MANY have noticed the efforts and perseverance of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad to combat corruption, which was evident even before he assumed the throne and prior to his role as the Crown Prince.
The public has witnessed ministers, undersecretaries, and several senior officials being referred to trial, with some receiving harsh sentences.
In this regard, His Highness the Amir has shown no leniency towards those involved in corruption, regardless of whether they are from the Al-Sabah family or any other family, tribe, or sect. He believes that the law should be impartial and applied equally to all.
Kuwait is currently experiencing a pivotal and unprecedented stage where no official is above scrutiny.
As the saying goes, “More is yet to come”, and even though the current era is still in its early stages, and beginnings can usually be challenging, they pave the way for future progress. His Highness has a clear vision and methodology for addressing these issues.
Therefore, it is important that accountability extends beyond the final stages. It is necessary to review and audit all projects implemented since the liberation up to the present day. Those involved in bribery and corruption, including both contractors and officials who neglected their duties or ignored corruption, must be held accountable.
It is indeed unreasonable after all these years and the billions spent on the electricity sector, there are still some stations that are struggling to provide reliable electricity.
Similarly, the situation with roads and infrastructure is concerning. Despite the significant costs of these projects, the results are often substandard. Roads are left with loose gravel that flies when vehicles pass. External roads are buried under sand dunes due to poor paving standards.
The failure to consider environmental conditions by both consultants and officials has led to significant losses, including loss of life.
The most serious among these issues is the “University City” project. Approved in mid-1986 and initially scheduled for completion in the early 1990s, its implementation was repeatedly delayed until 2009. The project, which eventually cost around KD 7 billion, was plagued by many change orders that contributed to the delays and cost overruns.
Several years ago, Gulf countries started dealing with the corruption file comprehensively, tackling not only financial misconduct but also administrative and legal issues.
In Qatar, a former finance minister and several officials were imprisoned for corruption. In the UAE, some officials faced penalties for financial violations, though these were not as severe as those witnessed in Kuwait from 1992 until recently.
Everyone still remembers the “Ritz Riyadh” campaign in Saudi Arabia, which targeted princes and senior officials. The conviction there was clear - a nation cannot be built on a flawed or corrupt foundation.
During that period, extensive accountability measures were implemented for many years, and efforts were made to update laws to close any loopholes that could be exploited for corruption in the future.
It is good that the Council of Ministers has started amending some laws, but these efforts alone are insufficient. Many laws require a complete overhaul.
For example, many streets have been named after leaders from the Muslim Brotherhood Group, other sectarian figures, or political parties, or for pleasing influential officials.
Therefore, the Council of Ministers should actively start looking into files with suspected defects or corruption.
His Highness the Amir was clear in his speech last May when he said, “No one is above the law. Anyone who has unlawfully obtained public funds will be punished, regardless of their position, and the corrupt will be held accountable.”
Corruption has infiltrated security, economic institutions, and the judiciary in recent years. Therefore, if the Council of Ministers is committed to cleansing these institutions, it must undertake a rigorous process to remove the deep-seated corruption plaguing them.
