Bu Khalid, listen to this story
Bu Khalid is Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khaled Al-Sabah, and Farid Behbehani is a Kuwaiti citizen, a relative and friend. I know him for 20 years, and also know that he is a peaceful citizen who does not have friction with anyone. Farid told me that he sent the family driver to the traffic department to renew the car’s registration, but he (the driver) returned home dejected, then following questioning, it was found that the officer in charge asked the driver to repair the windshield, which had a crack.
Farid said that one or two days later he went himself to find a young officer with a middle rank to explain to him what happened, but he still insisted on the same request. Farid said, “I became somewhat angry, and told the officer, ‘Repair the streets, then ask us to repair the windshields, because I will repair it today, then the gravel guns will spray and smash the windshield again’. Yet the officer insisted on his stand, and told me loudly that, “This is not my problem, the public works is responsible about the roads’ conditions - either you change the windshield or no renewal’.”
Of course, I did not mention that Farid is born in 1957, and through the explanation, it is clear that the officer is as young as Farid’s children, and the question arises: Is it natural for an officer to tell a citizen that the problem is in another ministry, as if the other ministry does not follow the government in which the officer is working, and if so, is it the responsibility of the citizen to correct the ministry? Then since when some of our uniformed men shout in the face of a citizen of the same age as their father?
Bu Khalid, I wish, your excellency, that you would issue a decision to stop asking for change of windshields until we know the right thing about the street gravel, because people have begun to tighten their belts according to the wishes of the wise government, and demanding the change of windshield is not logical, because the public works ministry received substandard roads.
Bu Khalid, I know how effective is your media apparatus, so I conclude by saying: Was the message received? Because I know this column will be at your excellency’s desk at 8:00 am.