‘Arrest senior visa traffickers’
‘Population structure cause for worry’
“THE crisis of the population structure can be seen as a big communal problem under the current exceptional circumstances and the home quarantine which has been imposed by the State for all,” columnist Batel Al-Rajmat Al-Rashidi wrote for Al-Qabas daily.
“The government is paying the price of the years of leniency, recklessness and the unconcern, because since the liberation of the State of Kuwait in 1991 and according to official statistics given by Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI), the figures related to the population structure crisis, are steadily increasing or rather snowballing and the former governments have played a significant role in this connection because some parties have illegally benefited through suspicious deals that were concluded overtly and this constituted a black stigma in the Kuwaiti humanitarian action.
“Today, we are passing through a state of turmoil and hesitation but the government is directly responsible for such a state of affairs because it has ignored the inflation until the axe fell on the head and the National Assembly ignored the problem for many decades during which the MPs failed to agree to a project to ease the population structure.
“As a matter of fact, Kuwait during the spread of coronavirus is not like the State of Kuwait prior to the virus, because the general view of the country’s population structure undoubtedly shows we are facing a big catastrophe which requires setting up of a roadmap for dealing with the general state which currently faces foreign manpower in the country and this was evident through the video clips which have gone viral, the pictures of the daily wage expatriate workers disclosing the names of visa traders while workers are facing bitter circumstances.
“But the question here is, does the State of Kuwait – the country of charity, love, security and safety deserve from us such an inhuman scenes that used to be published sometimes by the social media?
“It is needless to say that the residence traffickers who had been declared by our brother the deputy premier and the minister of interior Anas Al-Saleh is a shame against all of us, as such these should be brought to book as swiftly as possible and through a targeting manner.
“Apart from the above, the deputy premier and the minister of interior, had called for bringing the companies which have failed to abide by the contracts and offended the image of Kuwait to immediately exclude them from any participation in the state projects, because these merchants offended the image just for making illicit money as well as due to their illegal striving for swift profiteering.
“As a matter of fact, the current population structure constitutes a heavy burden on both the state and the citizens and this calls for a rapid and serious move by both the government and the National Assembly simultaneously to uncover the influential people who fall in the category of visa traders.
“Meanwhile, we have observed that under corona virus crisis and the pressure of home quarantine, there is a leniency and setback in the government’s foreign policy, particularly in the wake of hesitation and absence of response from some of the Arab states to evict their residents who violate the Residence Law and this calls for rearranging the country’s foreign relations priorities.
“However, following the end of the coronavirus crisis, we suggest that the government should stop the socalled ‘the no objection policy’ and withdraw the latter from the hands of senior officials and expose the senior visa traffickers before going after the juniors and produce them before the Kuwaiti people, because a lot of expatriates, have managed to have access to many of the country’s joints, to such an extent some of them currently constitute a danger that threatens every security, political and social aspect in the State of Kuwait.”
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“With the rising rate of coronavirus infections around the world and the subsequent total closure of societies, many countries have laid down emergency plans in view of the possibility that the epidemic will continue for a longer period. These plans include ways of resuming activities according to specific and strict regulations. Perhaps, the most important plan is related to education,” columnist Adel Al-Ebrahim wrote for Al-Anba daily.
“It is not a secret that traditional education requires the students to be in the classroom. As a result of the health regulations to confront the epidemic such as social distancing, the students are the first concern in this distancing due to overcrowded classrooms which could be a fertile environment for transmission of the virus.
“Accordingly, a clear educational plan that includes multiple scenarios has become a matter of urgency. This plan must be ready now for the next academic year as students cannot continue without acquiring knowledge.
“Hence, the willingness to implement smart education or the so-called ‘distance education’ has become urgent and necessary during the first period of the school year – the first stage of the first semester. This should come with a thorough assessment of the health status of the country, as well as the stages of exit and recovery from the virus risk circle, which depend on the gradual opening of classrooms – not more than half. The number of students should be limited in order to fully implement social distancing.
“Also, the third stage relies on integrating distance education with traditional education, in addition to considering it an educational method as basis for laying down educational plans for the post-pandemic stage and final recovery from the coronavirus.”
“There are great challenges in front of HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah that require him to act quickly to renew or establish people’s confidence in his performance and capabilities, Mubarak Fahad Al-Duwailah wrote for Al-Qabas daily.
“The first challenge is the success of his government in addressing and controlling the Corona virus disease from spreading, and ensuring the safety of people, their life, livelihoods and health, which until today, is achieved. There are lessons with conclusion. So, we ask if the dispute among some ministers in the crisis cell lead to the collapse of our health system, as we hear, and the confrontation plan? This necessitate good attitude from the main leader.
“The second challenge is about redrafting the demographics, after the departure of hundreds of thousands of expatriates. Shall we strike the system of human trafficking that is pervasive in Kuwaiti society with iron hand? Will the Minister of Interior and the Minister of Social Affairs be able to overcome the pressures and influence of residency dealers? Are we going to hear the names “ringing” today on every tongue and see them behind bars? Or we will see them after the ordeal practicing their hobby by returning all deportees and doubling their numbers?
“The third challenge is the educational process, and how will it address the current dilemma? Will our children continue their long school holidays, or there is a way to make up for what they’ve missed?
