He obtained a Bachelor’s degree in economics from the American University in Cairo in 1961, and a diploma in economics from Oxford in Britain in 1963. He held many administrative positions and moved to several high-ranking positions, before deciding in 1967 to enter the world of politics and run for the National Assembly elections, but he did not succeed.

He returned and ran for office in the next elections, and won a seat in his constituency, and his political career continued in the National Assembly until 2006, when he found that many powerful movements were against him, so he chose to step down.

This, in brief, is the rich political career of the late, great friend Abdullah Muhammad al-Naibari, whose death marks the second anniversary today, March 20.

Abdullah Al-Naibari was not an ordinary political figure. Rather, he was a “noble” and strong opponent for everyone who opposed him. He maintained his good manners and the cleanliness of his hand throughout his long political career.

He refused to bow to various pressures or accept temptations. He remained faithful, along with his companions, to his principles, as he stood with unwavering strength. It is normal for those who plundered state funds, during the period of the invasion and after it, and he succeeded, often alone, in bringing them to justice and convicting the majority of them, so that they would receive their punishment.

“These positions and opinions subsequently paved the way for exposing his life and the life of his partner to “political” assassination.

“On his way back, along with his wife, Faryal Al-Fraih, in the car, in June 1997, to the house from the chalet, they were exposed to heavy gunfire, in which he was seriously wounded in the left shoulder and lower jaw, while his wife was injured by a gunshot below the shoulder.

The perpetrators of the assassination were in two cars when they set up an ambush. He was on a deserted road before they shot him and his wife. His assassination attempt was the most famous political incident in modern history, and received global coverage, given Al-Naibari’s stature and good reputation in many regional and international forums.

The perpetrators were subsequently identified and arrested, and brought to trial, and after less than two years, the Court of Cassation upheld the rulings of the Court of First Instance and the Court of Appeal to imprison the accused (S. Sh.) for life imprisonment, and to imprison the two Iranians, who participated in the operation, for life imprisonment, and to imprison the fourth defendant, the Kuwaiti (A.M.) to ten years. But after a few years, the citizens accused of attempting to assassinate him were pardoned, and the deceased Al-Naibari played a well-known role in that.

Abdullah Al-Naibari died on the evening of Sunday, March 20, 2022, at the age of 85. He was buried in a solemn funeral procession in the presence of a large crowd of Kuwaitis, given his great stature and honorable personal and political history that was flawless!

He passed away, and no party, in appreciation of his national services, his great deeds, his huge role in nationalizing Kuwait’s oil, and the effective contributions he made in issuing dozens of dangerous and important legislation, other than his national positions, did not think of naming any street after him, either in the Abdullah Al-Salem suburb where he lived, or in any other area, at a time when the widest and longest streets in Kuwait, to the right and left of his residential area, were given ‘unknown’ names.

e-mail: [email protected]

By Ahmad alsarraf