THE Constitution of Kuwait has made His Highness the Amir the father of power. He exercises his executive powers through the ministers he chooses. He also holds legislative power with the National Assembly. Based on all this, His Highness the Amir is considered the father of authorities. That is why he is the highest authority in the country.
When the people are frustrated with the Council of Ministers or the National Assembly, they turn to him to relieve their distress.
From this standpoint, we must read between the lines of the state’s visits to the other five member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and we know from them the status of Kuwait among the rulers and people of those countries.
The first stop was the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which has today become a global station for progress and advancement, after decades of backwardness and the attempts by some to lead its people into obscurantism and hardship instead of ease. However, with the uprising of King Salman bin Abdulaziz and his young Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, those worn-out rags were removed, and the sun shone again.
It has become a source of joy, and a destination for tens of millions every year to visit and learn about this powerfully rising country, which is racing against time in terms of growth, economic prosperity, and openness.
People come to it from the blows of the earth’s winds, its lights shine on the ocean, and its national product is much greater than it was years ago.
Secondly, the visit of His Highness the Amir to the Sultanate of Oman, the land of wisdom and love, brought the late Qaboos bin Saeed from darkness to light. His successor, Sultan Hathem bin Tariq, worked to complete the construction and prosperity of this country. Today, this country is the jewel in the crown of civilization and progress, and hard work at all levels, as well as an oasis of safety and knowledge.
His Highness the Amir’s third stop was Bahrain, that land that God endowed with the gift of kindness to all brothers, and kept sectarian strife away from it, thanks to the wisdom of its King Hamad bin Isa, who made the homeland for everyone and religion for God alone. He was determined to advance his country to be among the countries that have a standing in the world.
As for the fourth stop, it was in the Doha of security and sophistication, Qatar, from which the rain of goodness flows. Because of it, nations became aware of the people of the Gulf and their generosity. Thanks to the wisdom of its leaders, led by its young Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, who worked to make it the focus of the world’s attention, it witnessed creative projects in a matter of years, and also became an example of Gulf fraternal solidarity.
As for the fifth station, it was in the country of glory, the House of Zayed and Rashid, which in the last two decades has become like an ode to progress and civilization, and an icon of what countries striving to achieve developmental miracles can be like.
This was possible through the efforts of its president Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, and his supporter Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, by executing urban projects, relying on young people to manage the helm of the ship, embracing international universities and hospitals, and creating entertainment places of all kinds. It does not hurt that 90 percent of its population are expatriates.
In fact, it made these expatriates an added value at all levels, and opened its embrace to all creative people. No one used the demographic structure as an excuse, which is a slogan of truth intended for falsehood.
In the Emirates, the distinguished reception of His Highness the Amir was an expression of the extent of the love that its people have for Kuwait.
This was the conclusion of those blessed visits, after His Highness the Father of Kuwait was briefed on what those countries had achieved in a few years. Perhaps Kuwait will follow the footsteps of its Gulf sisters and move with confident steps towards progress.
Time is racing for it to return to being “The Pearl of the Gulf” and the icon of the Arab world.
Our leader is no less ambitious than the leaders of those countries, and our people are no lesser than their people. If the doors are opened to him, he, through self-initiative and determination to perform miracles, will be able to turn the page on the three decades that surrounded Kuwait with a wall of backwardness and depression.
By Ahmed Al-Jarallah
Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times
