KUWAIT CITY, March 8: “The youths are writing a new history and their movement is taking us towards a new world devoid of sectarian and racial discrimination,” former veteran lawmaker Ahmad Al-Khateeb said Tuesday in a protest organized by the Fifth Fence.

Some of the protesters shouting slogans.
 

 The Fifth Fence is one of the youth groups in Kuwait calling for the resignation of the government and ouster of the prime minister to rescue the country from further collapse caused by the widespread corruption and poor performance of state institutions. The group also vowed to continue holding protests until their demands are met.

The group consists of secretaries of some MPs, as well as students from the Kuwait University (KU) and Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, and is affiliated to the Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM).

About 500 people attended protest at the parking lot behind the Central Bank of Kuwait and near the Cabinet building in Kuwait City, including a small number of women, despite the heavy presence of securitymen.
Several members of the National Union of Kuwaiti Students (NUKS) also participated in the rally, raising slogans, such as “Yes to the new government, new prime minister and new system”, “Step down, we deserve better”, and “Kuwait is a democracy”. A large board behind the speakers also contained the same phrases, in addition to other slogans like “Single Constituency”, “Elected Government”, and “Towards a Bright Future for Kuwait.”

Al-Khateeb pointed out the wave of protests in Tunisia and Egypt had spread to other countries, including China, and the wise leaders have started taking reformative steps to satisfy their people’s craving for change and prevent the fall of their nations. He lamented there are foolish rulers who have attributed the revolution hunger, and this for him, is the highest level of stupidity because no one would expose his body to bullets in search for food.

Stressing the need to amend the judiciary, Al-Khateeb contended that democracy is guaranteed through the establishment of an autonomous and free judiciary. He also called for the abolition of the State Security Department, because the country does not need a security apparatus that monitors the activities of citizens. He also accused the government of trying to divide the people into sects or groups, asserting this does not entail changing the person but the way people think.

Stressing the protest actions will continue until Kuwait regains its lost glory, Al-Khateeb said, “We are not like the others. We have a Constitution. We participated in drafting it and we have sworn to abide by it. We have to protect our Constitution by taking two important steps — restore its dignity and change it for the better.”
Meanwhile, the members of major opposition blocs, including the Popular Labor, Development and Reform and National Action, like MPS Ahmed Al-Saadoun, Musallam Al-Barrak, Ali Al-Deqbasi, Khalid Al-Tahous, Faisal Al-Muslim, Jamaan Al-Harbash and Waleed Al-Tabtabaei Falah al-Sawagh, Saleh Al-Mullah , Abdul-Rahman Al-Anjari , Daifallah Buramiya, Hussein Mazyed, Salem Al-Namlan and Hassan Jowhar attended the protest, in addition to many political activists and columnists.

Agencies add:
“All the people here want to change the prime minister because he hasn’t done anything for the country over the last five years,” protester Abu Khalid Al-Owaihan said.
“We want a new country with hospitals. There are very few of them and the level of education is very low.”
The prime minister, a nephew of the ruler, has already survived two non-cooperation motions in parliament since he was appointed by the Amir in 2006. All other key portfolios including defence, interior, foreign affairs and oil are held by the ruling al-Sabah family. The Amir has the final say in all political matters. Some of the protest organisers not only want Sheikh Nasser to step down, but seek a replacement from outside the al-Sabah family, which has ruled Kuwait for some 250 years.

MP Musallam Al-Barrak being presented a melon outside the National Assembly. Melons were presented to MPs as a sign of protest against their performance.

Protesters in the morning gave watermelons to a few lawmakers as a signal of their dissatisfaction in a country that has the most outspoken parliament in the Gulf Arab region.
“This is for the parliament’s poor performance,” one of the small band of protesters shouted as he gave a watermelon to a lawmaker making his way into the parliament.
In local parlance, a person who lacks understanding or holds an unrealistic point of view can be called a watermelon.

Kuwait, the world’s fourth largest oil exporter, does not allow political parties and its parliament is made up of individuals who form loose blocs.

Tension with stateless Arabs, longtime residents of Kuwait known as “bedoun” who clashed with police last month in protests demanding citizenship, appeared to be easing after some lawmakers promised to discuss a draft law in parliament on Tuesday that would grant them basic civil rights.