Unemployment is increasing and government is watching!
“IT CANNOT be denied that the employment file in Kuwait has become burdensome for the state. The flabby administrative apparatus, which has not been able to develop itself over the past decades, has received more employees than it can handle, to the point of creating the phenomenon of disguised unemployment. However, today we are facing an alarming situation of real unemployment that threatens our children,” columnist Asrar Johar Hayat wrote for Al-Qabas daily.
“While I consistently advocate for diversifying job opportunities beyond the government sector, emphasizing the need for specialized skills, recent realities force a sobering recognition. The government’s inability to stimulate private sector interest among the youth and its cessation of support for initiatives over the past five years has created a stark scenario.
“Presently, young individuals find themselves with limited options, often resorting to the centralized Civil Service Bureau for employment, only to be met with overwhelming competition. Reports from Al-Rai newspaper highlight around 13,000 citizens awaiting Civil Service Commission employment, a number likely to swell as the academic year concludes and more graduates enter the job market.
“This dilemma underscores a systemic issue. The government, constrained by altered appointment procedures and budgetary limitations, cannot absorb the influx of job seekers. Furthermore, long-standing failures in aligning university admission strategies with market demands have led to a surplus of graduates in fields without corresponding job opportunities.
“Consequently, there’s an imbalance. While we still require foreign expertise in certain sectors like healthcare, mismanagement in university admissions and employment coordination pushes our youth towards obsolete fields, exacerbating unemployment.
“The remedy lies in strategic alignment -- steering young talent towards areas of genuine demand. This not only shields them from unemployment but also advances Kuwaitization objectives, leveraging national talent. The urgency of this situation cannot be overstated; 13,000 unemployed individuals demand immediate attention.
“If the government cannot provide alternatives to public sector employment, it must ensure fair access to those positions. Every Kuwaiti has the right to government employment, and it’s incumbent upon the authorities to address this pressing issue, holding those responsible for this crisis to account.”
Also:
“Is what is currently happening in Kuwait cause for optimism or pessimism? Does the state of political instability that we are going through call us to look at tomorrow for a bright future or with sadness in our eyes?” columnist
Iqbal Al-Ahmad wrote for Al-Qabas daily.
“Does the state of hesitation in assuming very important positions which has a great influence on the nature of the next stage, lead us to happiness or constant anxiety?
“I do not know the real reason for the former Prime Minister, Dr. Sheikh Muhammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah’s apology for forming the current ministry or accepting the position of Prime Minister, and I am not in a position to delve into what has been going on and around this issue, but what I can say is that the amount of optimism and the amount of happiness that overwhelmed after announcing him as Prime Minister, the Kuwaiti people’s confidence in his qualities as a leader at this stage made us apply the brakes on this happiness suddenly and very quickly, which resulted in a backlash in the standstill event.
“The oscillation between optimism and pessimism is understandable in the face of the political instability gripping our nation. This prolonged period of uncertainty has left us teetering on the edge of stagnation, even regression.
“Enough dwelling in pessimism; it’s time to confront the reality of our situation.
“The vacuum in leadership positions has halted numerous vital projects, exacerbating our paralysis. The anxiety pervading our society now borders on fear, especially as we face potential disruptions in essential services due to administrative lapses.
“Consider the imminent threat of an electricity crisis as summer approaches. The failure to establish new power stations, coupled with administrative delays, paints a grim picture of what lies ahead. Such challenges cast doubt on our present circumstances and raise questions about the duration of this impasse.
“What the Kuwaiti people yearn for above all is political stability – an end to the anxiety and confusion clouding our collective outlook. We crave a revitalizing force to breathe life back into our nation, propelling us towards a brighter future.
“Optimism must not wane, for it is our lifeline amidst uncertainty. Yet, optimism alone is not enough. We demand tangible evidence of progress. As a people deserving of development and prosperity, we must prioritize the restoration of political stability by any means necessary.
“The path ahead may be arduous, but it is not insurmountable. Let us unite in our resolve to overcome the obstacles hindering our progress, for the Kuwaiti people are resilient, and together, we shall prevail.”
