Historical reality of Kuwait

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A friend, who previously held several important and sensitive positions, before he chose to stay away from the scene, and is a good follower of what I write, says that historically Kuwait did not grow and rise during the past three centuries except because of its geographical location between Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq, in addition to its relative proximity to the Levant, India and Africa.

Had the “merchant”, not taken the initiative at all stages, taken advantage of these circumstances and played national role, Kuwait would not have become that important then, that is, before oil was discovered, without this role of merchants, in addition to the wisdom of leadership Kuwait would stand no chance.

Kuwait would not have acquired, with time, great importance in its surroundings and become an active commercial center distinguished from the rest of the neighboring countries, and all this is thanks to the first pioneers who immigrated from Najd and the cities of the Arabian Peninsula, and the mainland of Persia and its cities near the coast and from Iraq and others.

The merchants of Kuwait, as they were known, as evident from writings of Arab and foreign travelers, were creative and risked their effort and money, and sometimes their lives, on land and sea trips, and contributed to the development of the country’s economy, which was very primitive.

They were able not only to provide various job opportunities to large numbers of the population, but also to make their work almost the only source of income for the government in the form of customs duties.

They also played a vital role in the art of shipbuilding and ownership for the purpose of trading and transportation of goods, including dates from Basra and various other materials from the ports and cities of the countries of the region, India, Pakistan and the coasts of Africa, and thanks to them, Kuwait became an attractive area for work, as happened with many Western countries, with a great difference in importance and size.

In addition, the Kuwaiti commercial offices in India and Iraq, some of the Gulf countries, and the cities of Southeast Asia, Aden and Somalia would not have worked and flourished, and served its main center in Kuwait, and constituted a great national source of income for its workers, had it not been for these merchants whose activities coincided with the existence of a system of government that knew the importance of their role, so supported them politically, and sometimes even militarily, to ensure the continuation of their unique economic activity which eventually led to the distinction of Kuwait with its location and its men until oil was discovered after the end of World War II, to take its place.

In short, Kuwait would not have emerged with that singularity had it not been for the commercial activity of its people, with a leadership that provided a stimulating and supportive environment!

All of this means the correctness of what was previously reported by Mr. Mohammad Al-Saqr, head of the Chamber of Commerce, and which sparked some protests, at least from a historical point of view. No party can ever underestimate the value of what this group has provided for its homeland, and this does not mean that we underestimate the rights of the rest of the nation’s members, and their struggle in establishing and defending the state, but mostly, many of them would not have had an actual existence without that distinguished commercial activity of the state’s merchants.

What applies to Kuwait applies to any public or private company. Every employee, even the porter is of paramount importance, and it is not possible to complete the work without them, but the common factor which would not have achieved much without him, is the merchant, or the maestro.

Therefore, it is sad to hear dissonant voices coming out of the mouths of haters or ignorant people who always complain about the control of trade over the state, and I do not know what the merchants should do to satisfy them.

They are the ones who ventured with their money and founded the first airline, the first bank, and the first insurance company to make the rosary grow and include all aspects of life, so did they expect them to sit in their homes to satisfy them?

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By Ahmad alsarraf

This news has been read 13810 times!