Your Highness, rescue us, we’ve gone astray

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WE want to secure the future of our next generation. No one in Kuwait wants to see our future generation subjected to chance, political calculations or abandoned at the mercy of those who shout at the top of their voices and give preference to personal interests at the expense of the nation.

This is the reason why you are now the center of focus in the midst of the current financial crisis that is sweeping the world, including Kuwait.

People are waiting for another decision to rescue the country similar to historical decree which reformed the electoral process in the country and gave every citizen a fair chance to elect his/her representative in the Parliament through the one-man one-vote.

That put a stop to tribal and sectarian alliances, vote-buying and rescued the state institutions from the bondage of corrupt and injurious lawmakers.

Prior to the decree of one-man one-vote dark clouds appeared on the horizon, fear enveloped the citizens and they lived in fear every passing day, especially when a group of selfish lawmakers gambled with everything at their disposal without taking into account the harm they caused to the nation.

However, calm descended on the country with the one-man one-vote decree. This decree brought to an end the vicious political demonstrations and support from international organizations, whose objectives were suspicious.

The voices of the blasphemers, who have been hurling allegations from all directions to impede the development of the nation because the nation did not tow their line, disappeared into the unknown.

They dug their own graves and the people evicted them from the Abdullah Al-Salem Hall. Today they criticize the very same laws which were of their making in the former Parliaments.

They do this because now they have no representation on issues which are under the spotlight, which the Parliament is trying to approve. The approval is gained through legal means and not through ‘blackmail’ which was their hallmark.

Your Highness, there is no doubt some of the financial and economic impasses that we are currently experiencing are due to the legacy left behind by those parliamentary blocs in the form of laws that encourage lavishness and waste of national wealth in the bid to invest it on elections.

Although we had demanded several times before reforms on those shortcomings, it has now become necessary more than ever before. It should be done away from political calculations out of fear of losing seats.

We are not a special case in this world. The United States, for instance, has seen 44 presidents some of whom are remembered by history for taking critical decisions.

George Washington led his tattered country to independence in the 18th century, while Abraham Lincoln became a legend for abolishing slavery and ending racial injustice to protect unity.

As for Franklin D. Roosevelt who ruled for a relatively longer period in the history of the United States, took critical decisions not only to rescue the US from the Japanese hostility but also rescued the entire East Asia from Japanese invasion.

Harry Truman completed the victory, while Dwight D. Eisenhower rescued the Middle East from the devastating calamity when he ordered the withdrawal of the tripartite forces which were attacking Egypt.

Exactly the same way posterity has been fair to those US presidents due to their critical decisions, posterity will always be fair to those who have reached the milestone associated with the one vote system that rescued the country.

It came after 30 years of avoidable political intrigues, maneuvers and establishment of Monday and Tuesday Diwaniyas.

They were in public squares through weekdays where they issued uncivilized statements and allegations and turned the freedom of opinion and expression into the freedom of vulgarity.

This same terrorism exposed the position of Prime Minister to unfounded accusation as if the ministers live on Mars and not among the citizens of this country.

Even when the blasphemers had representatives in the Council of Ministers others were not at peace, because their objective has always been total control of everything in the country.

Your Diwan put everything in the right perspective during the oil workers’ protest and prevented the vested interests from exploiting the situation.

Today, we are faced with the economic reform and the strategic alternative that stands as a natural exit from the crisis. It is waiting for your resolute decision.

Saudi Arabia has laid down a clear vision for the future of its economy; the UAE has adopted critical decisions to resolve the crisis; and Bahrain and Qatar have followed the suit. The citizens of those countries have welcomed the decisions with pleasure.

In Kuwait, we are in a dire need of similar vision and decisions that will defy the political blackmail of the lawmakers who are competing for the highest possible number of seats at the expense of our commonwealth and future generations.

Your Highness, our dire need is for our state institutions and the government to be able to defend their decisions. Therefore, we are leaving everything in your hands looking forward for a decision that will delight us like the one-man one-vote decree.

By Ahmed Al-Jarallah

Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times

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