GEOGRAPHICALLY, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are situated in a region of extreme temperatures. It is therefore crucial for these countries to work on developing their electricity and water sectors to prevent crises.
Unfortunately, Kuwait is the only exception, as its infrastructure has remained stagnant for decades.
In some GCC countries, projects related to electricity, water and services are initiated prior to building cities, as they have robust development visions.
On the other hand, in Kuwait, visions usually end up on shelves in order to avoid the headache of executing them.
We therefore have ministries with grand titles, like the Ministry of Electricity, Water, and Renewable Energy, that unfortunately fall short of their promises.
Despite their impressive titles, these ministries have been grappling with major crises since the 1960s and are facing numerous obstacles. The situation has reached such an extent that in 2024, we continue to see water tanks placed in front of the homes of many Kuwaitis.
As for renewable energy, it remains more of a "show-off" title. Projects are announced but rarely materialize. It is like waiting for a unicorn to appear.
If this is the start, we can only expect flimsy justifications for the failure to address the ongoing electricity and water crisis.
The failure of proposed solutions was revealed during this summer season. Despite this, the Council of Ministers and ministry officials persist with assurances that "All is well" - a phrase straight from the "Kuwait is different" playbook. This reflects the naive beliefs nested in a significant percentage of officials.
Indeed, only Kuwait and Lebanon face such severe electricity and water crises. While the reasons for Lebanon's failure are well-known, Kuwait lacks any justifications beyond sterile ideas, poor planning, and misplaced priorities, similar to the recent trend of ineffective and haphazard decisions.
Even the poorest countries worldwide have continuous electricity supply throughout the year, as they have robust plans for dealing with emergencies so that they can avoid relying on chance. Similarly, nations larger than Kuwait, in both area and population, do not face similar issues.
Electricity is not cut off in France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and even some Gulf countries because they have electricity production and distribution companies owned by their citizens for a long time.
We have repeatedly highlighted that successive ministerial councils had opportunities to involve private citizens in this sector through shareholding companies. However, driven by the slogan "Do not touch the citizens' pockets", which is a deceptive phrase that has hindered progress, these councils were reluctant to even consider the idea.
Today, the current council has the authority to launch such a project without facing previous obstacles.
When consumers have ownership stakes, they are motivated to maximize their profits. In contrast, if they rely on "government money", they will never be accused because of "the municipal bull is barren", and "don't concern yourself with money that is not in your pocket", which means the situation remains unchanged.
As a result, this crisis exacerbates the suffering of citizens and increases their daily losses.
We hope the Council of Ministers, from its highest officials to the lowest staff, will understand that every problem has a solution, but the key lies in learning from others.
Why is there such strict enforcement in collecting dues from citizens, but when electricity is cut off due to administrative failures, the justifications are flimsy? Why do you not learn from others who have been successful in this aspect?
Electricity and water services could be divided into multiple companies, with each one serving a different governorate, allowing for better oversight and management.
