THE message of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to members of Parliament has put everyone in front of their historical obligation which cannot accommodate any selfish opinion or struggle to achieve temporary objectives at the expense of the supreme welfare of the nation.This especially applies to the highly sensitive situation of the region at present and its repercussions, regardless of its nature. Therefore, any future instability in parliamentary performance will somehow be caused by recklessness and lack of awareness of the requirements of this period.Everyone is aware that Kuwait cannot tolerate sectarian, creedal or tribal alignments, because of the social characteristic or political nature of the Kuwaiti community.HH the Amir’s warning in this regard was clear and frank; thus, the members of Parliament have no excuse for hiding, because “they need to be at the frontline and be the model for people who are pushing national unity forward, not discrimination and division.”This warning should be the guiding light for those who have been entrusted with the responsibility to represent the people in the legislative authority. The platform should not remain the captive of altercations and self-seeking. In fact, its elite should not have allowed it to slide to such level in the past.Undoubtedly, the confidence which Kuwait enjoys internationally and regionally in terms of its role as neutral mediator during crisis should be an encouragement for legislators and other elites to contribute positively in this aspect, especially if the crisis is within the Gulf States; considering Kuwait’s initiative to mediate was received and supported positively — both regionally and internationally.This mediation in Gulf affairs called for bridging the gap between its members, irrespective of difficulties experienced in the process. This is why adherence of the Parliament and populace to this initiative will further protect the country internally, while increasing its distance from tribal and sectarian alignments through external strength.Without a doubt, the members of Parliament need to scale up to the level of statesmanship the way HH the Amir requested them to be in his message. This does not happen by returning to the swamp of aggravation and malicious interpellation.Instead, it is achieved through productive and accountable legislative work in order to pave way for rectifying wrong practices, as well as stopping dependence on unjustified political aggravation which almost made the Parliament appear like representative of the people in Byzantium when fences around the city were knocked down while they were bickering about the gender of angels.Today, the ball is in the parliamentarians’ court. They should act in line with the confidence that the people have put on them, so they should work with the political leadership and executive authority in overlooking this period without any damage. Or the issue should be in accordance with what the majority wants and it is for HH the Amir to take the decision through his constitutional authority that will guarantee national stability, peace and security, in addition to decisions that will protect the future of this nation and its children.Will members of the Parliament rise to the occasion? We hope so, because the era of procrastination and opportunism is long gone. Today is not like yesterday despite the personal and narrow interests of some parliamentarians.By Ahmed Al-Jarallah - Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times