By Dr Ziad Al-Alyan

A new face to the old system will simply flop

Once again, we congratulate Sheikh Dr Mohammad Al-Sabah for his new appointment. It has been an extremely welcomed announcement as Sheikh Dr Mohammad is one of the most educated and respected members of our royal family. He comes at a time when we find Kuwait at its most dire of state with a corruption’s perception index score of less than 40, leaving us with nothing to be proud of.

If I may remind our readers that a score of a 100 is considered clean; 0 being the most corrupt. I suppose for the optimists of us, that might not be such a bad score, after all. Our public education system has been on a spiraling downfall since the early 90s, with the majority of financially able Kuwaitis sending their children to private schools, which was something quite unheard of during the 1980s.

The country still, despite its small population, spends more than two billion dollars annually on treating its patients abroad. In a similar fashion to the education sector, most Kuwaitis still seek medical attention in the private sector. In fact, the government even subsidizes for the elderly in receiving treatment in the private sector through “Afia”.

While we continue to see road works at almost every corner, it is always “too little too late”. Our infrastructure and roads still resemble many third world countries with far less financial capabilities than our own. Our government officials are getting tired of the comparisons we make with our neighboring countries who have catapulted their economies and identities to become top contenders on the world stage. In response to that, one of our previous PMs commented “go live there”. The absurdity of such a comment is quite insulting to the Kuwaiti public.

Sheikh Dr Mohammad, let me assure you, that the public is with you and is thirsty for reform. Keep in mind, the system is categorically against you. As a graduate of Imperial College, London and the son of the Father of journalism in Kuwait, I am embarrassed to say, that under the current climate, democracy is not what is needed for Kuwait to progress.

We pride ourselves with a democratically elected parliament; yet being of a tribal nature, Kuwait’s parliamentarians are chosen based on nepotism, social status, affluence or endorsed by businessmen. Our democratic process has made us a laughingstock of the Arabian Gulf. Most would agree that the biggest impediment to progress in Kuwait has been parliament. Time after time, we see ministers being questioned based on personal feuds and not public interest.

Ministerial posts are only being accepted by those who are desperate to climb a ladder and make a name for themselves as truly worthy candidates often refuse to become ministers for the reasons stated above. The caliber and educational status of many of the ministers would not qualify them to lead a small local coffee shop branch, let alone run a country.

Dear Prime Minister, we implore you, to choose wisely. Choose the most educated, the most qualified and the most hungry to see change in Kuwait. Please abstain from the regular pool of advisors that have recommended previous ministers as clearly, they have let us down so far. Avoid the pressures of the enforced quota of minimum female, minimum number of Shiite, minimum number of tribal candidates etc, as a government needs to be effective rather than have the appearance of being inclusive. Empower your ministers, protect them and allow them to make the necessary changes without the fear of persecution. Time after time, I have sat with ministers who claimed their hands are tied as the decisions are taken by a higher up entity.

Dear Sheikh Dr Mohammad, thanks to your predecessors, the bar for success has been set quite low. Kuwaitis are easy to please. We need better schooling, better health care services, better roads and a healthy platform for those that want to excel privately to do so. Eliminate the archaic bureaucratic system that dissuades any citizen or foreigner from conducting business in our country.

We wish you luck.