Prevent legislative authority from overstepping on executive branch

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WE received the statement of the new Council of Ministers with much caution, even though there were several points mentioned in it that could be built upon. However, it would depend on the sincerity of intentions, determination to implement, and the firm decisions.

This is needed in order to ensure that it is not treated like the previous government statements, which were drawn up 60 years ago, but turned out to be just ink on paper and either did not see the light of day or were hindered by a number of considerations.

What matters to the Kuwaitis is implementation. There is a proverb – “A child who gets burnt will dread the fire”. We have been stung over the past decades, before the invasion and after the liberation, as a result of either a lack of seriousness, or disdain for entitlements, or the overstepping of parliamentarians on the powers of the executive authority. This overstepping has been happening especially in the last three decades. It can even be considered as the parliamentarians bullying the ministers, and the latter submitting to them, to the extent that they appeared as “employees” instead of people with the decision-making authority.

There is no doubt that this undermined the relationship between the two authorities. In fact, it obstructed the work of all authorities, and made ministerial programs mere doors to achieve personal goals, or for blocs and groups, which pushed for laws and decisions that were in the interest of their agendas, and not the interest of the country.

Some of the prime ministers were either not up to the level of ambition or they took the path of safety through non-confrontation, so as to avoid ascending the platform of parliamentary accountability, as if that was a political death sentence for them. For this reason, they were merely Trojan horses in the hands of the National Assembly.

Since 1992, several prime ministers have been given multiple chances. On each occasion, they presented ministerial programs promising the sun and the moon to a hopeful population. Yet, these pledges were soon revealed to be nothing more than a mirage.

Hence, the current optimism is tempered by the concern that the positive rapport between the National Assembly and the Council of Ministers might revert to past patterns. There is a cautious anticipation that the previous era of financial, moral, sectarian, and tribal reconciliation may resurface.

To achieve what is stated in the current ministerial statement, it is necessary to amend a number of laws, abolish those that test people’s intentions, and improve the business environment by opening the country, seeking the help of experts and investors, and encouraging them.

Diversifying the sources of income should be the first step, followed by working to achieve an advanced industrial base, food security, and services comparable to those in other countries.

There must also be a realistic approach to solving citizens’ problems, as they cannot continue to be treated with painkillers, as has been the norm in the past three decades, because it will increase Kuwaitis’ distrust towards the current Council of Ministers on whom they have bet a lot. This is because they were optimistic in past governments, and placed their bet on some prime ministers, but they were shocked by the results. This had increased their frustration, and affected their view of the future.

Yes, the legacy is heavy and large before His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem. Liquidating it requires a lot of effort, but the people will not wait indefinitely.

Opportunities seldom knock twice, especially when Kuwaitis see that the neighboring countries preceded them by light years, while they are still sitting on the pavement of time waiting for agreement between the two authorities on self-evident priorities, which are at the core of their work, and are not achievements attributed to anyone.

By Ahmed Al-Jarallah

Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times

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