Any chance to get out of the dilemma?
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IS there a chance to get out of the economic and social dilemma that was imposed on us because of either alignment or conflict of interests between opportunistic political forces that took religion as a cloak for them to achieve their goals, and the influential people in power who benefited from the abnormal situation until Kuwait reached this dangerous slide?
The answer is yes, provided there is a supreme will to remedy all the accumulated negatives, starting with the restrictions imposed on people, in line with the viewpoints of Islamist groups, through laws that contradict religion, tradition and culture of the Kuwaiti society, which is based on openness and acceptance of the other.
These laws involved silencing women, prohibiting co-education system in place of the current system, which incurs the public budget millions of dinars annually, and the absence of an economic strategy, which is boosted by the phenomenon of official bodies being controlled by those who seek to monopolize everything in the country, even the air, in the absence of oversight and supreme follow-up.
There is no doubt that any trend towards development is based on the decision of the leaders of a country – any country – especially if they sense the presence of an economic malaise that involves irresponsible practices by the concerned authorities, or because people’s minds are being tampered with by harnessing some forces and all available tools to direct the society in one way.
This is what led to the closure of the country to the whole world until it became a laughing matter, especially in the issue of preventing the co-education system.
Here we are not talking about the complex and failed measures to confront the COVID-19 pandemic. We are talking about an approach that has been ongoing for forty years, while Kuwait prevents the issuance of visas except under difficult conditions.
This is happening at a time when the European Union is issuing a single visa that allows roaming in several countries. Now citizens of some countries are allowed to enter without a visa, as is the case with the Saudis and Emiratis. They are now allowed to roam the European Union without a visa for about 90 days as long as the visitor can spend on himself and has a return ticket to his country.
Unfortunately, the Kuwaiti “Garden of Eden”, which is firmly established in the minds of some, is almost an economic hell because of the political shortsightedness in development. In university education, the Gulf countries have become a destination for students from abroad, but in Kuwait, it is limited to those within its borders only despite the presence of many private universities.
The health sector, which can easily transform into an additional source of national income through its privatization and the imposition of health insurance on everyone, is not better off, despite the fact that the state spends on this sector almost equal to the budgets of developing countries.
For its development, modern and luxurious buildings are not sufficient, but rather the need of a conscious and capable management, which will only happen through the private sector.
There are those who will say that expatriates use the infrastructure, and benefit from its cheapness, and that opening the country will burden the public services. However, the truth is that the wastage of water, electricity and other services happens through their free use by citizens. Fees can be imposed on road users, as is the case in the whole world.
Frankly, if you are afraid of spending on development and skimp on visitors to the country and expatriates, they will not skimp on spending if they have the opportunity to settle and feel safe. Also, any visitor will spend on accommodation, and may have the opportunity to participate in a project that benefits the country and its people.
However, in light of this absurd closure, what Kuwait will face in the near future will be difficult. At that time, no justifications or arguments will work.
Therefore, a developmental decision must be implemented by the country’s leaders to stop the absurdity that Kuwait is suffering from.
By Ahmed Al-Jarallah
Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times
This news has been read 14442 times!
