“THERE is a significant difference between fighting corruption and claims to fight corruption by mere words and statements,” columnist and former Secretary-General of Kuwait Democratic Forum Ahmad Al-Dayyen wrote for Alam-Alyawm Tuesday. “Speaking of fighting corruption by statements, we recall a news report which was carried recently by the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA). The news report quoted Kuwaiti officials emphasizing before an international conference which was held recently over a strategy to fight corruption and the keenness of the Kuwaiti government to fight and encounter this menace.

“In spite of the above, in reality we see just its opposite. In this context, we say Kuwait in 2003 signed the United Nations Anti-Corruption Agreement. Although this agreement became effective on March 17, 2007, that is more than three years ago, there are indications from the International Transparency Organization that corruption in the country has been gradually aggravating and according to the ratings issued by the world body Kuwait came in at No 66 among countries suffering from corruption. In other words, Kuwait got 4.1 points out of 10.

“Based on the UN Anti-Corruption Agreement, Kuwait should have established a national authority to fight corruption and supervise the implementation process of the related policies.
“In spite of the above, the government did nothing in this direction and the proposal too which was referred to the National Assembly in this regard, came from some MPs not the government. Not just that, the government attitude on this issue was composed, if not negative.

“Apart from the above, Article 52 of the UN Anti-Corruption Agreement says the government officials must reveal their financial standing immediately after their appointment. In spite of the above, the government has not as yet submitted any draft law to this effect to the National Assembly for endorsement although the government had earlier expressed reservations over some parliamentary bills which called for disclosing the financial assets of government employees saying it violates the country’s Constitution.

“Furthermore, the government has unfortunately ignored the sublime Amiri order which was issued by HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed, May the Almighty Allah bless him, on Sept 13, 2009 asking the Prime Minister to hasten and implement the resolutions of the UN Anti-Corruption Agreement as swiftly as possible, but the government until now has taken no serious measures to keep abreast with the requirements of this agreement so much so it has yet to respond to the purport of the Amiri order in question. This happened although the government was supposed to implement and apply the Amiri order.”

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“Those who believe the court verdict which was issued against the Secretary-General of the National Democratic Alliance, our brother Khaled Al-Fadhala because he gave his opinion or because he has violated the Press and Publication Law are definitely mistaken, because the verdict is based on a misdemeanor for violating the Article 209 of the Kuwaiti Penal Code,” columnist AbdulWahhab Al-Omairi wrote for Al-Anba daily Tuesday.
“In other words, the verdict was issued against Al-Fadhala based on the charges filed against him by the Prime Minister because Fadhala accused the Prime Minister of involvement in money laundering during a public seminar and this statement violated the Penal Code.

“The verdict was issued based on this accusation and not due to the opinion given by Al-Fadhala or because of an article that was written by him for a newspaper.
“I personally sympathize with Al-Fadhala and I hope he will be released as soon as possible, but through the right judicial channel, the Court of Appeals, because the latter has the power to overrule the verdict issued by the lower court.
“Although I am convinced of the poor government performance and in spite of my strong reservations on its manner of managing the country’s affairs, it will not prevent me from supporting the right.
“In other words, we say the Prime Minister was right when he resorted to the judiciary, because a charge which can be punished by law was leveled to the Premier by Al-Fadhala. However, if we don’t respect the verdict of the judiciary, how will we respect the State of Law?”

“The claim by some columnists that the Secretary-General of Kuwait National Democratic Alliance Khaled Al-Fadhala has been sentenced to three months imprisonment because he violated the Press and Publication Law are definitely wrong,” columnist Abu Khaled wrote for Freedom Journal Tuesday.
“With our due respect to those who are trying to tell us that Al-Fadhala was sentenced to jail by the Court of Misdemeanor for violating the Press and Public Law, we want to tell them that their claim is baseless because what Al-Fadhala has spoken against a Kuwaiti citizen, Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad, amounts to crime and the person must be held responsible legally either through the application of the text of the Press and the Publican Law or the Penal Code.

“In other words, let us presume there is no Press and Publication Law in Kuwait, but is it right to let go baseless accusations against citizens without the person being punished?
“The accusations against an innocent citizen that he is involved in money laundering means this citizen is also involved in drug trafficking or is a weapons trader, and mind you these crimes are vicious. Such being the case, this citizen reserves the right to resort to the judiciary and file a case against those who have accused him of those charges.

