By Dr Khalid Al-Saleh

kept hearing just before the Assembly elections many promises, and we hope these promises materialize. Elections are over, and 50 members of the new parliament were elected — the parliament which makes up Kuwait’s incomplete democracy. There were those who were not lucky in the elections, yet they got part of voters’ confidence, and for this they have an important role — they must make a start to complete part of the incomplete democracy.

They should start by forming the first semi — official party and through it follow MPs and support them in their stands that serve the nation, and confront them over exploitation and corruption. All those who did not win must continue their political activities; they must benefit from the incomplete confidence they received and work as one team for the sake of Kuwait.

Their slogans and the values they demanded were not conditional on success. The holder of values does not have their values dependent on entering Abdullah Al-Salem Hall, as Kuwait is more spacious than that building. In fact, being away will constitute a true start to completing the democracy, which I hope everybody supports. Kuwait’s constitution did not criminalize parties; rather observers of the constitution confirm that it indicated the forming of parties. Those who are against parties and stir fear against it are political groups of various hues.

Those against parties are tribal and sectarian groups who consider parties as an end of their control and monopoly; these and others want the status quo to remain as is. Heads of sects control their followers, and they are always there — they do not change or get replaced. But the legal party system is similar to NGOs — it has a statute, internal rules and every Kuwaiti no matter their creed or sect can join it according to its declared goals. There is legal justice in the party system and an end to the era of secret and mysterious leaderships.

Maybe the Turkish experience that ended a short while ago, and many Kuwaitis followed it, can be an eyeopener for us to get closer to their system. Candidates who received part of the people’s confidence must communicate, and maybe they will succeed in forming an influential gathering as the first party that has the confidence of part of the society in free and clean elections.