FROM the time of the liberation of Kuwait until today, 29 governments have been formed, and 19 of them were formed in just the last two decades.

This is not an indication of the wellness of the country. Rather, it suggests a major problem in terms of the lack of a serious vision for tackling the files between the National Assembly and successive governments. The testimony to that is the parliamentary encroachment on the powers of ministers and their boss.

That is why the citizens are always asking - What have these many governments achieved?

The answer does not require much research, as the matter is clear. It is confusion, and failure to make a decision, or hesitation to do so. Both situations are the same. Their actions indicate corruption, which is the greatest achievement that can be recorded for all Cabinets from 1991 until today.

There is no doubt that this is an indication of loss of bearing because the ministerial goals were limited to avoiding accountability, passing illegal demands to parliamentarians, implementing partisan agendas, and achieving the interests of powerful people.

All of the prime ministers were concerned with maintaining their positions for as long as possible, and making sure to weaken the opponents from the ruling house.

This does not build a state, and it cannot ensure stability. This is because attention to personal affairs at the expense of national interests destabilizes the state’s identity, causes it to weaken, and arouses the anger of citizens who look at the neighboring countries and find them racing against time to develop and progress while his country is trapped in a naïve slogan “All is well” or “Kuwait is different because it has democracy” due to which citizens are left hanging.

These slogans caused a change in the general Kuwaiti mood. The culture was based on openness, tolerance and individual initiative but today it is based on doubts and suspicions about everyone including brothers and friends.

This is why the country was closed because the vision is limited to what others can benefit from, whether they are investors or visitors. This is why we lost opportunities, and Kuwait became an investment repellent.

In addition, confusion in decisions was the main reason for distorting the state’s prestige.

When the Minister of Education and the director of Kuwait University submit to an MP and implement his decision, or a minister is grilled because he did not receive an MP who was seeking to clear a transaction, or a minister evaded accountability because he was not up to the responsibility, or the Prime Minister violated the Constitution by refraining from standing on the grilling platform as if he is telling everyone “It is up to me”, this indicates a lack of understanding of the meaning of the official’s great responsibility!

There are many decisions that were issued under parliamentary pressure, but experience revealed that they were harmful to the national interest. Some other decisions that benefited Kuwaitis, including but not limited to loans, housing, education, and health were fought.

Therefore, all issues are suspended because the government programs are either cut-and-paste versions or distorted copies of previous ones, or constructive sentences, as if they were in an expression contest, and not an executive authority with great responsibilities, the most important of which is advancing the country, implementing the Constitution and the law faithfully, and not making deals on the backs of the people like the way it happens here.

Today everyone is facing a difficult test. Either the compass will be redirected in the right direction and the government will enjoy its decision without detracting while the parliament stops encroaching on its powers, or everyone will fail. This is what the Kuwaitis do not want.

By Ahmed Al-Jarallah

Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times