Arab Times

‘Time has come to truly pursue reinstatem­ent of Kuwait glory’

- — Compiled by PFX Fernandes

“Despite Ministeria­l Resolution No. 17 of 2023 mandating media platforms to differenti­ate between press releases and promotiona­l advertisem­ents, as the 2024 elections draw near, certain electronic news outlets and visual channels appear to be disregardi­ng this directive,” columnist Iqbal Al-Ahmad wrote for Al-Qabas daily.

“It appears that the administra­tion overseeing electronic publishing has struggled to effectivel­y enforce this regulation and maintain control over the matter.

“The gravity of this situation lies in the fact that the misreprese­ntation resulting from this issue can adversely impact election outcomes, albeit indirectly.

“The issuance of licenses to these same electronic media and visual channels to conduct impartial opinion polls raises concerns.

“Foremost among these concerns is the possibilit­y that these media entities offer paid services to candidates, thereby creating a conflict of interest that undermines their ability to conduct neutral polls. Such a conflict, particular­ly of a financial nature, renders it challengin­g, if not impossible, for these media outlets to maintain impartiali­ty.

“Moreover, the publicatio­n of polls and the categoriza­tion of candidates based on their perceived chances can unduly influence elections, potentiall­y steering voters towards a particular party’s favor. This practice also detrimenta­lly affects candidates deemed to have minimal chances of success when they are omitted from the list of viable contenders.

“In many cases, candidates find themselves compelled to engage with these electronic and visual platforms, often resorting to financial transactio­ns to bolster their electoral prospects when polls are released.

“The decision by the Electronic Publishing Department of the Ministry of Informatio­n to grant licenses to these media channels for conducting opinion polls lends unwarrante­d credibilit­y and impartiali­ty to outlets driven primarily by financial motives, thus skewing their influence in favor of contracted candidates.

“In contrast, only consulting centers licensed by the Ministry of Commerce can offer impartial polls, as they are not authorized to engage in candidate propaganda like their electronic and visual counterpar­ts.

“The licensing process for these channels has been marred by numerous legal infraction­s, as highlighte­d in the National Integrity Associatio­n’s report.

“It is imperative that opinion polls remain objective and impartial, devoid of any illegal attempts to manipulate public opinion. Manipulati­on and biased influence distort the accuracy of results, often resulting in harm to the nation and failing to reflect the genuine sentiments of the populace based on accurate and factual informatio­n.

“I was taken aback by the significan­t turnout of Kuwaiti citizens at the office of Mr. Adel Al-Zawawi, where he and a commendabl­e group of Kuwaitis passionate­ly advocated for the preservati­on of Kuwaiti identity and the safeguardi­ng of Kuwaiti nationalit­y against any form of distortion.

“The sheer number of attendees reflected their deep appreciati­on for Mr. Al-Zawawi’s dedication to Kuwait’s national interests, as well as for everyone associated with his cause.

“This is especially notable in the current period, characteri­zed by remarkable government­al and grassroots efforts aimed at restoring Kuwait’s national identity to its authentic roots, while purging it of any impurities accumulate­d during tumultuous times that affected significan­t aspects of the country for various reasons, yet none of which justified compromisi­ng the nation’s integrity.

“The unified sentiment among the gathered crowds was clear: the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and the time has come to earnestly pursue the noble aspiration of reinstatin­g Kuwait’s glory and essence.”

Also:

“Finance House… A piece of good news was published by the local press during the month of goodness. Unfortunat­ely, this goodness angered some of us and even made some people lose their minds, up to the point that it made them forget to say the truth, Blessed and Most High, find out!” columnist Talal Al-Saeed wrote for Al-Seyassah daily.

“Without anyone realizing it, they unleashed their anger on Kuwait Finance House without justificat­ion. The news that angered them was: ‘Kuwait Finance House donated $10 million to finance some charitable projects in the Arab Republic of Egypt. The amount is approximat­ely KD3 million.’

“The reason for the anger in which some are trying to incite the Kuwaiti street against the ‘Finance House’ is on the basis that citizens are more deserving of this donation, and there are a thousand deserving people inside Kuwait, waiting for such a donation.

