WE SAY it loud and clear that we welcome what has been suggested by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Mustafa Al-Shamali on the imposition of service fees to generate income from other sources apart from oil. We have no objection whatsoever for the simple reason the State has the right to take back its rights ... the rights confiscated by the National Assembly and the government due to the lack of seriousness to protect public funds. There is nothing wrong if the State decides to take back what rightfully belongs to it.

There are many countries in the world, including the GCC States, which a long time ago had decided to put a stop to squandering of public money by handing over the services sector to stock companies owned by citizens to get the burden off its back and to ensure justice is done to companies and consumers. This means, consumers would use water and electricity like other services in an ideal manner. Even our roads could be entrusted to joint stock companies, just like what was proposed by some companies regarding the Jaber Bridge, since attempts would be made to develop the areas surrounding the bridge and utilize it for several years before the government takes over its administration.

Yes, we have no problem to levying charges on services... we have no problem to doing away with subsidies on essential consumer goods — the goods, which everyone knows do not benefit the citizens because they are smuggled out of the country and sold in neighboring states, even macaroni which the former Minister Ahmad Baqer had included on the list of subsidized products, while the State continues to pay its cost.
There is no objection to all what we have listed above provided the State looks into the issue of ‘ghost’ employees who were created by parliamentarians for ‘election interests’. These employees never report to work and the government has closed an eye to this issue.

At the same time it is important to solve the major problem of the national manpower support program, which is a total failure. The only people who benefit from this program are the ones working to support it.
The same goes to salary hikes that were endorsed by the State due to intense pressure from the National Assembly. The aim behind the salary hikes is no secret. The MPs were rewarding voters for electing them into the Parliament. All these and many more fall under the ‘waste’ category — waste of public funds.
For instance, would it not be fair if the salaries of the ghost employees were to be distributed to their colleagues who work hard in ministries? How a person who works hard is considered equal with the one who does not? Isn’t this inequity?

Should the State not take care of all this before putting the burden of taxes and fees (which we say is the right of the State to take back what rightfully belongs to it)? The Minister of Finance must treat the debtors fairly who are victims of mistakes committed by the government, the Central Bank of Kuwait and the commercial banks. These people are implicated in the debt issue because the state has abandoned them.
There are those who took the loans for the purpose of treatment abroad. The reason the loans were taken because they were not close to the MPs or ministers or even undersecretaries.
On the other hand, there are those who took loans for leisure or to buying cars... Are these the ones who are encouraging the Minister of Finance not to write off interests on loans?

This is a pressing issue which needs wise consideration and not how it is being handled at the moment because equality and justice means the State realizes the mistake which was premeditatedly committed. It also means the importance of solving the issue must be realized in such a manner that it does not involve the citizens, the State and their leader in a dispute. Won’t it be just on the part of the State if it solves this problem similar to how it caved in to the pressures put by the MPs and ended up showering the people with election gifts either in the form of employment, cadre, increment or grants?

The government should be fair and gentle to debtors who are treated unjustly, those whose predicament is considered a national disaster. The State is constitutionally obliged to protect and support the citizens and salvage them from this disaster. Don’t hit the citizens on the stomach if you cannot protect their backs. Treat all equal and get rid of the mess created by the former Parliament — the ugly divisions between citizens — the price of which is paid by the State to this day.

Yes indeed, we welcome what has been suggested by the Minister of Finance but before that let the government work on the principle of ‘have mercy on those on earth to be blessed by the One who is above’.
Perhaps, the State can be spared of spending more than KD 6 billion on ghost employees and supporters of the MPs of the disgraced 2012 Assembly, the violators of the law, provokers, and of course, the ‘macaroni of Ahmed Baqer’.
 

By Ahmed Al-Jarallah - Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times