A FEW days ago, the United Arab Emirates, as part of the legal system that it established over the past years to seek the services of geniuses, talented people and investors, granted its citizenship to the artist Ahmad Al-Owainan.
The Vice President of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid announced that the UAE opens its doors to everyone who has a talent. He wrote, “Under the directives of the President of the State, the Council of Ministers approves an amendment to the executive regulations of the Citizenship Law and allows the granting of citizenship and Emirati passports to investors, talented people, and those with specialized professions.”
The UAE revealed that it is in the process of granting citizenship to neurologist Dr. Hamad Al-Enzi with four other distinguished Kuwaiti “Bedoun” individuals.
In this regard, the UAE, a few years ago, also approved granting golden residency to high school graduates and their families, as well as made room for foreigners to own real estate there.
All of this increased its GDP to AED 1.623 trillion during the year 2022, and the non-oil output amounted to AED 1.174 trillion. This is evidence of the presence of a fixed vision related to state management, which seeks to develop and not close in on itself.
In the Emirates and other Gulf countries except Kuwait, there is no such thing as “foreigner complex”. Everyone works according to the law, and facilities are granted to those who seek development and progress.
Saudi Arabia, which is the largest population bloc among the Gulf states, made room for foreign ownership and provided facilities to investors. Qatar began strengthening its workforce through benefits offered to residents, as did Bahrain and the Sultanate of Oman.
In these countries, there is a state project with its own system that everyone is working on at a steady pace. Kuwait, on the other hand, does not benefit from the capabilities it has, and does not allow any initiative from outside to enter. A pathetic decision has been imposed on experienced residents in Kuwait to pay exorbitant fees after reaching the age of sixty. The same applies to those who have resided in the country for 20, 30, or 40 years, and those of who came today.
In other countries that are more prudent in management, a resident is granted citizenship after five years, or permanent residency, as is the case in Switzerland and other European countries that seek to revive their society and strengthen their local economy.
With us, there is a clause in the nationality law about “great deeds,” but it is like a unicorn… We hear about it but we never see it. This is why the state suffers from a drought of ideas, projects, industries, and innovations. On the other hand, those with a shortsighted outlook adhere to a naive saying that “All is well.”
In Switzerland, for example, there are professions that citizens do not take up, such as construction workers. The state seeks the services of craftsmen and masons from Eastern European countries, and sponsors them. There is no heresy of “Kuwaiti sponsor,” or the “kafala” system, which is why there is no human trafficking. Its citizens work in banks, the watch industry, chocolate factories, etc.
Kuwait cannot develop in light of the current prevailing mentality, which has caused the country to close down and pushed many Kuwaitis to flee with their money to neighboring countries.
This is what happened with the young owners of small and medium enterprises, who found themselves suffering from the poor performance of their support fund, just as the state did not benefit from those with experience.
It is as if there is someone intentionally making Kuwait tweet out of the region’s flock. For this reason we will continue to suffer from isolation until the current situation comes to pass.
By Ahmed Al-Jarallah
Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times
