THE situation today has changed compared to what it was in the past. The political deals and parliamentary interests no longer control the state institutions. Therefore, if we want reform, we must acknowledge the defects and work on dealing with them.
Among these defects is the significant decline in the Kuwaiti diplomatic missions worldwide. Many of these missions have ceased to serve any purpose beyond maintaining their historical roles since the establishment of the state 62 years ago.
We understand that a large country with multiple interests has embassies and consulates in all countries of the world, but why does a small country like Kuwait have about 129 embassies, consulates and missions abroad? Many of them serve primarily protocol functions and nothing more. Furthermore, why are there resident missions in countries where Kuwait already has embassies?
In many countries, there exists the concept of an “honorary consul” who carries out certain duties on behalf of their country without the need for an embassy, an embassy building, a residence for the ambassador, and rented accommodations for the consuls and their employees.
The budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs amounts to about USD 900 million. Prior to last year, it was KD 235,357,000.
If representations and embassies were rationalized, such as appointing non-resident ambassadors to oversee multiple countries, a practice common in many countries that seek effective representation without straining their budgets, significant savings could be achieved for the state.
Indeed, wasteful spending is not limited to embassies and missions but extends to other ministries as well, where irresponsible expenditure is prevalent. However, when the Minister of Finance addresses longstanding deficits and forecasts future ones, it becomes imperative to scrutinize all aspects of spending and curb waste effectively.
If the state had allocated half of the budgets of ministries like Foreign Affairs, Communications, Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, as well as another ministry of “disguised employment”, it could have funded projects like the metro project that would provide substantial savings for the public, similar to what has been achieved in the UAE.
Moreover, if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recalls 31 ambassadors to headquarters at once, how will they be utilized? Will they be retained there, spending their time drinking tea and coffee? How will the state benefit from them?
In the past, the fever of quotas for appointments controlled the joints of institutions when parliamentarians and influential people sought to obtain benefits by buying loyalties at the expense of public money.
However, in this new phase of Kuwait seeking a bright future, thanks to the efforts of His Highness the Amir, all these institutions must be reviewed, especially those that cost a lot of money and are of no use.
Therefore, when we highlight deficiencies in any institution or ministry, it is because we realize the importance of rationalizing spending on one hand and allocating any surplus to development projects on the other. This is crucial, especially considering the potential influence of former influential parliamentarians that may still prevail over certain ministries, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - which needs restructuring - particularly in light of the considerable number of former and current ambassadors whose costs are covered by public finances.
The foundation of success is management, and behind it are distinguished human elements and competencies that realize the importance of sound management, good planning, quality, and time management.
By Ahmed Al-Jarallah
Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times