“I liked a message I received commenting on our topic that said: “Wasting more time is no longer acceptable.”
“The role of governors in development… In my previous article entitled, ‘Governors, Mukhtars and Cooperative Societies’, I called for activating the role of governors in supervising and following up the work of ‘mukhtars’, and for the cooperatives to be involved in serving the governorate in terms of developing it under the direct supervision of the governor through a board of directors tasked to monitor the work in the governorate,” columnist Major General M. Faisal Al-Jazzaf wrote for
Al-Seyassah daily.
“Today, after the appointment of new governors, first, we congratulate them for gaining the trust of His Highness the Amir, may Allah protect him. Secondly, we are hoping for a change in the previous approach, by granting them broader powers to support the government path, and seeking competition between the governorates in terms of addressing the needs of their residents.
“I believe this step is required for them to bear the societal responsibility to assist the Council of Ministers in its work, and also to activate the role of cooperative societies in granting financial and other forms of support. This could be done by allocating the profits of cooperatives for the services in the governorates to ease the financial burden of the State, and to have effective participation in community work as stipulated in the Cooperative Societies Law.
“This is my point of view, that is, if we want to change the role assigned to governors to enable them to perform their work through powers that help them provide everything for the renaissance of the governorate in all fields, including the development of services. Thus, the role of the governor is as important as the community services he can provide like supervising and monitoring. He shall be an agent of the government apparatus.
“We ask Allah to protect Kuwait and its people from all harm under the leadership of His Highness the Amir, may Allah protect him. May Allah have mercy on our righteous martyrs.”
“Ibrahim Al-Youssef passed away… Every soul will taste death. This is the year of life. Whoever lives dies, and everyone who lives perishes. This we receive, and the other we bid farewell,” columnist Talal Al-Saeed wrote for
Al-Seyassah daily. “Recently, our dear friend, the virtuous person, the one with a big heart and a thankful tongue, the great writer, poet and storyteller, the great journalist and presenter of the ‘From the Desert’ program on Riyadh Radio in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia -- Ibrahim Al Yousef -- passed away from our world.
“The warm and compassionate voice, which was full of love, was extremely keen on preserving the popular heritage of the Arabian Peninsula by memorizing, narrating, researching and examining it. He did not offer anything he was not convinced of. He exerted tremendous efforts to study, research and scrutinize it. He memorized heritage, and narrated stories and poems from the oldest to the latest. No one else could have done so.
“He was a great symbol of popular literature in the Arabian Peninsula. His novels were cited. He set an example in diligence. No researcher would have searched after him, and no one would disagree on his narration.
“I had known Ibrahim Al-Youssef for a long time -- more than four decades. I knew him when he was working on the same program with the late Sheikh Mandil Al-Fahid, may Allah have mercy on him.
“Sheikh Mandil was the greatest, most knowledgeable and most truthful narrator in the entire Arabian Peninsula without a rival. He was considered a walking encyclopedia from which everyone had benefited. Nevertheless, his departure did not leave a void in the presence of his creative successor, Ibrahim Al-Youssef, who moved this important program to broader horizons. The personality of the creator, Ibrahim Al-Youssef, was reflected in the program with its new look. The listeners’ attachment to the ancient Riyadh Radio grew through the warm voice flowing with love.
“Ibrahim Al-Yousef, may Allah forgive him, had the best knowledge. He was religious and a prayerful person, with religion and piety that made him keep the Almighty Creator in mind in every word he said. He feared God, shunned injustice, did not attribute poetry to anyone other than his family, and avoided everything that excites people. He was tolerant, loving and loved by everyone. He was generous in his home and was happy with guests. He was generous in all aspects of his life, not just in the media field, but his media personality overshadowed the other bright aspects of his life.
“My sincere condolences and sympathy to the media family at Radio Riyadh, and to his family that has the right to be proud of the late great personality. I console myself as a dear friend who passed away. I had the honor to be his colleague. It was a wonderful fellowship. We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return!”