These are the concerns of our country Kuwait and its people

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THE statement, which was recently published in Al-Qabas newspaper and contained signatures of 212 Kuwaiti figures, expresses the distress that the country is experiencing.

Indeed, we are not exaggerating when we say the statement contained thorny issues, which were explained by His Highness the Amir in his sublime speech during the oath-taking session.

Undoubtedly, such a statement removes the glass barrier between the people and their leadership, and opens the path for a new vision based on serious work to solve citizens’ challenges, especially since Kuwait faces many challenges, as highlighted by the signatories of the statement, which we hoped would be published in all newspapers.

This is the first popular frankness following the unusual cooperation witnessed between the two authorities to approve laws that were based on private interests.

This seasonal cooperation did not take into account the national interest, which is why the Kuwaitis rejected some of them.

Our problem in Kuwait is that the army of advisors who surround the decision makers obscure the vision of reality from them, and they operate according to the rule of “All is well.”

Nonetheless, the country is reeling under the weight of several crises that cast their shadows on all aspects of life, pushing people to “wash their hands,” as the public say, of constitutional institutions.

There is no doubt that open councils to hear people’s opinions would solve many problems, because they break down the barriers between the ruler and the ruled.

In this regard, I recall when King Salman bin Abdulaziz assumed power, and said, “Our doors are open and our ears are listening to every citizen. May Allah have mercy on those who point out my faults to me.”

The Saudi King worked to establish a grievances bureau and opened accounts on social media to receive complaints and suggestions from his people. The Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also worked to follow up on everything published. That is why the face of the Kingdom changed within seven years, after a major workshop in regulations and decisions, which made Saudi Arabia emerge from the bottleneck of budget deficit and head towards abundance.

It goes without saying that listening to people’s demands directly by the decision makers had a significant impact in resolving many issues.

The same applies to the United Arab Emirates, as all its officials, from the oldest to the youngest, live in the field.

I remember the day I had a meeting with the Vice President of the UAE Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid in Dubai in a public place, among many other meetings.

I sensed that he listened to people’s complaints, because the time is for work, not for composing poems of praise, as is the case in all other Gulf countries.

These countries did not rely on the opinions of advisors, something that Kuwait has unfortunately been witnessing for three decades.

This is why the imbalance in the relationship between the two powers – the legislative and the executive – has become rooted due to the approach based on private interests.

It is a cancer that spreads throughout all state agencies, rendering them vulnerable. Everyone seeks to “loot” public money either through projects, employment, etc., until the institutions become personal farms for every official and MP.

Previous governments did not provide anything for the country either, but instead increased its backwardness.

In many parliaments, the greatest concern was to increase their electoral and financial assets… All at the expense of the state.

Therefore, citizens today place their hopes in His Highness the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad – may Allah guide him – who pinpointed the flaws in his royal speech, to get the country out of its crises, and end the chaos that has spread in the state.

By Ahmed Al-Jarallah

Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times

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