“The fourth challenge is the state’s financial situation. How will the budget deficit be addressed in light of this collapse of oil prices, especially after the government has reversed its decision to borrow from banks to fill the deficit? Will the government listen to the opinion of specialists or it will follow the opinion of lay men on the street? Will it push through some projects and their vision in dealing with the economic crisis?
“These are some of the urgent challenges facing the Prime Minister. Does it prove to everyone that he is not subject to pressure related to factional interests, or is there anything new in the mentality of state administration?
“After the masks’ dealer demanded an increase in the price of mask, as stated explicitly in one of his articles, which was achieved with an increase of fifty percent, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, thankfully, announced the distribution of masks with the ration card, but it seems that the step did not satisfy our friend. He pressed again and succeeded after a decision was issued by the ministry to retract the sale of masks from the ration card!
“The strange thing is that the merchant, who is looking for his commercial interests at the expense of poor citizens, heads a charitable committee and distributes thousands of food baskets to expatriates (and not Bedoun)! No, he says he memorizes the Qur’an like: “Say He is the Great God”. I seek forgiveness from God”
“In the Arabian Gulf states, we have been exposed for several years to an evil square, which tried all means to stir up civil strife in our societies and poisoned our governments through media by spreading false information and fake media materials with the aim of rendering others to despise and hate us,” columnist Hamad Salem Merri wrote for Al-Seyassah daily.
“This evil square consists of ‘Al-Jazeera’ channel, Iran, Turkey and the Muslim Brotherhood. With regard to Iran, ever since the Mullahs took over the reins of power, they have been speaking out their hostility against the people in Arabian Gulf states, whether by words or deeds. Testimony to my statement are events taking place since the eighties of the last century until this moment, such as the attempted assassination of our late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the bombings of Mecca, rioting by Iranian pilgrims, the sabotage ‘Abdali Cell’, and espionage cells that were arrested in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain from 2010 to 2017.
“As for Turkey, it started broadcasting its hostile attitude towards the Arab Gulf states after the outbreak of what is known as the ‘Arab Spring’ amid its alliance with the Muslim Brotherhood Group to destabilize the Arab countries, including the Gulf states.
“We have heard and witnessed the statements and actions of the Turkish government, led by its leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and the Arab Republic of Egypt, which continue to this day, and the drumming up and support of the ‘Brotherhood’ for the provocative actions of Erdogan towards Arab countries, and their claim that he is the next successor of Muslims [sic].
“As for ‘Al-Jazeera’ channel, it was like a cancerous tumor implanted in the body of the Arabian Gulf states to draw its upper arm, spreading its toxins among the people of the region, with the aim of spreading hatred with each other, or between them and other Arab nations, especially the Egyptians.
“Aforementioned are brief examples of the toxins the square of evil disseminates in the region, and unfortunately, this channel still broadcasts towards the Arabian Gulf, especially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, and Bahrain. We ask Allah to protect us from this evil, and cause their plot to backfire on them.”
“Our country is going through an exceptional circumstance these days that also affects the entire world,” columnist Zayed Alzaid wrote for Annahar daily.
“The circumstance is the spread of novel coronavirus, along with its threat to public health, paralysis of all economic facilities, the government’s need to mobilize, imposition of a partial curfew and the threat of total curfew if the residents do not abide by the instruction to stay at home even in times of lifting the curfew.
“Because of these conditions, there is something we can describe as a normal state of panic spreading among citizens and residents due to fear of the unknown. This is normal in the abnormal conditions that countries go through when they are exposed to a pandemic, war or other dangers.
“One manifestation of this state of panic is the exaggerated attitude of people towards cooperative societies and the purchase of many commodities and food items – above their real needs.
“This is happening despite repeated assurances from the Ministry of Commerce, Union of Consumer Cooperative Societies, and the State-owned Kuwait Flour Mills Company that the national stockpile of food is sufficient and that food import lines have been operating in their natural form since the beginning of the crisis.
“That is, the ships and planes that bring us food still come regularly to Kuwait, but this has not stopped many from storing foodstuffs in a way which endangers food stocks in the country.”
“Without warning, the Ministry of Justice, represented by the Real Estate Registration and Documentation Department, decided to stop the transfer of any property to joint stock companies -- public or closed, unless it is done according to impossible and fictional terms!” columnist Ibrahim Al-Awadi wrote for Al-Rai daily .
“If any company submits a request to transfer a real estate property, the ministry is required to disclose all of its shareholders upon the establishment of the company and the list of its current shareholders!
“The ministry claims to be keen on implementing the law prohibiting non-Kuwaitis from owning a property directly or indirectly, and to ensure that all of the company’s founders and current shareholders are Kuwaitis. Is this reasonable?!
“Is it logical to have only one Kuwaiti in any joint stock company, even if there is only one share, especially if we take into account the fact that the number of shareholders in one company may reach 10,000?!
“It is known that joint stock companies, especially public ones, trade their shares on Kuwait Stock Exchange. According to the laws of the stock exchange, non-Kuwaitis are allowed to trade shares of companies.
“Does the step taken by the ministry mean no real estate company listed on Kuwait Stock Exchange shall own any property within the State of Kuwait?!”