This is not how things are done

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IT seems that the persistence to fail has become a Kuwaiti demeanor par excellence, as the state, over the past six decades, neither benefited from the many experiences it underwent, nor worked to establish a clear methodology for selecting officials in executive positions.

People have tried many ministers, undersecretaries and directors, but the result was that the majority of them failed miserably. The great invention instead was to “rotate” them, that is, to transfer them from one place to another.

In all countries of the world that respect competencies, there is an integrated system for selecting officials, which is based on their “data”, that is, not only their degrees and academic standing, but also their social attributes and personal relationships, so that the employee does not exploit his position for his own interests.

Also, the Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers does not play any role in nominating any candidate. He does not open his desk drawer and take out a list of names of those nominated either through intermediaries or on the basis of “this is our son,” or because the candidate is a member of any particular diwaniya.

When that person becomes a minister, and he is not covered by the Prime Minister and the other ministers, he ends up being subject to parliamentary accountability, because, as the public says, “The sun has not risen on him.”

Unfortunately, this custom is followed in Kuwait because there are unseen forces working behind the scenes to ensure their own interests. A new “deep state” is emerging, which is what pushed the country to this slope of backwardness.

This is because whoever assumed executive responsibility did not work according to a national agenda, but rather issued his decisions according to what benefited “the intermediary” and “the clique”. The same applies to laws that were approved without study.

All of this harmed Kuwait, starting with society, passing through the economy, all the way to the agricultural and industry sectors, and even entering and leaving the country.

This is because the work system in state institutions lacks the standards applicable in the world. For example, in the Gulf countries, officials are selected based on a specific system. If it is discovered that one of them is not qualified for the position, he is quickly relieved of it, and sometimes he is held accountable for the slightest mistake.

There are also many examples in the world in terms of respect for standards and laws. In New Zealand, the Minister of Housing and Fish Resources had resigned from his position because he used the government credit card for private purchases amounting to only about USD 880.

The Qatari Minister of Finance was also dismissed based on corruption charges. His arrest was ordered by the Public Prosecution.

However, the opposite happened in Kuwait. Many ministers and officials caused the state to lose hundreds of millions, and even billions of dinars.

Instead of putting them in prison, they were appointed again to institutions and ministries, as if nothing had happened.

In any European country, when someone assumes the position of Prime Minister, he has a team prepared quickly and chosen based on strict criteria. The state is thus not disrupted for weeks or months.

However, in our case, ministerial formation is sometimes delayed for weeks. This is due to the fact that a certain minister was not the choice of a particular parliamentarian or bloc, or because the heads of the tribe or sect did not accept him. When personal accounts overpower the performance of state institutions, they fail.

If an official does not perform his work to the fullest extent, and does not put the interests of the country ahead of his own interests, then failure is imminent. This is not how things are done.

By Ahmed Al-Jarallah

Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times

This news has been read 1545 times!