Kuwait working on laws to make Bedouns life easier

28/08/2025

KUWAIT CITY, Aug 28: “You have the right to publish everything ... there is nothing to hide,” said First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef. With such transparency and clarity in presenting the facts in word and deed, Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef affirmed, during his recent meeting with the editor-in-chief of local newspapers, the pursuit of solutions and remedies for many issues, most notably the withdrawal of citizenship and the Bedouns, reports Al-Seyassah daily.

He revealed “procedures and a law are being studied for Bedouns, and some countries have agreed to grant citizenship or passports to them, while another country has requested huge and unjustified sums. We will deal with the issue of Bedoun passports in a way that allows them to move and travel.” He stressed that “justice is for everyone. The State has not and will not oppress anyone. It is working hard to cleanse the national identity. We have started to focus on the defect to correct it.” He added, “In all countries around the world, including the region, there are laws related to refugees or those known as ‘Bedoun,’ and there are remedies for this problem. The budget of the Central Agency for Remedying Illegal Resident Status is now under the Ministry of Interior.” When asked if the meeting was private, he stressed, “There is no private meeting. Publish everything. We are presenting you with the facts, as opposed to the chatter, so that people know how to find their way. There is a lot of nonsense, some of which may be true, but most of it is unrealistic.”

He affirmed that national identity, which His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah focused on in his lofty speeches, is the most important issue that concerns Kuwait. Regarding those whose Kuwaiti citizenship was revoked as per Article Eight of the Nationality Law, the First Deputy Prime Minister confirmed, “the focus is on a specific date. We found many who obtained citizenship through manipulation.” He pointed out that “some of them have Kuwaiti mothers. We did not touch their benefits, while there are those who obtained citizenship for the benefits. We are publishing all the details in this regard through the local newspapers and there is a grievance committee that studies the measures taken. If there are errors, we will correct them.” He continued, “We have taken into account all matters concerning them. If their salaries have been delayed, this is due to the measures that have been eased, so no one is wronged. We set a date to comply with the State’s request to rectify their status.”

On those granted citizenship based on their noble deeds, he disclosed, “We were surprised to find that in 2005, there was a large number of citizenship grants to these people. Citizenship was withdrawn from about 900 people and we did not touch the privileges granted to them, but they must rectify their status and obtain their nationality.” Asked about the children of those whose nationality was withdrawn as per Article Eight, especially those who held supervisory positions, he stated “these are the children of Kuwait, the sons of Kuwaitis, and those positions are not as important as you are talking about, their number is not large, and they enjoy the same benefits as their fathers.” Regarding freedom of speech, he asserted “we are an open society and there are no ‘customs’ for speech. Only those who touch upon HH the Amir are held accountable. I reiterate that you have the right to publish everything.” He expounded on this matter, saying, “I always tell the Minister of Information, who is present among us, that there should be an official spokesperson for the government, as practiced in all countries around the world, and that he should clarify everything presented in the media, whether at the local or international level. As I said, we have nothing to hide.”

Regarding tourism and the ‘Visa Kuwait’ platform, he revealed, “We are developing this platform. In the coming period, there will be laws related to tourism that will be the best at the regional level. The Minister of Information is also working hard to establish frameworks related to this matter, and there will be related activities in the next month.” On the overlap of powers between ministries, he revealed, “We are working hard to untangle this, so the document cycle is clear. The current era is for directing everyone in the country towards development, and for Kuwait to be the best in the region in terms of sustainable development.” About the exit permit for expatriate workers in the private sector, he pointed out, “This procedure is in place in all countries in the regio,n and there are no complications. It is issued electronically, and there is no delay. It is intended to preserve the rights of both the employee and the company. If the employee commits acts that harm the company, he is prevented from obtaining such permission.” On prisoners involved in civil cases, including ‘bounced cheques or debtors’ — many of whom have become elderly and could be released with electronic bracelets placed on their feet, he asked one of his assistants to record this and remind him about it. The First Deputy Prime Minister also talked about the monitoring of counterfeiters and drug smugglers, and how they are arrested. He confirmed that the smuggling route through the sea has been controlled and that Kuwait is now regaining cleanliness. “While smuggling used to exceed countries larger than Kuwait, such as Saudi Arabia, the situation has changed and monitoring is very evident now,” he added. When the editors-in-chief requested that the meeting be held periodically, he said, “We welcome that. Allah willing, the meeting with the editors-in-chief and media personnel will be held monthly.”