ARAB TIMES, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2014 LOCAL 8 DIWANIYA a digest of public opinion Leadership capable of settling any misunderstanding ‘Kuwait’s stability tied to Saudi’s Finance Ministers and Central Banks Governors of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries pose with International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde (center), during their annual meeting on Oct 25, in Kuwait City. Kuwait Oil Minister Anas al-Saleh warned energy-dependent Gulf states that the drop in oil prices has started to impact their finances and called for urgent economic reforms. (AFP) ‘Need for Gulf security deal’ MPs reject recommendations By Ahmed Al-Naqeeb Arab Times Staff and Agencies KUWAIT CITY, Oct 25: Kuwait and its neighbors need the Gulf Security Agreement to maintain security in the region, says MP Kamel Al-Awadhi. The MP made the statement recently while announcing his plan to nominate himself as member of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee and if he succeeds, he will run for its chairmanship. In case he does not get the position, AlAwadhi will request the Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee to reopen the Gulf Security Agreement file and reevaluate its constitutionality. On the other hand, source revealed that a number of MPs have promised to vote for MP Faisal Al-Kandari as secretary of the National Assembly if the incumbent MP Yaqoub Al-Sane does not seek for reelection. Speculations are rife that Al-Sane will be appointed minister of justice so the lawmakers want Al-Kandari to take over the secretary post while MP Adel AlKharafi had also expressed interest in the position. Sources confirmed Al-Kandari has a good number of supporters and he will most likely get the post, that is, if Al-Sane will not run for the position; because even the government has hinted on supporting Al-Kandari. Furthermore, the Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee will discuss a draft bills on Sunday such as the autonomy of the judicial authority, creation of a court specialized in managements of disputes and three other proposals. The committee will also look into the internal regulations of the Parliament and amendments that might be need to allow the legislative authority to continue the issuance of its newspaper, operate its own news channel, exempting it from supervision of the State Audit Bureau, and to be unbound by the Press and Publications Law. Meanwhile, several lawmakers have rejected the recommendation made by GCC Ministers of Justice at the end of their 16th meeting on Wednesday to surrender suspects and individuals against whom judicial verdicts have been issued in all GCC countries, reports Al-Jarida daily. MP Khalil Abdullah explained the Kuwaiti constitution forbids giving up the rights of its citizens to another country, adding such measures are not applicable in other GCC countries. He stressed need to refer the recommendation to National Assembly before its implementation to make sure it is in line with the constitution. For his part, MP Hamdan Al-Azmi said any such convention must be in line with the Kuwaiti constitution and law, indicating the parliament will reject convention that contravenes the constitution. Furthmore, MP Abdulrahman Al-Jeran said the recommendation made by GCC Justice Minister at the recent meeting is good, but it should not be applied in a negative way. He explained “it is necessary to differentiate between the suspect and the person against whom a judicial verdict is already issued. It is also pertinent to implement the recommendation with respect to criminals and those against whom judicial verdicts have been issued.” He hopes legislation will be in place for organizing issues of this nature to be able to thwart the plans of individuals that manipulate with GCC security. Kuwait Today Prayer Timings Fajr ..................................04:36 am Sunrise ...................................05:56 Zohr ........................................11:32 Asr ....................................02:43 pm Maghrib .................................05:07 Isha .......................................06:25 Weather Expected weather for the next 24 hours: By Night: Fair with light to moderate north westerly wind, with speed of 06-26 km/h. By Day: Sunny with light to moderate north westerly to northerly wind, with speed of 06-28 km/h. Kuwait Weather Station Kuwait City Kuwait Airport Abdaly Bubyan Jahra Failaka Island Salmiyah Ahmadi Juluiah Port Qaroh Island Umm Al-Maradem Max Rec 35 35 35 35 35 34 33 32 34 31 31 Min Exp 24 18 19 18 21 21 25 26 19 28 27 4 days forecast - Weather Sunday, Oct 26 Expected weather..................sunny Max Temp .................................33C Min Temp ..................................18C Wind Direction .......................NW-N Wind Speed...................06-28 km/h Monday, Oct 27 Expected weather..................sunny Max Temp .................................33C Min Temp ..................................17C Wind Direction ..................NW-VRB Wind Speed...................08-28 km/h Tuesday, Oct 28 Expected weather..................sunny Max Temp .................................33C Min Temp ..................................16C Wind Direction .........................VRB Wind Speed...................06-20 km/h Wednesday, Oct 29 Expected