By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: Many new candidates are running in the upcoming National Assembly elections - and Ayoub Dashti is one of them. The engineer hopes to effect positive change and gain the trust of voters in the third district. People's disappointment in the current situation and promises made by MPs that were not realized were among the main reasons for him to run in the elections. "Wrong government decisions, appointing people in wrong positions and corruption among other issues made people to lose trust in both the MPs and the government. This is why I decided to run in the elections and gain voters' trust," Dashti told Kuwait Times.

"To correct rampant corruption and build a new Kuwait, we prepared a 'homeland document'. This document highlights our opinion and solutions for these problems. It should strengthen the trust of voters in the candidates, which got lost with some previous MPs. This document includes solutions and our financial disclosures. We signed these clauses with a covenant that if we don't implement these solutions if we become MPs, then voters can sue us. Until today, nine candidates from different districts have signed this document, and more will soon, although we don't know each other personally," Dashti said.

"This is the new way of running in elections, and it's our message to the voters. The traditional way of running in elections was by holding gatherings, where candidates presented speeches explaining their plans. But we presented this document, including our goals and our financial disclosures, to gain trust," he said.

According to him, some conditions for running in elections should be changed. "Our election law is 60 years old, and it has to be amended. It's not acceptable that one of the conditions to be a candidate is just to be able to read and write. There should be requirement of some educational degree at least. We also need to establish an independent authority to supervise elections to ensure transparency, instead of the authority that follows the ministry of interior, which is not independent," stressed Dashti.

According to him, there are many institutions that are a waste of money. "We propose to allow the Audit Bureau to transfer any case of corruption to the prosecution directly. Also, we don't need to have personalized courts such as the ministers' court - all people are equal. Article 50 of the constitution should be applied for the separation of powers. I wonder why the previous MPs or legal experts didn't correct this situation. It's clear that they are benefiting from this situation. Such unnecessary institutions cost the budget high salaries, and on the other hand we have a high rate of unemployment," he explained.

Housing crisis
Housing is an important issue. "Why should the government distribute new houses in areas such as Mutlaa or other faraway areas, while we have military installations on the Sixth Ring Road? Also, the demographics issue discussed by most candidates is not all about expats - it's mostly about redistributing land to meet our needs. It's wrong to have crowded residential areas without green spaces. Today, people care about the environment and fighting pollution. We need to have more services in new areas to become model areas," Dashti said.

He proposes a modern solution. "3D-printed houses are the best alternative during the waiting period instead of paying rent allowance, which is not enough anyway. 3D printing is cheap, so it can be changed every 10 years, for instance. A 200-m house is suitable for newlyweds to live in for a few years till they receive their government house," Dashti told Kuwait Times.

"People can't buy houses because prices are extremely high. This is caused by manipulation of the market by some businessmen, who buy properties in residential areas to rent, and then the price of this house hikes. This is due to low tax of only half percent. All over the world, there is a cap on taxes, so a citizen can buy their first house without tax. If you buy a second house, you pay 30 percent, 50 percent for the third house and so on. This will stop real estate businessmen from trading in residential houses," he noted.

"There is chaos in the real-estate market. We need to establish an independent authority to supervise and control the real estate market to make it attractive for foreign investors. Then the price of real estate will return to normal and we can set a mortgage law that will allow anybody to buy a property financed from their salary. For instance, instead of paying KD 600 in rent, a citizen will only pay KD 200 and at the end own a property he likes," Dashti added.

No entertainment
"The weather in Kuwait is pleasant between September and May, but the government hasn't provided any entertainment projects. We have a long coastline where tens of projects can be built. Only in the area of chalets in Khairan we can build over six cities similar to the Maldives, with resorts and utilities instead of renting these areas at nominal rates. This was clear during the pandemic, when the cost of renting a chalet reached KD 1,500. The new generation doesn't play as there are no entertainment places, which will affect their personality," Dashti said.

He said the postal service needs to be developed. "People don't even know that there are boxes at the post office. And many people can't get one as their numbers are limited. During elections in the US, more than half of the voters voted through the postal service. We need to reach that level," he said.

Dashti also believes the kafala (sponsorship) system should be canceled. "Instead of having a kafeel (sponsor), the ministry of social affairs or the public authority for manpower can be the sponsor. Instead of paying visa traders, an applicant will pay a fee to the ministry, which will be a source of income for the country. This will also force employers to establish labor cities to allow workers to live in a decent place," Dashti added.

Dashti concluded by mentioning two important topics that he will fight for if he reaches the parliament. "Children of Kuwaiti mothers are oppressed. There is great discrimination in the law between men and women, and I will work on correcting this law. The first solution is to give children of Kuwaiti mothers permanent residency till the problem of their right to Kuwaiti nationality is resolved. The second issue is canceling criminalization of opinion and setting the rights of freedom of speech."