“FOR us it will make no difference as to who will become the prime minister of Iraq — the incumbent Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki or the former prime minister Iyad Allawi,” columnist Dr Humoud Al-Hattab wrote for Al-Seyassah daily Wednesday.

“The Gulf states support Iyad Allawi, not for anything else but because they hope his appointment as prime minister will give Iraq some kind of sectarian balance and shun the notorious sectarianism because sectarianism does not only pose a risk for Iraq but the entire region.

“As a matter of fact, Allawi is one of the ‘students’ of Saddam Hussein. In other words, Allawi believes in occupying and annexing neighboring states to Iraq (if he wins power in Iraq) may be he will follow in the footsteps of the former Iraqi president AbduKarim Qassem who once claimed that Kuwait should be annexed to Iraq.

“Likewise, we care less if the new Iraqi government which is expected to be formed soon comprises of Kurds, Turks, Armenians, Christians or even Iraqi Jews, because Kuwait which has suffered at the hands of its neighbors, be they Iraqis or Iranians, wants to see the Iraqis waking up gradually from their chronic slumber and face the reality about their present and future through a balanced and moral vision.

“In other words, the Iraqis must review their affairs comprehensively from all angles away from the logic which says the balance is guaranteed by virtue of the presence of a superpower in the region that has undertaken to impose ‘temporary’ security in this part of the world - the security which is shallow and bound to vanish with the blink of an eye should any crisis arise.

“Needless to say that Iraq at the moment is passing through the most dangerous phase in its history. Such being the case, Iraq will either exploit the appropriate opportunity and adopt a wise political policy on both the internal and external fronts or continue in its current state of turmoil which it has been witnessing over the years at the hands of consecutive dictatorial regimes which were either branded backward, criminal, revolutionist or notoriously sectarian.

“The Arab Gulf states which Iraq is partially overlooking some of them, at the moment enjoy a paramount significance in terms of stability in the face of the current political, religious and economic conflicts in the region. “In other words, this rich oil region is closely monitoring the happenings in Iraq. Hence, Iraq must grab the opportunity with both hands before it is too late.”

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“The United States of America is pressing forward with the idea to resume the peace negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis,” columnist Sultan Al-Khalaf wrote for Al-Anba daily Wednesday. “The Arab governments are towing the US line provided the two parties agree to get involved in indirect negotiations. “However, the prospective negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis will not be the first of its kind to be held between the two parties, particularly since we know these negotiations began for the first time during the term of the American president Jimmy Carter.

“In other words, the negotiations had their ups and downs several times because these negotiations depend on the nature of the US administration and the nature of the structure of the government in Israel. However, the common factor is that the negotiations have so far failed to achieve the targeted results. “In the wake of President Barrack Obama coming to the White House, he visited the Egyptian capital, Cairo and in his long speech expressed his respect for Islam and Muslims.

“He also emphasized his belief in the establishment of two independent states in Palestine — one for the Palestinians and the other for Jews. He also hinted this solution will bring to an end the current struggle in this part of the world. “In this context, we must bear in mind that Obama’s visit to Cairo was aimed at eradicating the bad impression which was created by his predecessor throughout the world during the administration’s fight against terrorism.

“In spite of the above, reality shows Obama’s administration so far has been impractical when it came to translating the proposal into action - the establishment of two states in Palestine.
“To the contrary the situation in Palestine has gone from bad to worse particularly since we know Israel at the moment is ruled by an extremist and aggressive government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu who was recently quoted as saying he is not concerned about the peace process with the Palestinians. Not just that, he has revealed his government plans to build 1,600 housing units for Jews in East Jerusalem.”

“I have not gone through the report on the development of Kuwait which has been prepared by the former British prime minister Tony Blair. However, we still appreciate the role played by his country and the Allied troops to liberate Kuwait from Saddam Hussein’s invaders,” prominent Kuwaiti columnist and attorney Mohammad Musaed Al-Saleh wrote for Al-Qabas daily Wednesday.
“But based on the statement issued by the Minister of the Amiri Diwan Affairs the government has received Blair’s report under the title ‘A Vision on Kuwait in 2035’.
“As a matter of fact, Blair and his team have produced a blanket report in which they have referred to the challenges that Kuwait will face and the reforms to be introduced to deal with the situation.

“Blair has highlighted the structural problems currently facing Kuwait and how to ameliorate the investment environment in the country and evolve the country’s infrastructures. Likewise, Blair has also focused on the necessity to support the new generation and upgrading the country’s educational system.
“Needless to say this is a good and upbeat futuristic vision because the ‘generation of 2035’ will see the plan being translated into a reality, at a time when we will called the former generation in 2035.
“We hope Blair’s plan will be soundly implemented away from our pessimism and this means Blair during the implementation of his plan must hasten to seek the help of the generation of 2035.
“Not just that, he can seek the help of the British youth both male and female to persuade them to live in Kuwait to study his plan and transform Kuwait into one of the British cities or islands just like Brighton.
“In the meantime, we hope Blair will not forget to name one of the Kuwaiti streets after our generation. Likewise, it would be good for us to name one of our major streets after Tony Blair,” the writer said sarcastically.

“The Government of Kuwait has officially received the so-called plan or report that has been prepared by the former British prime minister Tony Blair and his team titled ‘A vision on Kuwait in 2035’,” columnist Mutlaq Al-Ajmi wrote for Awan daily Wednesday.
“The Minister of the Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmed met with the Editors-in-Chief of the local newspapers at the Bayan Palace to discuss the plan.
“However, during the meeting the Minister was quoted as saying the report represents the vision of HH the Amir to transform Kuwait into a commercial and financial hub. On the other hand, Sheikh Nasser described the report as blanket, hinting the report obviously refers to the challenges and the reforms needed to deal with the same.

