13/09/2018
13/09/2018
AN esteemed columnist said: We see that majority of the columnists are pessimists in their articles; whereas life is full of beautiful things, why don’t we highlight the beautiful side of life? I want to say to our colleague: We are optimistic by nature. What brought us to the abyss of pessimism is what we are witnessing around us daily in terms of corruption and constant failure in many aspects. Government officials and members of the Parliament informed us that they have spoken with British government officials and parliamentarians regarding the signing of an extradition agreement. We have been hearing this for months. We are waiting for this agreement to catch those who embezzled our money as Kuwaitis or from the Public Institution for Social Security in which we are all partners. We have been waiting for a long time, yet we see the photo of the accused and his children enjoying bliss and millions without anyone telling them anything. What really pricks me is the news about the husband of Jordanian King Abdullah II’s aunt. Britain will extradite him as he was accused of embezzling funds of a phosphate company. How did Jordan succeed in convincing Britain to extradite this prominent figure while our people completely failed on the same issue? This is sad, depressing and pessimistic. We travel to other GCC and Arab countries. Every time we exit from our airport, we are heartbroken due the structure and services which are out of date. We keep on wondering why our ‘people’ have not done what our neighbors and brothers have done, considering we are wealthier than them? Such things make us sad, depressed and in despair. Nothing has been done regarding the fake certificates issue and those who bought such certificates – there is no difference between them. All that happened was putting the issue on forgotten mode. What about the illegal allocation of agricultural plots worth millions to undeserving people? It has also been referred to the dust of oblivion. The health situation in the country is deplorable, made worse by parachute appointments of assistant undersecretaries and section heads. This is in addition to the death of citizens due to fatal dose. The latest is the death of a girl at a rosy age. She succumbed to an injection ordered by a female doctor who is surrounded with controversies. The traffic systems and streets are obsolete. The number of vehicles has increased remarkably without any glimpse of a solution amid mentalities which control decisions in the Ministry of Interior’s Traffic Affairs Sector. This is just the tip of the iceberg. All I can say at this moment are the lyrics of a famous song, “Shu qoul shu haki, all I want my dear is a single thing which will return a smile on my lips and optimism in my soul.” By Ali Ahmed Al-Baghli Former Minister of Oil