His Highness the Crown Prince: A strong country cannot be intimidated by a tweet

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WITH the spark of the information revolution at the beginning of this century, many rulers thought they could curb it through retrograded laws.

Political regimes and forces were under the illusion of believing in their ability to control the media.

However, as the information revolution blossomed, those regimes realized they were tying a rope around their necks through these laws.

For instance, the Cybercrime law, which is currently in force in Kuwait, is one of the worst legislations that was designed to be a tool for the state to retrogress.

Proceeding from this fact, we address His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Ahmad, and His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmed Al-Nawaf with the following most sincere words.

The press and social media are the mirror of society. Most of what is published by it calls for follow-up. What is useful must be taken from it, and what is rubbish must be thrown away.

That being said, the argument should not be to violate the ill-reputed law, which is in fact in violation of the constitution and more than 15 other laws.

It is true that there are ignorant people who insult and defame people’s honor. They are the ones whose punishment is determined by the Penal Code if their identity is known.

If you look at what is published in the press and social media, you will find a lot of honesty, especially in what was published during the past crisis between the legislative and executive authorities. It was the most important topic that His Highness the Amir addressed in his speech, which was delivered by His Highness the Crown Prince. There was a great resentment that surrounded His Highness’ speech in this regard.

At that time, every parliamentarian appeared as if he was the Amir of the State of Kuwait, crawling over the powers of the executive authority fully or partially, while the latter was experiencing hesitation and confusion. This angered the majority of citizens who found only those means to express their discontent, and expose corruption and its components and elements, and those who spread it in the country. However, this was met with a lot of disregard.

Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Prime Minister, just as the Kuwaitis happily welcomed your recent reform steps, and expressed them through posts on Twitter and publications in the press and social media, you must see the other side of this, which is constructive criticism, advice, and documents published by some, and work on studying them and benefiting from them.

In all countries of the world, even in those run by dictatorships, the leaders are keen to follow up everything that is published in social media platforms in order to amend their course.

In this regard, it is not the task of the security services in any country that respects its constitution and law to follow up on what people do in their daily lives, and to monitor Twitter posts in order to refer the admins of those accounts to the Public Prosecution. The national security of the state is concerned with monitoring the general conditions, both internally and externally, and writing daily reports, including recommendations for state leaders.

Their task is not the surveillance of those who travel abroad, go to a nightclub, or drink wine in their apartments and homes. They are not supposed to agree with building caretakers to spy on their residents.

A country that trembles from a Twitter post or an article, and looks at everything that is published in the media as a threat to it, is a weak, fragile state that brings about its own misfortune.

As for those who deal with everything that is published with great national responsibility, they are the firm and strong leaders who are capable of progress and reform.

Therefore, in the midst of the reform movement that is beginning to dawn on the country, it is very important to get out of the tunnel of the Cybercrime law and head into the space of freedom, which has been constitutionally guaranteed and popularly established since the existence of Kuwait four hundred years ago.

O Your Highness the Crown Prince, kindly contemplate on these lines, and believe me when I say I am just an advisor.

By Ahmed Al-Jarallah

Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times

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