‘Shun ‘wasta’, use iron fist to apprehend criminals violating law’
“THE people of Kuwait were shocked last Monday following the murder of a policeman working for the Ministry of Interior the martyr Abdulaziz Al-Rashidi by an expatriate in a brutal manner. The victim was repeatedly stabbed in broad daylight in full view of the passersby but no one came to the rescue of the victim who died in a pool of blood,” columnist Abdulaziz Al-Fadhli wrote for Al-Rai daily.
“This incident rings an alarm bell and raises many questions. In this context, we can say this is not the first time to see an employee of the Ministry of Interior exposed to dangerous assault. In another incident we saw how a policeman was attacked near a traffic light.
“We saw how a patrol car was damaged by a crowd of people when patrolmen went to arrest a Kuwaiti who was driving recklessly and making stunts with his vehicle. The crowd prevented police from arresting the reckless motorist and helped him escape and the patrolmen left the place fearing for their safety.
“Given the above, we ask the Ministry of Interior how it plans to protect the police personnel when their lives are in danger. Do the laws allow Interior men to defend themselves if they are exposed to danger?
“Apart from the above, we wonder what training the Ministry of Interior imparts on its personnel. Is the training given to the police enough to defend themselves when they face difficulties on the street while on duty?
“Is there any special uniform that can be designed to protect the Interior men while on duty especially in places which are prone to crimes? Are there criteria for a minimum number for personnel while on ordinary patrol duty or while patrolling dangerous areas?
“With regard to the Ministry of Interior’s personnel in general and the patrolmen in particular, we want to know if there is any shortage in the number of these men. However, if there is any shortage, is there any idea how to attract the youth to join this field and are the stipends currently dawn by them commensurate with the task they perform and its perils?
“With regard to the murder of Al-Rashidi, we wonder if there was any security negligence. We also wonder where was the victim’s colleague, and if he was on duty why did he not rush to rescue his colleague.
“We hope our brothers in the Ministry of Interior will deal with the security issues firmly and seriously. In the meantime, we would like to remind them that the security , stability is the most significant factor for achieving state security at large and this means using the iron fist against those who strive to manipulate the security issue.
“In the meantime, we call not to accept any ‘wasta’ or allow any kind of intervention from influential people in security issues, because the country’s security and the lives of the people are the ‘redline’ and nobody should be allowed to cross it or violate the sanctity of laws.”
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“The country was shocked when a Syrian killed his mother and then turned the knife on the traffic police Abdulaziz Al-Rashidi in broad daylight in full view of the people and nobody went to rescue him from the beast who repeatedly stabbed him,” columnist Owaied Al-Sulaili wrote for Al-Shahed daily.
“The State of Kuwait which is a state of law and institutions entails that all citizens should be proud of the same, because none of the Interior men are allowed to use the weapon without a permission from the Attorney General, given the fact this procedure was engineered to protect the lives of the people, given the fact that is different from what currently prevail in many Arab and Western states and even in the United States of America where the latter adopts the procedures allowing its military personnel to shoot a suspect and gives necessary protection for the military personnel during his/her trial, given the fact these procedures have resulted in the killing of many innocent people.
“Such being the case, the restrictions imposed on the Ministry of Interior in terms of using the weapons, were legally aiming at protecting the lives of both the citizens and the expatriates.
“In spite of the above, the Ministry of Interior represented by its minister is requested today to amend the laws organizing the work of its staff members and for the sake of providing protection and solemnity to its men and this can be realized by allowing them to use the stun guns (electroshock weapons) or even the use of rubber bullet against anyone who may attack any of its men, provided that all the military personnel should be obliged to carry portable cameras to guarantee misuse of authority and protect the rights of all.
“In other words, the minister of interior is requested by the people and before the Almighty Allah to provide the necessary protection for his ministry’s personnel, because they are his responsibility and this protection can be realized through very simple measures to begin with by forcing all the ministry men to undergo training courses in the art of self defense instead of the turmoil which currently prevails in the ministry.”
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“A person’s work in any position gives him cumulative experience, as he is exposed to multiple situations that require taking some decisions,” columnist Dr Hind Al-Choumar wrote for Al-Anba daily.
“These decisions are often correct and rational. Some officials who bear full responsibility are looking for previous experiences to benefit from them for public interest.
“Some officials who disregarded these previous experiences, decisions and achievements are insisting on folding previous pages without benefiting from them and repeating the same mistakes without learning from those who preceded them.
“Benefiting from past experiences saves effort, money and repercussions for ill-considered decisions that may be taken hastily by junior officials in some locations and may be costly.
“This situation may continue unless there are serious criteria and programs for selecting and training leaders and candidates for supervisory positions and following up their performance before re-appointing them in their positions, as this is a requirement for public interest.”
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“1) From 2017 until now, there have been a hundred files of suspected theft of public money or forgery of official papers and documents,“columnist Dr Naji Saoud Al-Zaid wrote for Al-Jarida daily.
“2) This authority has filed 212 cases to recover illegally spent money and it won most of these cases.
“3) Until the end of last year, there are cases filed against the authority in which it won 1,241 judgments and lost 446 of cases filed against it.
“The statistics are official as they are provided by an official and published in newspapers. This is the Public Authority for Disabled Affairs.
“This information indicates the extent to which the humanitarian aspects are exploited to obtain privileges for the disabled, and statistics indicate that some disabled people won cases against the authority.”