Kuwait Constitution was ahead of others in Arab world, but situation is different now

FIX IMBALANCES AND END DIVERGENT INTERPRETATIONS OF SOME ARTICLES

■ Today, the task lies in the hands of the new generation, whether in the Ruling Family or the Parliament

■ Advice of Al-Solh to Al- Saqer 85 years ago: Homelands are built through understanding, not quarrels … and through dialogue, not fighting

■ Let ‘understanding’ be the basis of the relationship between the Parliament and the government … “No restriction of a prince or oppression of a minister.”

KUWAIT CITY, Aug 17: In light of the parliamentary escalation against the government on many files and despite the latter’s fulfillment of all its promises in the last parliamentary session amid fears of the return of the scene of brandishing interrogations and the vote of no-confidence in the next session, high-level political circles urged the parliamentarians to learn from the past and refrain from repeating the same mistakes. They emphasized the need to reconsider many visions and perceptions, which dominated the political behavior of the vast majority of parliamentarians in a way that paralyzed the country, disrupted the development and modernization machine, and dragged Kuwait from the leadership position to the last cart in the train of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. They attributed the country’s continuous rotation in the vicious cycle of parliamentary escalation and early elections to the structural defect in “parliamentary behavior”.

They underscored the importance of understanding the essence of the role of parliamentarians, and the mechanisms for doing their work and their competencies. They stressed the need to return to the sources, as Kuwait was the only one in the Gulf and the region that had the lead in this regard. As a reminder, they referred to the letter of the late prominent Lebanese politician Kazem Al-Solh to former Kuwaiti MP Abdullah Al-Saqer in 1938 after the former‘s visit to Kuwait when he met a number of Kuwaiti youths who were enthusiastic about reform. They disclosed that Al-Solh wrote to his friend Al-Saqer, congratulating him on winning the parliamentary membership.

He said: “One of the most important news we read in the newspapers is this movement that we hope to be blessed — the establishment of the parliamentary system in Kuwait.

“The benefits of such a movement are vast and great, provided that it invests well in the supreme interests, not personal or partisan interests. “In many countries, especially in the East, it is unfortunate that this system proved to be in vain, a jest and a mockery of the interest of the nation towards the interest of individuals.

“Therefore, I hope that after you realize this dream of many people you will not fall into the mistakes that others have fallen into.

“Your concerns should be genuine and comprehensive reforms, and pure national service; not restricting a prince or oppressing a minister, rich man or merchant.

“I still adhere to the opinion I expressed in Kuwait. It is better for reform to take place through cooperation and understanding among sheikhs (the ruling house), rather than for it to take place against their will.

“We discussed two methods — resistance and understanding. We found that each has its own benefit and harm. For Kuwait, understanding is first, more fruitful and faster.” According to the political circles, the Kuwaiti Constitution could be considered ahead of others in the Arab world on the eve of its inception and launching of the democratic experiment. They pointed out that in application, it became clear that more than one article could have several interpretations.

They said this is basically the cause of crises that surfaced later, some of which continue up to this day. They added that with the departure of great officials, including some sons of the ruling house; the task has now fallen into the hands of those who succeeded them from the new generation in the ruling house or in the Parliament. They called on the new generation to seek understanding, not quarrels. They stressed that wrong practices led to confusion in the citizen’s life today.

They warned this may threaten the entity of the State in terms of its ability to resist international and regional changes, as a result of the preoccupation of the majority of politicians with protecting their interests at the expense of the homeland. They went on to say that the ‘understanding’ — which Al-Solh mentioned in his letter to Al-Saqer — was replaced by quarrels and struggle over personal interests due to the absence of someone to bridle them by force.

They appealed on everyone to look at what happened in Lebanon, where it can be said the situation is similar to that in Kuwait, before some regional countries flocked against it and took advantage of its diversity to strike its national unity. They added this is similar to what Iran does through its tools, or France, Israel and the United States, still seeking to generalize the Lebanese situation in many Arab countries. They called on the ruling house, politicians, parliamentarians and Kuwaiti elites to heed the advice of Al-Solh and to study it carefully, because when things go south, “there is no use crying over spilled milk.”

They asserted that Al-Solh’s statement: “There is no restriction of a prince or oppression of a minister,” should be the basis for understanding. They said if a parliamentarian resorts to using his constitutional tools at the wrong place and in the wrong manner, and when the minister succumbs to such an act; some blocs will undoubtedly seek oppression through demands beyond Kuwait’s capacity. “This is the beginning of the State’s suicide,” they warned.

By Ahmed Al-Jarallah
Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times