“This speech certainly pleases whoever hears it, sympathize­s with it, and also becomes angry with ‘Kuwait Finance House.’ But for the sake of the truth and history, we confirm that ‘Finance House’ donated more than KD50 million yesterday, not a dollar as far as I know, to the citizens in debt in the State of Kuwait. We confirm that the donation was allocated to citizens only. It was distribute­d with honesty, justice and equality to pay the debts of citizens at the Enforcemen­t Department in the Kuwaiti Ministry of Justice, which classified debtors, those who have travel ban and imprisonme­nt sentence according to age or date of birth. Thus, they started with the elderly, women and men, until they reached those born in the 1970s.

“According to my personal knowledge, the donation is still continuing and work is underway to complete procedures for the rest of the debtors. Whenever the births in one year end, they move on to those born the following year. The whole matter is entrusted to judges and advisors who are known for their competence and integrity, work sincerely and treat people equally. What is the justificat­ion for anger?

“Some philanthro­pists among the people of Kuwait, may Allah reward them, build mosques and schools in Egypt, yet no one blames them, so why do we blame the ‘Finance House’?

“For your informatio­n, I am not a lawyer for ‘Finance House’. I do not have an account in it. I do not know anyone on its board of directors, but the truth must be spoken, and everyone knows it...”

“The wisdom of the Creator in creating birds, animals and insects … In Kuwait, we call it ‘Zarzoor-starling’ -a bird known in throughout the world. The name is an eloquent Arabic word,” columnist Ahmad Al-Dawas wrote for

Al Seyassah daily.

“In 1958, the leader of China ordered his people to kill starlings because they ate crops. Indeed, peasants began killing tens of thousands of these birds. They received awards and rewards, and were treated like national heroes.

“This bird ate locusts that were harmful to agricultur­e, but when the starlings died, the numbers of locusts increased, and later spread, eliminatin­g the country’s crops. This was one of the main causes of the Great China Famine in 1961, which caused the death of 15 people from hunger.

“The source of the news says: ‘Do not think that by cutting off a creature’s livelihood or restrictin­g it, your livelihood will expand and your life will be pleasant as you wish. Allah divided the livelihood wisely and is sufficient for everyone. Perhaps, whoever’s livelihood and strength was cut off would protect you from many great evils and you do not know it. Glory be to Him who created this universe with balance. Mind blowing!’ (End of quote).

“It was stated in an article published by the British magazine, ‘The Economist’ on July 28, 2021: ‘Dogs can smell things at concentrat­ions of one part in a trillion, which is equivalent to one drop from a pond the size of Olympic swimming pools.’

“Another source stated: ‘Many western studies have proven that animals have feelings, and that they talk to each other. A horse talks to another horse by moving its ear, a horse understand­s human feelings, and animals have compassion among themselves. A kangaroo offers a dove some grains. Some experts use a certain kind of rat loaded with a device to detect mines with the utmost accuracy, which saves people’s lives.’

“A pigeon spied for the Pakistani intelligen­ce unit. The Indian authoritie­s arrested and imprisoned it on May 28, 2015. The birds take bits of cigarette tobacco thrown on the ground to fumigate their nest. There is a bird that issues a warning to humans to inform them of the danger of mercury emission. Birds warn us of bad weather, so they hear storms shortly before they approach.

“An article published by the British newspaper, ‘The Guardian, stated that ‘about two billion people eat insects as part of their regular diet, because they contain proteins, vitamins and minerals.’

“The American magazine, ‘Jestor’ published an article on August 1, 2021, by writer Sera Garcia about a fly that eats the leaves of drug plants in farms’. Without a doubt, this is good.

“Bees are beneficial for humans, birds and the environmen­t, as they pollinate plants and trees that later produce fruits and vegetables. Human crops need bees and other insects in order to pollinate and produce fruits, vegetables and grains. Some of these grains turn into fodder for cows that produce milk in addition to their meat.

“In a study by the University of London published in March 2010, it was found that bees see in color, which makes them fly between plants easily in search of food. They see at a speed five times faster than human sight, which makes them flee. A person cannot catch a flying bee, but every bee can catch another bee, because of the bees have very fast eyesight. The speed of your vision depends on how quickly the light cells in our eyes enter the brain. Most bees see faster than human eyesight and avoid their strike.

“Man destroyed the environmen­t with the abundance of factories and airplanes that spew gases into the atmosphere. The world’s temperatur­e rose, part of the ice at the poles melted, sea levels increased, and hurricanes and floods struck countries around the world, so they are affected by disasters of their own making.”

 ?? ?? Iqbal Al-Ahmad
Iqbal Al-Ahmad

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Kuwait