“Speaking of the report, Tony Blair said the report concentrates on three angles — infrastructure, the role of the private sector and the social dimension which handles the educational, health and cultural issues.
“Speaking on the occasion Blair said, ‘It is not important to know what we want for the Kuwaitis because they know what they want, but the most significant question is: How to achieve what Kuwaitis want.
“For his part, the Deputy Premier for Economic Affairs Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahd has called for redirecting the homeland to serve the citizens. He also praised the ideas contained in Blair’s report. Meanwhile, Sheikh Ahmed referred to the executive measures that have been adopted since the issuance of the country’s New Development Plan which was endorsed recently by the National Assembly.”

“The government of Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al- Sabah has taken clear steps toward development and reform simultaneously,” Hassan Mohammad Al-Ansari wrote for Al-Dar daily.
“I see the wheel of reform in the hands of Sheikh Nasser, while his deputy Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad is saddled with the wheel of development. On the contrary, I have not seen any reasonable achievement on the part of the lawmakers, who simply waste time on grilling proposals, which are generally anchored in unconvincing viewpoints, lacking political consideration in content.
“This is exactly the trend of the grilling proposal MP Ali Al-Deqbasi submitted against the Information Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah. Honestly, the angles of the grilling are not worth discussing, and it is unfortunate some lawmakers are still involved with it. Their persistence in that regard could be attributable to the loss of focus and reality. They defy societal knowledge with the concept of the law being above everybody.”

“The recent grilling of Information and Oil Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah definitely left an indelible mark in the history of Kuwait as it is the most bizarre interpellation in the National Assembly,” Abdulrahman Al-Awad wrote for Al-Horriya daily.
“Actually, it was just a quiz not an inquest, since the grilling request was submitted against the minister following the violations committed by Al-Sour TV Channel, which belongs to Mohammed Al-Jowaihal. The airing of a program deemed to have violated the country’s traditions roused the ire of certain parties.
“The strangest aspect of the grilling is the absence of Al-Jowaihal, considering his involvement in the main issue highlighted in the interpellation request. Those who called for the inquest focused on the violations of the television channel; hence, people expected the presence of Al-Jowaihal but he opted to stay out of the limelight.”

“MP Ali Al-Deqbasi acted rightly, while he presented the grilling request in a marvelous manner. He has thus cleared himself by fulfilling the promise, and realized the majority of his objectives. He finally came out with a bright face,” Mubarak Fahad Al-Duwailah wrote for Arrouiah daily.
“The minister was in his usual polite manner. Why not? Considering he is from a noble family, whereby his ancestors are known for the best mannerisms? And, regardless of winning or losing, democracy was the winner on the grilling day. All of us, the government and Parliament, exemplified the best democratic practice and respect for others opinions.
“Ali Al-Deqbasi has become a role model for oversight functions in the Parliament, in the course of exhibiting the right attitude and politeness. For this, I am really proud to be his close associate, being a worthy representative of my constituency in the National Assembly.
“We had long lost the right attitude to discussions, and cool temper in argument, so Al-Deqbasi will definitely affect his colleagues in the Popular Labor Bloc positively and change their ways of discussion.”

“A grilling request is presented every time a minister or senior government official suspends the processing of an important transaction.  When a minister becomes honest and applies the law objectively, he becomes undesirable,” Mohammad Al-Mulla wrote for Al-Shahid daily.
“This honesty encourages some parties to launch scathing attacks against the concerned minister to push for his ouster.  We then witness mounting political pressure against the minister through the media. The lawmakers usually complete the character assassination procedure through the submission of a grilling request, so they can insult the minister at the Parliament.
“We have yet to witness the grilling of a tribal minister.  I challenge MP Musallam Al-Barrak or any other lawmaker to grill the minister of social affairs and labor over the violations mentioned in the Audit Bureau report.
“Tribal ministers should not worry because the MPs have no intention to grill them.  I also assure the ministers who have obtained the full support of tycoons that they are safe from any grilling threat.  Interpellation requests are submitted only against the sheikhs and urban ministers who have not won the support of tycoons.”

“The hero during the parliamentary session Tuesday was Information and Oil Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Sabah as he bravely went up the grilling podium to refute the allegations against him despite the fact that many people have raised doubts on his performance,” Hassan Al-Mahaimzi wrote for Al-Sabah daily.
“The minister reaffirmed his commitment to protect national unity.  He argued the Al-Sabah family has been keen on strengthening national unity since they started ruling the country 300 years ago.
“Sheikh Abdullah explained he referred a number of satellite television channels to the Public Prosecution for violating the Audio-Visual Law.  He provided adequate answers to all the queries and cleared all the ambiguities.
“However, the tension-provoking lawmakers refused to listen to the language of logic as they pressed ahead with their plan to collect signatures for the no-confidence motion slated for March 25.  This clearly indicates that the proponents of the motion are keen on escalating tension, instead of dealing with the issue rationally.”

“At the beginning, grilling was considered one of the fundamentals of the democracy, and a pillar of the political process,” Dr Ghanim Al-Najar wrote for Al-Jareeda daily. “I have always supported grilling, whether founded on logical or illogical grounds, and any restraints to the freedom of the lawmakers in submitting grilling proposals will be judged a restriction to the freedom of expression. “Politics, as we know and understand, is a reflection of the conflicts in society, while democracy is a mere curtailment of societal conflicts in a civilized manner to pave the way for the legislature to monitor the executive authority.”

— Compiled by Zaki Taleb