IS Kuwait destined to be discordant, not only in the Gulf Cooperation Council, but also in the world. Is it meant to be a repellant of joy, creativity, culture and arts?

Yesterday, the world celebrated New Year’s Day. Joy spread among all people of all diversities, and the entertainment industry flourished.

Indeed, many countries, especially certain Gulf ones, have achieved greater financial success by recognizing from the start that entertainment is an industry, in stark contrast to the more restrictive approach seen in Kuwait.

Here, individuals appear confined, as if they are in a prison cell where smiling is prohibited because they violated the “negative phenomena” law, leading to a surge in drug abuse among other consequences.

People were happy to usher in the new year because it is a moment of joy in a world that is dominated by wars and crises. However, the scenario in Kuwait was gloomy because of the presence of a parliamentary force that opposes any manifestation of joy and happiness.

This force has been given full reign by weak governments to determine what is permissible and what is forbidden.

There are the many prohibitions that the Kuwaiti people have been enduring for nearly two decades to this day, to the extent that restaurants are prevented from playing music at the end of the year to celebrate the New Year.

During the time of holidays, more than half a million people leave Kuwait, and neighboring countries benefit from them. For example, in the Emirates, hotels are crowded with Kuwaitis during the current holidays. Same is the case in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the Sultanate of Oman. On the other hand, it is forbidden for any visitor to come to us.

This is due to the fact that the deep state and the MPs have erected high walls to prevent anyone from entering, except with special bizarre specifications, including the possibility of being miserable.

When you look at neighboring countries and their national output, and compare it with Kuwait, you find that we are more like a grocery store, and not a country seeking to diversify sources of its income.

In the Emirates, the tourism industry generated more than USD 25 billion in 2022. The share of Dubai alone was about USD 10 billion. On the other hand, Kuwait’s share of tourists was less than one percent compared to the tourists in the Gulf countries, and most of them were from neighboring countries.

It is important to shed light on this resource, which constitutes a wastage of about ten billion dollars annually, as a result of Kuwaitis fleeing abroad on vacation, in addition to preventing visitors from entering the country, which adds about ten billion or more to the losses.

There is no doubt that the first dilemma facing the tourism industry in Kuwait is not only the lack of tourist facilities, but also the backward laws that contradict the nature of the social culture on which the state was founded nearly 400 years ago.

In fact, there is an effort to tighten it further, and impose other restrictions that contribute to the closure of the country.

This impacts the national income, which urgently requires diversification rather than the squandering of human resources. What might be deemed as bribing citizens through salary increments and bonuses does little to alleviate hunger amid rising inflation. Moreover, limited job opportunities persist due to the intricate and numerous considerations surrounding the establishment of new projects.

Perhaps the coming days will bring good tidings, based on what we heard from our new Amir. In his speeches, he had heralded a more prosperous era for Kuwait, especially with regard to correcting the relationship between the two authorities, and not having one overpower the other.

Nevertheless, it remains to be said that we must thank the MPs of extremism and weak governments, as they refrained from enacting a law that would prohibit citizens and residents from exchanging congratulations on holidays and special occasions, particularly at the onset of each new year. Otherwise, a circle of restriction would have been fully realized.

By Ahmed Al-Jarallah

Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times