Governments’ programs … false promises

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IT is unreasonable, or rather arrogant, for someone not to recognize the reality of the crisis that the country continues to endure. Whoever tries to belittle it is either blind and does not see things as they really are, or is a real criminal who does not want the best for this country, and seeks to prescribe the wrong treatment in order to exacerbate the disease.

To be frank, what we are experiencing today did not come out of the blue. It is a custom established by successive governments that present exemplary work programs filled with promises of all shapes and colors, but after they are read in a session of obtaining confidence in the National Assembly, they are forgotten; infact, no one in the Council of Ministers is assigned to implement it or even remember its content.

The parliament also is not in any better position, as the MPs see in these programs opening statements and the necessity of what is not necessary, due to which they do not oblige the government to implement even a small part of them.

The last four governments were not different from those that preceded them. Instead of confronting and working on implementing the least item in its program, which is “Sustainable social security despite challenges”, the last government, which has no reform promise left to cram into its program, decided to take the simplest way out, which is to resign in order to avoid parliamentary accountability.

Instead of working to improve Kuwait’s credit rating, the negative evaluation increased because it did not implement its promise to promote economic growth and financial sustainability, and instead increased the problems.

For example, one of the constants of successive governments since 1962 until today is a solution to the Bedoun issue, and the naturalization of those who deserve it. However, the pressure on this category kept increasing until their cause has today become a dilemma that increases the country’s international political embarrassment.

These governments shouldn’t have made any promises, and should have frankly declared to the Kuwaitis from the beginning that they were unable to implement them. It should not have pledged to grant bonuses to the COVID-19 front-liners or argue that there is not enough liquidity to cover the retirement grant.

The governments shouldn’t have resorted to buying the loyalties of MPs by increasing restrictions on Kuwaitis, preventing innocent parties, and participating in the farce of banning a TV series that was not produced in Kuwait and preventing it from showing on local channels. Despite that, it issues threatening statements, promising woe and failure, just because it tried to woo an MP.

All this has become a real crisis for the executive authority that is not exercising its powers. Its president wants to continue in his position even if it happens by disrupting the country. He is the one who built a wall against himself by abandoning his role, being indecisive and fleeing from confrontation.

While people are screaming loudly from the pain caused by the crisis, it is met with silence at all levels. Also, several ruling family members are reluctant to go through the experience of the presidency of the Council of Ministers, fearing that it would turn into fuel in the National Assembly incineration in which its MPs are the decision-makers due to the inability of the executive authority.

Undoubtedly, this matter needs to be resolved quickly, as the local, regional and international economic and political circumstances do not allow the luxury of maliciousness or the fear of undertaking treatment, even if it is cauterization, like the Arabic proverbs – “Better to endure an hour of pain than a lifetime of pain”.

By Ahmed Al-Jarallah

Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times

This news has been read 14695 times!