‘Equal rights for all in Kuwait’

‘Amiri gesture joy for citizens, expats’

“HIS Highness the Amir’s initiative to cancel the debts of citizens and residents should be an example and a guiding light in this time of fanaticism and tension that have prevailed in the country since its liberation,” columnist wrote for

daily. “The Kuwaitis at the moment are divided into sects and groups. They antagonize and fight against each other. And if they decide to unite, they unite against the poor expatriates.

“It is needless to say the sublime gesture of HH the Amir which covers both the citizens and the expatriates, means the State of Kuwait doesn’t differentiate between the humanity of the residents (the expatriates) and their requirements irrespective of their race and belonging as the country’s Constitution emphasizes.

“In other words, the expatriates and Kuwaitis are all human beings. They have the same potentials and face the same challenges. Likewise, they have the same joint pains and aims.

“Hence, the Amiri initiative which covers the residents is a frank and obvious gesture towards all who live on the soil of Kuwait to deal with others in light of His Highness’ humanity, generosity and sympathy.

“The supreme Amiri initiative must be an impetus for all to forget the fabricated differences in order to co-exist and cooperate for the benefit of the country and its residents.

“Thus, we see this initiative coinciding with the waiving of verdicts against those who were convicted on storming the National Assembly. This makes the National and Liberation Days holidays a real time for all — for opponents, the loyalists, the expatriates and Kuwaitis.

“Equality and justice are a human principle adopted by the founding founders of the country and as such Article 3 of the Constitution of Kuwait conforms to these humanitarian principles. The explanatory memorandum explicitly refers to the obligation to comply with the provisions of the International Covenant on Human Rights when it comes to the protection and civil rights of the population of the State of Kuwait.

“Such being the case, we hope the sublime Amiri initiative will guide us to return truly and honestly to the democratic system of the country and eventually make justice, freedom and equality widespread as His Highness desires freedom and equality for all without any exception.

“These words are not just for people, or for themselves, but for the government, which seems to spare no effort in restricting the freedoms or in other terms shows bias toward backward religious groups and the influential people at the expense of the principles of freedom, justice and equality which is the mainstay of the Constitution and the same is embodied in the Amiri initiative.”

Al-Duaij

“This is indeed the real humanitarian work. It is the ethical touch that expresses the volume of the human dimension of this symbolic leader, particularly in terms of humbleness — his love for charity — the eloquence of his sensitivity towards others and his understanding of the suffering of the insolvent men who may find themselves behind bars because they failed to settle their debts,” columnist wrote for daily. “It is the mercy that dwells in the heart of this leader towards their families — women and children, elderly parents. Hence, motivated by his purity and spirit of his soul, he issued orders to pay the debts of the citizens and expatriates and this means when the human dimension flow it does not differentiate between human beings who suffer due to problems and ordeals, the calamities and tribulations and more than the plight.

“It is painful to see the debtors suffering, the first pain is the circumstances inside the prison, the second is the very thought of the loved ones who are suffering due to his absence because their breadwinner is behind bars.

“God is great, Your Highness, you are a unique leader. Through your humanitarian work you are proving to the world on a daily basis the sublime meaning of humanitarian action and affirm to this world that Kuwait does not sink in this aspect because in its work Kuwait always looks to the sky seeking satisfaction from its Creator and longing for His love and mercy and love of His Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and His humanity.

“Oh your Highness, you are very unique indeed and this is evident through your spirit in your work towards humanity filled with purity and neutrality before Almighty Allah.

“This is Sabah Al-Ahmad totally engrossed in charity work through humanity and great spiritual mercy. By the virtue of Almighty Allah, he is a leader of multiple skills. He is an excellent politician indeed, skilful diplomat and a distinguished human being.

“But when it comes to the law, he is indeed a different person keen to apply the law on all without discrimination. He has never interfered with the work of the judiciary and this reflects his commitment to Article 163 of the Kuwaiti Constitution which stipulates ‘No Authority may wield any dominion over a judge in his rendering of justice and in no circumstance shall interference be permissible in its performance. The law shall guarantee the autonomy of the judiciary and define the judges’ warranties, the provisions concerning them, and the conditions governing their immunity from dismissal’.”

“His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah is a humanitarian leader, and we are used to calling him the virtuous leader and man of great initiatives whose honorable positions and generosity cut across the entire world, including his own country where he exchanges mutual love with citizens,” wrote for daily.

“The Amir ordered payment of debts owed by Kuwaiti and expatriate inmates on his personal account. He took the decision to reunite the debtors with their families during the National Days festivities. This kind gesture affirms the Amir looks at two sides; the first side entails Kuwaitis and expatriates living in our beloved country, while the other side is the entire world.

