, so the stability of the general atmosphere around them gives them reassurance and motivates them to continue giving, working and serving the institutions in which they work.
“With all my heart, I would like to see an official statement from a higher authority assuring these people that they are safe, and that their stability is important to the country. This will stop them from thinking of going to another country. This confirmation comes with the preservation of scientific and technical wealth that Kuwait needs.”
“We returned to square one, awaiting the formation of the new government after the official approval of the government’s resignation, the ministers continued to deal with urgent matters and the Parliament session was adjourned due to this resignation,” columnist Jassem Al-Homar wrote for Al-Anba daily.
“This means suspending the National Assembly for a certain period, thus, disrupting the supervisory and legislative roles of the Assembly and causing a state of ‘political freeze’.
“If this is an attempt by the government to avoid the interrogation of the prime minister on one hand, and prevent parliamentary escalation on the other hand, due to the presence of ministers whose goals were set by lawmakers or forced by lawmakers to correct and review their positions so that matters proceed with a minimum of cooperation between the executive and legislative authorities without interrogations in the current period, this is a clear indication of the strength of the members of this Parliament in confronting the government and its prime minister as well as showing its opposing face.
“Certainly, do not mean here to perform for a short period. So far, only questions and proposals have been submitted.
“Undoubtedly, voices will emerge from the MPs calling for calm due to the pressure they see from their bases as a result of intensified obstruction that prevents them from invoking some popular laws.”