Weather ...........Clouds to .................increase + scattered rain Max Temp .................................32C Min Temp ..................................17C Wind Direction ...................VRB-SE Wind Speed...................08-30 km/h Marine Forecast Station Max Min Sea Today’s Exp Rec Surf Waves Ht Direction South Dolphin 34 23 26 3ft SW Umm Mudayrah 30 26 - 3ft SW Beacon M28 31 24 26 3ft SW Beacon N6 33 20 - 3ft SW Qaruh Island 31 27 29 3ft SW Umm Al-Maradem 31 25 - 3ft SW Sea Island Buoy 30 25 28 3ft SW Salmiyah 33 23 - 3ft SW 4 days forecast - Marine Sunday, Oct 26 Expected weather..................sunny deaths Maqboola Misfer Mahdi Al-Ajmi, 87 years old, widow of Hassan Hamad Daifallah Al-Ajmi, buried, condolences: (men) At Subhan Cemetery, Tel: 99558446, (women) Fahad Al-Ahmad, Block 1, Street 103, House 7, Tel: 55580085. Halima Khalaf Mashari, 65 years old, widow of Mohammad Abdul Kareem Al-Essa, buried, condolences: (men) Saad Al-Abdullah, Block 11, Street 171, House 25, (women) Old Jahra, Block 1, Street Abdullah Bin Jad’aan, House 41 near Falcon laundry, Tel: 90955515. Khalil Ibrahim Abdul Nabi Al-Qassem, 76 years old, buried, condolences: (men) Old Maarifi Hosainiya, Sharq, Tel: 69689993, (women) Shuhada, Block 3, Street 1, House 17, Tel: 99610852. Mariam Ahmad Mohammad, 75 years old, widow of Abdul Aziz Ibrahim Al-Faraj, buried, condolences: (men) Salam, Block 7, Street 707, House 15, Tel: 69991010, (women) Da’iya, Block 3, Street 33, House 9, Tel: 97259931. Mohammad Ibrahim Al-Saq’ubee, 75 years old, buried, condolences: (men) Nuzha, Block 2, Street Nasser Ibrahim Al-Saq’ubee, Nasser Al-Saq’ubee Diwan, (women) Nuzha, Block 1, Street 14, House 1, Tel: 25674417. Aisha Hassan Mohammad Al-Mutawa’, 74 years old, widow of Ali Ahmad Mohammad Malak, to be buried on Sunday afternoon at Subhan Cemetery, condolences: (men) Shaab, Kanadira Diwan, (women) Bayan, Block 7, Street 1, Avenue 15, House 35, Tel: 97914446. Sheikha Abdullah Faleh Al-Hajiri, 77 years old, wife of Uweida Mohammad Al-Nuweidil, to be buried on Sunday afternoon at Subhan Cemetery, condolences: (men) Ali Sabah Al-Salem, Block 4, Street 31, House 8, (women) Adan, Block 3, Street 25, House 5, Tel: 99779135. Amina Bakr Mohammad Al-Musa Al-Maghribi, 63 years old, to be buried on Sunday afternoon, condolences: (men) Mishref, Block 4, Street 7, House 5, (women) Zahra, Block 8, Street 829, House 29, Tel: 65131333. Moza Hizam Khuleif Muthayab AlUzeina, 69 years old, wife of Rashid Eid Rashid Al-Uzeina, buried, condolences: Salwa, Block 12, Street 1, House 97, Tel: 55806633/94444437. Fahad Dugheim Mutlaq Al-Azmi, 72 years old, buried, condolences: Jabber Al-Ali, Block 1, Street 4, House 17, Tel: 55075579/99841776. Fatima Ahmad Sayyed Mohammad Al-Sayyed Abdul Rassoul, 25 years old, buried, condolences: Bneid Al-Qar, Sayyed Ali Al-Mosawi, Tel: 65666663. Aliya Hamdaan Al-Sharifi, 61 years old, buried, condolences: (men) Al-Rassoul Family Hosainiya, Rumeithiya, Block 8, Street Osama Bin Zaid, Avenue 84, House 337, (women) Mansooriya, Block 2, Street 29, House 3, behind Yaseen Family Hosainiya, Tel: 51175222. Ali Ahmad Mayoof Al-Bishara, 89 years old, to be buried on Sunday afternoon, condolences (men) Faiha, Abdul Latif Al-Essa Diwan, Tel: 99990035, (women) Khalidiya, Block 1, Street 13, House 14, Tel: 99636653. Fahad Fuheid Fares Al-Hajiri, 37 years old, to be buried on Sunday morning at Subhan Cemetery, condolences: Sabahiya, Block 3, Street 4, House 678, Tel: 99805254/99988845. Oct 25, 2014 Sea state ............slight to moderate Wave height ............................1-3 ft Max Temp .................................33C Min Temp ..................................18C Wind Direction .......................NW-N Wind Speed...................06-28 km/h Monday, Oct 27 Expected weather..................sunny Sea state ............slight to moderate Wave height ............................1-3 ft Max Temp .................................33C Min Temp ..................................17C Wind Direction ..................NW-VRB Wind Speed...................08-28 km/h Tuesday, Oct 28 Expected weather..................sunny Sea state.................................slight Wave height .............................1-2ft Max Temp .................................33C Min Temp ..................................16C Wind Direction .........................VRB Wind Speed...................06-20 km/h Wednesday, Oct 29 Expected weather .............clouds to .................increase + scattered rain Sea state ............slight to moderate Wave height .............................1-4ft Max Temp .................................32C Min Temp ..................................17C Wind Direction ...................VRB-SE Wind Speed...................08-30 km/h Tide times at Shuwaikh Port 1st high tide:...........................00:30 2nd high tide:..........................13:45 1st low tide: ............................19:00 2nd low tide: ...........................07:30 Sunrise: ..................................05:57 Sunset: ...................................17:18 Recorded yesterday at Kuwait Airport Max temp..................................32C Min temp...................................15C Max Rh.....................................46% Min Rh......................................19% Max Wind .....................SE 25 km/h Total