‘Fire that does not burn, light that does not shine, lion without claws’
“THE legal rules are unique unlike other social rules, as they are associated with a material and worldly penalty imposed by the Public Authority for Manpower on those who violate its provisions, and that respect for these rules will not be achieved without individuals realizing that if they violate the rules they will be punished by PAM. The law, without imposing the worldly material penalty on those who violate its provisions, becomes a fire that does not burn, a light that does not shine, and a lion without claws,” columnist Dr. Adel Behbehani wrote for Annahar daily.
“The best example that we can give these days is no respect for the law and that is one of the reasons why we face the domestic workers crisis as a result of which the citizens suffer and also the owners of licensed domestic workers recruiting offices.
“A few days ago, the head of the Kuwaiti Federation of Owners of Domestic Labor Recruitment Offices stated that the cause of the crisis was the lack of law enforcement and that the rise in the prices of domestic workers resulted because of the presence of fictitious domestic workers hiring offices who offer domestic services on hourly basis in violation of the law.
“The problem here is in the law and the extent of its application in the case of absconding domestic workers, especially since cases of escape occur during the guarantee period, where the employer returns to the office and demands his money, so the office, according to the law, returns the money and the office incurs losses, the worker remains on the run and works in Kuwait in cooperation with these fake offices.
“In other cases, they flee after 6 months, so that the citizen also bears these losses. It is not reasonable for the maid to continue working in these offices for two years and then return to her embassy and then ask the embassy help to return home and the task is left with the Ministry of Interior to fingerprint and deport the worker without conducting any interrogation or punishing the person who harbored her during the period of her absence.
“What was said by the head of the Kuwaiti Federation of Owners of Domestic Workers Recruitment Offices calls for surprise and concern over security issues.
“If the law became a dead letter, the prestige of the state becomes chaotic. Does the Ministry of Interior activate the provisions of Law No. 68 of 2015 regarding domestic workers?
“The Ministry should have performed this role by deporting the fugitive worker to his/her country after making the worker or the person who gave the fugitive shelter or the fake recruitment office pay for the travel expenses to the person’s destination in implementation of Article 51 of the same law. And that it is also keen to control the companies that bring in unlicensed domestic workers in preparation for their trial and the imposition of the penalties prescribed in Article 48 of the aforementioned law on them.
“In the meantime, the ministry should show the keenness to control the unlicensed domestic workers recruitment offices in a prelude to refer them to the competent court and punish them in accordance with Article No.48 of this law.”
Also:
“We do not have rivers in Kuwait, but we have distilled water, treated sewage water and brackish water wells, which resulted in the cultivation of leaves, cucurbits and palms that cover some of the country’s needs but this is done through the tremendous efforts of Kuwaiti farmers,” columnist Mubarak Al-Moasherji wrote for Al-Rai daily.
“If we look at the agricultural beautification along the roads and public parks, we will find failure and negligence. The finger is pointed at the Public Authority for Agriculture Affairs and Fish Resources.
“In a conversation with Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mishref Cooperative Society Ali Al-Fahd about the reason for not repairing and investing in Mishref Park which is near the cooperative, he said: ‘We tried several times and we will keep on trying. We can transform this into a small amusement park with facilities for various games. This will open the door for companies and restaurants to invest and open branches, but the competent authorities keep on rejecting the idea despite knowing that this park causes inconvenience to residents in the area due to the presence of some marginal workers exhibiting suspicious behavior.
“If we drive on the highways, we will find thousands of palm trees that have died of thirst because the Agriculture Authority did not extend an irrigation network to them or signed a contract with a company to irrigate them. The authority has been satisfied with purchasing palms annually using a budget that is subject to approval every year.”
“The fastfood trend appeared several decades ago and quickly spread all over the world as it attracted many consumers due to the frantic marketing that targeted all segments of society. Thus, the fastfood culture became prevalent while the traditional meals that every woman used to be proud of preparing as a mark of distinction in her family and among her peers began to disappear in society. Healthy diets that help maintain a healthy heart have begun to disappear as well,” columnist Dr Hind AlChoumar wrote for Al-Anba daily.
“It is interesting that fastfood has spread as a new way of life, not only as a style and nourishment method. No one can wait for traditional meals to be cooked and then ensure the quality and benefits. It seems the fastfood proponents have made their lives fast paced even in making decisions.
“If a decision is personal, it is considered a part of one’s privacy. If it is a general decision that affects the community, it must be prepared thoroughly and it should not be presented hurriedly as repercussions could be discovered later and then it would be too difficult to address the issue.
“The prevalence of fastfood led to the spread of obesity, weight gain, diabetes and gland diseases. The burdens and repercussions are now evident in the health of individuals, families and societies. This phenomenon also burdened the health systems and hampered development plans.
“Hence, the lesson from what happened to humanity because of the prevalence of fastfood is to avoid taking quick decisions in any location and at any level. Quick decisions lead to quick reactions, yet their repercussions appear later and the cost of repairing those repercussions is high administratively, functionally, economically and politically.
“I wish the decision-makers will slow down and rely on wisdom, vision and insight, so they do not cause long-term repercussions and damages due to quick decisions. This is imperative to avoid the recurrence of the repercussions of the fast food phenomenon that has upended the scales. No matter how much flavors and mixtures we add to it, the effects and repercussions will not diminish.
“Quick decisions can lead to denial of rights, obstruction of justice, depriving the beneficiaries of a leadership or supervisory positions and wastage of public money without any justification.”