They will retain their passports, but will we retain their loyalty?

By Dr M Ziad Al-Alyan, Deputy Editor-in-Chief

KUWAIT: I had the pleasure of attending a meeting hosted by First Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef Al-Sabah on Wednesday, along with my fellow editors-in-chief of Kuwaiti newspapers. The minister was straightforward and bold from the beginning, making it clear that he would not sugarcoat any of his comments during the meeting to address revocations of Kuwaiti citizenships. He emphasized the primary purpose of the changes being implemented was to rectify past mistakes.

"The government is aware that the situation is a difficult one,” he said, adding that he had been given clear instructions from His Highness the Amir of Kuwait to make these changes to ensure the prosperity and safety of the Kuwaiti family. The meeting was also attended by several ministers, including the ministers of commerce, justice and information.

Sheikh Fahad’s opening remarks were followed by a brief statement from Minister of Justice Nasser Al-Sumait, who explained that Kuwait is undergoing an unprecedented transformation for the long-term benefit of its citizens. He reaffirmed that wives whose citizenships have been revoked under article 8 of the law will still retain all the benefits they previously enjoyed as Kuwaiti citizens. This applies to all whose citizenships have been revoked, except those who acquired it through fraud, committed crimes against the state, made pejorative references to the Almighty or HH the Amir of Kuwait or committed acts of high treason.

The magnitude of the issue was made evident during the meeting, as live examples of fraudulent cases were presented. The harsh reality of the vast number of such cases quickly became apparent. The ministers emphasized that Kuwait will never tolerate injustice against anyone but equally cannot allow injustice to be done to Kuwait.

The salient points raised included the stop date for reviewing citizenships, which is backdated to 1987, and the announcement that suspended bank accounts will be unfrozen this Sunday. Wives whose citizenships have been revoked will continue to carry blue Kuwaiti passports and will be allowed to travel as before. They will also retain similar civil IDs. Additionally, those receiving medical treatment or pursuing education abroad will have their sponsorships continue uninterrupted.

I voiced my concern to Sheikh Fahad regarding the wives whose citizenships have been revoked despite not committing fraud or crimes. These women had chosen Kuwaiti nationality over their original citizenships, only to face revocation years later. His response was firm: "We are implementing the law,” while again highlighting that these women will retain all the benefits they once had as Kuwaiti wives.

Minister of Commerce and Industry Khalifa Al-Ajeel said wives of Kuwaitis who lost their citizenships will be treated like Kuwaitis in commercial licenses. Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sharida Al-Maousherji said many cases of dual citizenship, banned under Kuwaiti law, were discovered through biometrics.

Sheikh Fahad also said some foreigners who were granted Kuwaiti citizenship under the great services clause did not fulfill all necessary conditions and the commission is currently studying the cases of some 2,100 persons who fall under this category. The government has already revoked the citizenship of several people who were naturalized because of their services to the country.

Sheikh Fahad said a law will be issued in the next two months to resolve the situation of thousands of stateless people or bedoons. He said the law will encourage "illegal residents”, the term the government uses to identify bedoons, to obtain the citizenship of other countries and will also talk to those countries. The minister also announced that the Kuwaiti constitution will be amended but added that there is no timeframe for this process. He provided no further details. The constitution, which was issued in 1962, has never been amended.

I am categorically certain that the majority of these decisions are in the country’s best interest in the long run. The Kuwaiti identity must be protected at all costs. The naturalization of hundreds of thousands of ineligible individuals has been a significant burden on the country. However, I cannot ignore the fact that a minority of good citizens may have suffered a grave injustice. As this extremely fluid situation continues to develop, one lingering concern remains: While their passports will stay blue, will their loyalties remain the same?