By Nejoud Al-Yagout
Everyone is talking about the tragic deaths of 50 Mangaf residents whose lives were taken away by a raging fire that blazed through an overcrowded apartment building. There are also almost sixty people who have been injured. Both citizens and expatriates share the pain of this tragedy. And sadly, it takes a tragedy to revive hearts and remind us that we are one community regardless of where we hail from or our financial status.
As per a BBC report, "Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef Al-Sabah accused property owners of greed and said violations of building standards had led to the tragedy”. Yes, such tragedies can be avoided if owners consider the sacred importance of every tenant, rather than focus on material gain at the expense of the safety of people.
A previous lawmaker also stated that: "If the government does not hold the ‘greed mafia’ accountable ... and start the strict implementation of the law without any exceptions, and lay down practical solutions to the problems of manpower and the disorder in the population structure, catastrophes and disasters will happen again and only poor people ... will pay the price...”
Unfortunately, landlords turn a blind eye to overcrowding and building owners do not take into consideration safety standards. To be sure, there has been a swift reaction by those in power to arrest both the owner and the landlord of the building; but, sadly, if not as usual, it is a case of a little too late.
Why did we need 50 people to die and 55 injured souls to finally begin to inspect buildings? Why did it take us so long when human rights activists have been raising concerns for years about the condition of migrants in certain parts of our country? Are some lives dispensable? Are some considered less worthy?
This heartbreaking incident will go down in our history as a tragedy and an epic failure on our part. But here we are, holding our breath that it won’t happen again and that the lives of every single person in our country is treated as a dignified member of our society. And we can tune into the words of Shakir Reshamwala, who wisely stated in his article titled ‘We share your grief’: "We hope they can find some comfort in knowing that their pain is felt by people across the country, and we stand together in solidarity with them. This heartbreaking event is a stark reminder of how fragile life can be and the significance of showing compassion and providing support”.
Yes, life is fragile and what is needed more than ever is compassion for everyone.
local@kuwaittimes.com