The most stupid of the lot is the government of Kuwait. When the Arab unrest began, the Emir pulled a fast one by giving every citizen $4000 for the next fourteen months and allowing the poorest to get all their basic shopping for free (for the same period). It seemed like a masterstroke and, some commentators even claimed that it was a sort of bribe (in short, he was buying his seat). However, while revolutions were taking place in other Arab countries, the wisest thing for any Kingdom or dictatorship to do was to keep a low profile and avoid anything that would upset the people. So what did Kuwait do that was most stupid?
In January, at the height of the Egyptian revolt, a couple of Kuwaiti guys were walking down a quite Kuwaiti street when they were stopped by a man in a flash car. He asked for their IDs and start questioning them. They assumed that he worked for the police but when the man began mocking them they, like any self respecting young men, beat the living day light out of him (with no injuries of course). Two weeks later, both guys were arrested and subjected to all sorts of torture (including having their nipples cut off). It turns out the man in the flash car was a sheikh (
). Anyway, one of the men died as a result of the torture and the story was leaked to the media. Now people are demanding all sorts of retrubution. Stupid Kuwaitis. KUWAIT CITY, March 15: The government should punish all those involved in the alleged torture death of Mohammed Ghazai Al-Maimuni and refer former Interior Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Khaled to the Ministerial Court, said participants in a protest organized by the ‘Fifth Fence’, ‘Enough’ and ‘We Want’ youth movements at the Erada Square in front of the National Assembly building on Tuesday.
Around 400 to 500 people participated in the demonstration, including several writers, political activists and lawmakers like Faisal Al-Muslim, Musallam Al-Barrak, Daifallah Buramiya and Hussein Mezyed amid heavy security presence.
Discuss
Thaher Al-Mutairi, member of the ‘Enough’ youth movement, stressed the need for HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah to resign before the youths agree to discuss political reforms. He also called for granting equal rights to the people, regardless of their religion or affiliations. “We should all fight for equal rights, including Shiites, Sunnis, urbanites (‘hader’) and Bedouns,” he added.
Mohammad Namlan, member of the ‘We Want group’, lamented, “Some parties have been calling us names. They said we the opposition and I agree with them because we oppose the spread of corruption in government institutions. The executive authority has done nothing but allow corruption to pervade all institutions, including the legislature, undermine national unity, and abduct the innocent and kill them.”
On the other hand, Attorney Mohammad Al-Munawer lauded the youths for their courage to go against the corrupt practices of the government. “We discovered the truth behind the death of Al-Maimuni due to the persistence of these youths to uncover the facts. Their determination to demand for the truth led to the resignation of the former interior minister,” he said.
Attorney Al-Thaqel Al-Ajmi argued, “We should hold responsible not only those who killed Al-Maimuni but also those who hid reports on the alleged torture and those who misled the public by submitting wrong information.”
Commenting reports on the death of some inmates in the Central Prison due to drug overdose, Al-Ajmi wondered if the fate of these inmates was similar to that of Al-Maimuni. He urged the General Criminal Investigation Department (GCID) to conduct a thorough investigation on such cases, while emphasizing the need to look into the drug overdose cases among inmates over the last five years to ensure none of them have been subjected to torture.
MP Hussein Mezyed said the Al-Maimuni case belongs to the youth because they were the ones who persisted in finding the truth. He believes the death of Al-Maimuni exposed the worsening corruption in the government. “We call on the judiciary to issue a fair ruling and impose the maximum sentence — death penalty — on those involved in the torture murder case. The incumbent interior minister should implement genuine reforms and replace the corrupt in his ministry with highly-qualified people with the ability to serve in the interest of the nation. His predecessor should be referred to the court because he is responsible for the death of Al-Maimuni,” he concluded.
MP Daifallah Buramiya stressed, “If the youths want change, then they will get it.” He claimed the former interior minister knew what happened and contrary to what he told the Parliament earlier, nobody has misled him. The incumbent minister should refer all those involved in the case, including Sheikh Jaber and some top officials to the Public Prosecution, or else, he will end up like his predecessor. He also called for the resignation of the prime minister to pave the way for the appointment of a more qualified premier with the ability to handle national affairs efficiently.
Apologize
Commenting on the closed door meeting between the premier and the family of Al-Maimuni earlier, MP Musallam Al-Barrak asserted it is wrong for the prime minister to apologize to the family of the victim behind closed doors. “He should have apologized publicly for the people to know the truth. He should also resign because he has dragged the whole nation towards corruption, while his government has been squandering public money and subjecting certain people to torture,” he added.
Al-Barrak also demanded referral of some officials like Major General Sheikh Ali Yousif, Major General Ahmed Al-Khalifa, Brigadier Mazen Al-Jarrah and Colonel Adel Al-Hamdan to the Public Prosecution for their purported involvement in the case. “They should not remain in their post. We should hold them responsible,” he said.
