Your Highness the Prime Minister, we want something after 40 years of much ado
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YOUR HIGHNESS, There is no doubt that the fruits of the new era are beginning to blossom in the process of restoring Kuwait to its pioneering position, as His Highness the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah promised in his speeches. This necessitates the Council of Ministers to be determined and active in eliminating the arbitrary legislation approved by previous parliaments under parliamentary tyranny. These legislators benefited from unrealistic interpretations of the Constitution, exploiting its multifaceted nature and loopholes to practice arbitrariness, unseen anywhere else in the world. They sometimes imposed laws that contradicted Kuwait’s social and cultural nature, aiming to amend Article Two of the Constitution as if Islamization of laws was the nation’s salvation. In reality, they sought to make Kuwait resemble Afghanistan under the Taliban, radicalizing society. However, Kuwait remains a moderate and tolerant Muslim country.
This arbitrary legislation disrupted development projects, as these parliamentarians used their power to pressure concerned parties to achieve their goals. Consequently, Kuwait declined in recent decades when these individuals held sway in the National Assembly. Today, there is an opportunity to escape the dilemma of development backwardness through many aspects that must be modernized swiftly, yet thoughtfully. This includes addressing the actuarial deficit in the Public Institution for Social Security, which reflects a broader deficit in the State. The Municipal Council took a commendable step by transferring land to the Ministry of Finance for allocation to the institution.
Your Highness the Prime Minister, a proposal exists for the State to save significant money and increase revenues by allocating northern land to the institution and other entities for investment in development projects. These could include warehouses, labor and industrial cities, and other ventures to serve the area. Another condition is granting a transportation license for moving workers to their workplaces. Additionally, free trade zones should be established in the region, similar to other Gulf countries, some of which have over 25 such zones.
The land obtained by the social security institution in the interior regions should be used for entertainment and other projects managed by Kuwaiti youths. This would alleviate their struggle while waiting for public sector employment, which has become saturated and turned into disguised unemployment, wasting public money. Rental fees in these areas should be reduced and paid directly to the institution by the tenant. Some plots could be sold to investors and industrialists, transforming Kuwait into a thriving workshop.
Your Highness the Prime Minister, a draft law on the northern economic zone existed in previous national assemblies but languished due to quota struggles, just like other projects in the North, such as Silk City. Today, the path is clear for you to truly implement His Highness the Amir’s vision of returning Kuwait to its pioneering position. The actuarial deficit in the Public Institution for Social Security is a management issue of public funds, not just the institution itself, which in other countries invests across all sectors with many arms managed by economic experts. Kuwait needs such expertise today.
Your Highness the Prime Minister, we hope you will consider this proposal. Kuwait stands at a crossroads as the wise Amiri wish expressed by His Highness the Amir becomes a reality. If the Council of Ministers fails in this mission, it will be a major catastrophe because Kuwaitis have awaited meaningful progress for 40 years.
By Ahmed Al-Jarallah
Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times
[email protected]
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