This was disclosed by Dr Khaled Aljenfawi, a well-known columnist and professor at the Kuwait University. Aljenfawi was commenting on the proposed grilling of the prime minister amid speculation that the parliament is likely to be dissolved. “The grilling might lead to dissolution of the parliament and this is something we can ill afford at this stage.
It is much better to start questioning the rationale of the interpellation right for MPs because all through our democratic history it never lead to substantial achievements in our political, economic or even in our social domains.”
Aljenfawi observed that the fundamental concern should not be the dissolution of the parliament and that the dissolution is one available option among many others.
Aljenfawi said the main priority should center around finding ways and means to avoid political chaos and to focus on the pressing need of the people and the country.
Disclosing that grilling tool should be applied only when all other democratic processes fail to achieve the desired end, he said that the proposed grilling is an untimely activation of a political process without giving time to either the government as a whole or its ministers to respond. “Therefore, grilling of the PM, at this time is very unconstructive and is a useless tactic, which avoids issues that are more pressing. It is much better to focus on finding ways to improve our economic environment in the face of a global credit crunch, which is currently threatening to collapse greater world economies,” Aljenfawi maintained.
Lamenting the current political scene, Aljenfawi said that in other similar political contexts, democratic participation would have opened new opportunities for achieving important national goals such as: economic development, improving the national educational curriculum to adapt for a changing world.
Mooting the point further, he said that the real democratic participation will help develop politically conscious electorates. “Our local political scene can transform into a medium where we can achieve some of our national projects. Transforming Kuwait into a regional financial and commercial hub in the region requires, for example, a re-examination of existing laws to enable foreign investment to thrive in our country.”
He said that foreign investors need more legal protection for their money and that they also need to be able to own property, besides being able to breathe in a free trade environment.
Aljenfawi noted that Kuwait’s financial and commercial environments continue to rely on daunting bureaucratic system, “which apparently discourages even local investors from doing their business.” Expressing his views on the ramifications in light of dissolution of the parliament, Aljenfawi noted: “Some of the consequences of the dissolution, if it takes place, will definitely be a gradual realization that we have reached a dead end. Our electorates will find it increasingly hard to be positive any more about democratic participation.”
“Perhaps it might open up newer opportunities to think over our national priorities, for others who have less potential than we do have realized some of their priorities. Many countries in the Middle East do not seem to have needed real political participation to increase foreign investments or to improve the lives of their own people.” “We as Kuwaitis should focus on our national unity. We should do our best to strengthen our social harmony and finally we should try to be more constructive toward ourselves and toward our country,” Aljenfawi concluded.