“This initiative, preceded by Kuwait International Conference for Reconstruction of Iraq, affirms the Amir has a big heart full of humanity. The conference hardly ended before the Amir started looking into ways to assist debtors in the country; citizens and expatriates, to help them restart life and united with their children and relatives.”

“The media has since published a series of statements from Civil Service Commission on its decision to terminate the service of expatriate employees when they reach age 65, in line with Article 32 of civil service Law 15/1979 concerning civil service,” columnist wrote for

daily. “The question is whether the decision has enough scientific bases or not. Is the country’s need restricted to scientific, technical, academic specifications without taking into account Kuwait’s Vision 2035?

“We know the average lifespan of humans has increased from 65 years to 75 years in the last decade. Add to this, many expatriates who are 70 years old and above still depend on the country for many reasons, and if the law is applicable to all, it should include Kuwaitis who are above 65 years old relying on the executive and administrative system, which costs the state hundreds of millions of dinars annually.”

“In a gesture that can only be seen in Kuwait and embodies the real meaning of humanity, generosity, and wisdom, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah ordered the payment of debts of Kuwaiti and expatriate inmates,”

wrote for daily. “His Highness the Amir’s humanitarian act serves as a good example of the greatness and the wonderful humanitarian sense of the leadership of Kuwait. Such situations and initiatives from His Highness the Amir are not strange for those who follow his concerns, as they know he is keen about the well-being and security of his people.

“Undoubtedly, such an initiative, which made thousands of Kuwaiti and expatriate families happy and removed a big burden for them, has returned the hope of a good life that is free of concerns and obstacles.

“His Highness the Amir has affirmed that he is the leader and father to every person who lives on this good land. He has a big heart which is filled with love, sympathy and fatherliness for all his sons on this land.”

“A large number of Filipino people consider the decision of their president to ban Filipino expatriates from coming to Kuwait as a patriotic one. At the same time, many Kuwaitis consider this decision as injustice and a form of blackmail against Kuwait,”

wrote for daily. “Each party has their own justifications. However, this situation is an alarm bell for the government to take the matter into consideration. Yes, there are several cases of injustice and abuse in Kuwait. Topping these cases is the delay in payment of salaries by almost seven months. Nevertheless, these cases of injustice do not mean they happen throughout Kuwait. Kuwait also has carried out countless number of humanitarian activities for expatriates of all nationalities.

“Meanwhile, there are some expatriates who are involved in crimes and violations but that does not mean all expatriates are the same. The issue does not mean one team has to win and the other should be defeated. This issue necessitates careful study of the labor laws in order to ensure such cases of injustice and abuse do not happen in the future. Serious solutions concerning the demographic imbalance and determining the quota of laborers from each country is necessary in order to avoid the consequences of a situation when any country recalls all their laborers.

“What can we expect from an expatriate who left his country to come to Kuwait but has not received his salary for seven months? Surely, he is a potential criminal out of desperation. A visit to an area like Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh will reveal the tragic conditions expatriates face. An expatriate laborer once told me there are many laborers who have been staying there for more than eight years without a valid residency.

“I call upon His Highness Sheikh Nasser Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to form a team for handling this disorder within a period not exceeding three months. Such a step will be the basis of the economic reform that we seek. I request him to also delegate a team to works in neighboring countries such as Dubai and study their experiences.”

“Kuwait recently celebrated the 12th anniversary of the reign of His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad as the Crown Prince of Kuwait,”

wrote for daily. “His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has chosen Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad to support and help him in building the modern state of Kuwait and to continue the march of progress and development.

“His Highness the Crown Prince reached the position solely on merit. He is distinguished with efficiency and eligibility that qualify him to take up this position based on the conditions specified by the Constitution of Kuwait.

“We Kuwaitis are proud of His Highness the Crown Prince who has realized great achievements throughout his long political history since the 1960s. He has the characteristics of a distinguished leader with strictness, tolerance, sympathy and ability to confront challenges and difficult situations with wisdom and firmness.”

“For a long time, there were expectations of legislative firmness by the National Assembly with the cooperation of the government to tackle the serious issue of containers that were smuggled from a port in the country,” wrote for daily.

“After a long wait that lasted many months, the parliamentary session in this regard finally happened recently. The file was reviewed and its seriousness was understood especially the extent of governmental leniency in dealing with the issue of containers being smuggled out of the port without any serious control or action taken in this regard.

“Regarding the smuggling of 14 containers, people are waiting for the disclosure of the identity of the person responsible for this. The silence of the government in terms of taking any action against the suspects puts the government within the circle and makes us wonder if those involved are from within the government or Kuwait Ports Authority or General Administration of Customs.”