“Meanwhile, to those who say this is the first time in the country’s history to see a prime minister filing a case against a citizen and the court sentencing the plaintiff to jail, we say they are wrong. For these people, we say ‘you are wrong’.
“In other words, while we concede that the Prime Minister filing a case against a citizen represents a first precedent of its kind, we would like to bring to the attention of the people the fact that verbally abusing the Prime Minister by a citizen has also set a precedent in the country’s history.”

“It is apparent the ‘virus’ that tickles the emotions of citizens at the expense of the country’s interests has been shifted from the National Assembly to the government and this was evident when the Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Roudhan Al-Roudhan issued a statement recently saying the government will soon issue resolutions favoring the citizens,” columnist and attorney Rashed Al-Radaan wrote for Al-Watan Arabic daily Tuesday.
“However, if the government fulfills its pledge and issues the prospective resolutions when the National Assembly is in summer recess then we will give the government a standing ovation.
“If this happens we expect a majority of the citizens to take the government statements seriously, but the question is: What are the resolutions?

“In this connection, we say the Insolvents Fund Law, has already been enacted, the proposal calling for writing off the citizens consumer loans has been rejected and the sports issue is still in the hands of the MPs who from time to time threaten to file a parliamentary interpellation against the Prime Minister over this issue.
“Then what are the popular resolutions the government is planning to issue to favor the citizens? According to some reliable sources our government will issue some resolutions to reactivate the national economy in general and support the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in particular, particularly since we know some local firms are currently on the verge of bankruptcy. The government may also reactivate the Financial Stability Supporting Law to rescue these firms and breathe in them a new life to fortify their financial standing.
“Apart from the above, the people expect the government to soon issue some decisions to implement the new Development Plan, reactivate the banking sector in the country and fight the phenomenon of skyrocketing prices.”

“We have already talked about the inability of the Members of Parliament to come to terms or at least improve their performance when it comes to discussing vital issues concerning national projects which have been held hostage by some MPs due to political bickering,” columnist Nahr Amer Al-Mahfouz wrote for Annahar daily.
“This is one of the several reasons which has forced the government to use the intimidation tactics and force the issues down the neck of the MPs to bring a silver lining to the political situation in the country.
“In a way the government has studied the whims and wishes of some MPs and until now was able to control their emotions through the stick and carrot policy.”

“Why doesn’t the government punish corrupt people? Why doesn’t it punish those who violate the law openly? Why are they allowed to roam freely in the country even when it is known that they violated rules? And why are critics who take on public officials sent to jail and treated like criminals?” columnist Lama Farid Al-Othman wrote for Al-Jarida daily.
“There are people who play with public funds, but when an interpellation is filed in this regard, requests are made to hold the session behind closed doors so that there is no transparency.
“It is unfortunate that writers and political activists are dragged into jails and are pursued as criminals in accordance with some unconstitutional laws. First, writer blogger Mohammad Abdul-Kader Al-Jassem was jailed for expressing his opinion and now Secretary General of National Democratic Alliance Khaled Al-Fadhala got arrested for his remarks on the Prime Minister.”

“The government presented the five-year plan with the announcement that the presentation marks the beginning of real development projects. It allocated KD 37 billion, which is equal to over $ 100 billion, for this plan and said the implementation will begin in 2010,” Musharraf Bin Aqab wrote for Al-Shahid daily.
“The announcement was sweet, but the reality on ground is completely opposite as the year 2010 will pass without any achievement in this regard. The most disappointing factor was the lackluster attitude of the National Assembly.
“The Parliament approved the annual budget of KD 16 million, which is a huge amount, within a record time and in a single session. The approval took place within two hours without any notable plan, detail or transparency and this indicates lack of serious monitoring. The Parliament seems to have ignored the repeated unfavorable annual reports the State Audit Bureau issues on state expenditures. The Parliament deserves a gold medal for passing the budget within a record time of two hours.”

“Perhaps we should learn from the experiments of other Arabian Gulf States which have ensured that all motorists respect traffic rules. In Kuwait, motorists are reckless and do not respect traffic laws, because penalties are not strictly imposed. Moreover, people no longer give respect or importance to traffic men and patrols,” columnist Talal Al-Saeed wrote for Al-Seyassah daily.
“I still remember the time when police officers were people’s friends and helped children cross the road. That image is still etched in many people’s memory and they remember with fondness that beautiful era when driving was considered an art and was done tactfully. All those things have changed in our society.
“Everyone agrees that the problem is due to the imbalance in the society, where expatriates outnumber the locals. Qatar and the UAE, however, impose their traditions on expatriates and force them to respect law.”

