66 percent call for foreign administration of the Silk City

KUWAIT: A majority of Kuwaiti citizens believe His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah's New Kuwait vision 2035 would meet their ambition to see the Gulf country's future more prosperous, an official said Saturday, citing an IPSOS poll. Mohammad Al-Awash, Acting Information Ministry's Undersecretary, said 87 percent of those polled believed the vision honored their future ambitions. He noted that 83 percent of citizens polled in Kuwait's six Governorates said the government should create suitable environment that would help the private sector provide jobs.

Awash, who did not mention the number of citizens polled, said the vision aimed at achieving a high living standards for Kuwaiti citizens and future generations. He said 67 percent of citizens believed the government should organize and supervise services against 69 percent who said the private sector should do this job. The poll was conducted by an international firm in collaboration with the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development, and office of Minister of State for Youth. Fifty-eight percent, showed the poll, supported government's anti-corruption efforts and said corruption was the major obstacle against achieving the vision. As many as 45 percent of people called for confronting nepotism.

Awash said the poll also covered the ambitious Silk City project, which was about the development of Kuwait's northern islands. He said 90 percent of nationals said this mega project would make the vision more concrete, thus taking Kuwait to new development levels. He said around 80 percent of citizens said the Silk City should have an autonomous administration but in compliance with the constitution and State's sovereignty. Sixty-six percent of people called for assigning the administration of the Silk City to a foreign company with vast experience in running similar zones, like Hong Kong and Gibraltar. Awash said New Kuwait vision aimed at transforming Kuwait into a sustainable and diversified economy in a manner that meet the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030.He asserted that Kuwaiti citizens were a major component of the vision. - KUNA