Jadad that costs 20 bln

Results of inefficiency

IBy Ahmad Al-Sarraf

n Farwaniya Governorate, there was a desert area called Jadad where the wind-plant grew. The name was first changed to Shadad and later to Shaddadiya. It is the place where the government decided to establish a modern university almost 14 years ago.

At that time, the total number of Kuwait University students was 12,000. However, today this number has exceeded 40,000.

Unfortunately, 58 percent of the Shaddadiya University or Sabah Al-Salem University City is under construction. The project has not seen the light after the issuance of the relevant law in 2004. The government has committed major errors in terms of approval to assign the project to an administration team from Kuwait University that is weak-minded and suspected of benefitting from supervising the project, choosing the contractors and monitoring their work. The project should have been assigned to an international company, as billions of dinars would be saved.

The government was wrong when it submitted to the desire of the power of darkness represented in the separation of the two genders. The late Ahmad Al-Rubaei maintained silence of such a sexist decision, which resulted in the doubling of the cost of constructions. It was taken as a way for practicing corruption.

Every time State Audit Bureau criticized the increasing costs, the readymade justification was the silly law on segregation of genders. The government was wrong when it

Al-Sarraf

refrained from suspending the project after escalation of scandals and fire incidents which first was seen in 2013 and occurred five times. However, no report was issued by the university to reveal the causes despite the huge losses and postponement of the project for years.

The repeated fire incidents resulted in the delay of the project for years. The cost had increased from KD 500 million to KD 3 billion and 500 million. The project of Sabah Al-Salem University City will be recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the most delayed project and the most costly university. The expected final cost is KD 20 billion including the value of the land where the project is established.

If I were the President of Kuwait University, I would ask the academic figures to prepare an integrated study on the establishment of Shaddadiya University. This study would be included in the curricula to reveal the failures, obstacles, corruption, delays and the deliberate fire incidents. I would use that study to inform the future generations about the dangerous consequences of assigning duties to the inefficient. I will let them know the devastating results of manipulation and overlooking of negligence.

Some have a request that the elite of the society should go to the Maraje or the most outstanding Shiite clerics and urge them to request for amnesty for the convicted belonging to their group/sect. However, such a request is not possible in any way. Who defines the elite? Will they also ask for amnesty for the convicted in the Abdali Cell case as well? Will they do the same for those convicted in other State Security cases and the thieves who stole public money?

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