“We live in a democratic state and have a Constitution whose 184 articles specify the rights and duties of every citizen. In fact, some countries have studied our democratic experience and tried to adopt a similar system,” columnist Abdullah Al-Shamla’n wrote for Al-Shahid daily.
“Article No. 36 of the Constitution guarantees freedom of opinion to all citizens and specifies that citizens can express it verbally or in writing. Accordingly, our brother writers, columnists, colleagues and political activists have the right to criticize, but not defame anyone. Meanwhile, our leaders and officials will have to bear criticism as long as it is objective and doesn’t harm their dignity.”

“Those who are keen on dissolving the National Assembly have been downgraded by the people, following their attempt to defame the Kuwaiti government and the nation, as well as the democratic dispensation at the international community by inciting certain individuals to violate the law,” Hassan Al-Mehemzy wrote for Al-Sabah daily.
“The Speaker of Parliament touched on the issue, as he revealed the greedy nature of that minority group seeking the dissolution of the Parliament, during an open forum. He disappointed those who are eagerly escalating the current internal situation for personal political gains and disregarding the interests of the state and its citizens. Mercenaries will not triumph in their effort to destabilize the political situation by inciting chaos.”

“Some people consider Europe the ‘old continent’ but it is still the ‘mother’ of modern civilization, as well as the hub and conscience of international culture,” Ahmad Al-Sarraf wrote for Al-Qabas daily.
“The West, including Europe, plays a humanitarian role by fighting backwardness and accommodating miserable and wounded people. They have also accommodated former politicians and members of opposition groups keen on defending democracy and their rights.
“We need to be impartial to fully understand why an ordinary European politician or citizen reacts to criticisms from Muslims. We should put ourselves into their shoes, because the continent will transform, within a generation or two, into something else due to the influx of tyrant Muslims who wish to change it into Islamic sea.
“Europeans have right to express concern over the negative impact of the minority, especially Muslims who earn a living in the continent. In the same manner, we are worried about the negative effects of the activities of Asian workers here.”

“Lawmakers ended the parliamentary term with a low behavioral performance. Nobody expected them to act that way under the parliamentary dome, considering their status in the Kuwaiti society,” Turki Al-Azemi wrote for Al-Rai daily.
“We wish to review the performance during the summer break, while we are waiting for Ramadan, in order to ‘cleanse’ the souls and save whatever has remained in our campaign for decent speech.
“As for the government, State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Roudhan Al-Roudhan has vowed to take public decisions and specify a certain mechanism to assess the performance of leaders in different institutions in the country. He explained this step is aimed at identifying the level of commitment to implement the work program of the government.
“Our concern is no longer a secret, since the situation in most institutions of the country has been deteriorating due to the absence of an effective leadership concept. This has greatly contributed to the decline in the level of services, to the dismay of citizens and residents.”

“The insults, rivalry and yelling some lawmakers exchange during discussions at the National Assembly is a new attitude to Kuwaitis,” Qaysar Al-Khanfar wrote for Arrouiya daily.
“I wonder if the MPs have forgotten they are legislators and not representatives of political parties or sects. The rising arguments at the Parliament reflect the level of national unity and attitude. There should be constructive discussions and transparency in order to attain effective dialogue and find solutions to problems the country is facing.”

“‘Make Jerusalem the Symbol of Media and Politics,’ was the title of the last article published by deceased Shiite spiritual leader of Lebanon Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah in which he condemned the American and European stand towards the enemy,” columnist Dr Jalal Mohammed Aal Rasheed wrote for Al-Dar daily.
“Fadlallah refers to the criminal Zionists who occupied Palestine and Al-Quds as the ‘enemy.’ He also condemned the stand of Arabs who are either silent witnesses to the crime or connive with the Zionists to judaize the holy Quds.
“Therefore, Fadlallah urged Sunni and Shiite religious experts to focus on Al-Quds as it will help in unifying Islamic nations. This accurate and clear vision of an old struggler and well-known scholar will also benefit Palestine and Al-Quds while at the same time enrage the enemies of Islam i.e. the Zionists and their supporters all over the world.”

— Compiled by Zaki Taleb