Rainfall in 24 hrs .........00 mm Recorded yesterday at South Dolphin Min/Max/ Air Temp ...............23/29C Min/Max Rel Hum ...............34/80% Wind Direction/Wind Speed.....N/16 km/h Prev Wave Dir/Max Wave Ht ..S/ 1ft Min/Max Sea Surface Temp.26 / 26 C Sea Current..........End of Upwelling — Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Meteorological Dept. “Many Kuwaitis are under the impression that any kind of instability in the elder-sisterly country — the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will reflect negatively on the situation of Kuwait”, columnist and former MP Mubarak Al-Duwaila wrote for Al-Qabas daily. “Actually, the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait has exposed the fact that Saudi Arabia is a natural and strategic extension of the State of Kuwait. “However, I was surprised to read a report that was issued recently by the West which mentioned the strategic intention of Saudi Arabia, after surmounting the Islamic State (IS) organization or the so-called DAESH, the Alawi regime in Syria and the Iraqi sectarian regime, to launch a campaign for countering the Sunni Jihadist groups in Saudi Arabia. “According to this report, surmounting this group will be achieved only by destabilizing the internal situation of Saudi Arabia, which, however, will pave way for Western intervention under the pretext of maintaining peace. It seems if the West aims to dominate the resources of any country, it would first hasten to sow seeds of sedition in that country in order to justify its intervention. This is what occurred in Iraq and Syria. “In other words, it is likely to intervene in the affairs of Saudi Arabia under the pretext of maintaining the country’s stability and uprooting the terrorist organization DAESH from there. “I felt the above introduction was necessary because of the recent Saudi-Kuwaiti conflict over the divided zone between the two countries. However, I hope the governments in the two sisterly countries will realize the existence of a huge conAl-Duwaila spiracy against the region. The participation of the two countries in the war against DAESH will not protect them from the sparks of this conspiracy. After all, there is no permanent friend or foe in politics. “Consequently, it should not be surprising to know that the remaining chapters of the scheme will be focused on us especially after we lose our sole ally Saudi Arabia over some fabricated differences. We hope that the people of our elder-sisterly country Saudi Arabia will realize that Kuwait shall always remain a front gate for the country in good times and bad. “We also hope our brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will realize that the robustness of the relations between the two countries will always represent a stronghold that can counter and deter the ambitions of the two countries’ eastern and northern neighbors. “In addition, we would like to stress that the stability of Saudi Arabia represents stability for the entire region particularly Kuwait. Any unrest in Saudi Arabia will negatively affect our situation, irrespective of whether we agree or disagree to this fact.” Also “The bond shared by the State of Kuwait and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is bigger than any simple and unexpected conflict because Saudi Arabia is our strategic depth and a safe haven for us after Allah”, columnist Yousef Awadh AlAzmi wrote for Al-Jaridah daily. “Every Kuwaiti citizen considers Saudi Arabia as his/her second homeland. Therefore, we believe that Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, by the virtue of their wise leaderships, will be capable of settling any unintentional conflict or misunderstanding between them. The problem at the divided zone between the two countries can be considered as natural and was initially related to the technical aspects. However, political intervention took place. “The issue needs to be dealt with through a spirit of responsibility and farsightedness for the sake of the two sisterly countries, keeping in mind that encouraging mutual confidence and fraternity between the two sisterly countries should be above any other interest. “Well done Kuwaiti government for not openly declaring anything about the conflict and for showing keenness to discuss the matter and come to a mutual understanding with Saudi Arabia behind closed doors so that such a manner will not give any room for people with bad intentions to interfere in the affairs of the two countries. “Such being the case, we have to deal with the conflict in a proper manner to revive the deeprooted relations with our people in Saudi Arabia, keeping in mind that frankness and mutual understanding between the brothers is necessary to boost the relationship between them. “It is natural for differences to occur between the two countries while they are partners in the divided zone. It should not be blown out of proportion because our interests and that of Saudi Arabia are quite alike”. ❑ ❑ ❑ “HH the Crown Prince described the current situation in our community as a dangerous moral deviation, and warned about wrong imported concepts that have taken roots in our community even though they are against our religious principles and the values of Kuwaiti tradition and culture. When an individual like him makes such a statement, it should be considered as a serious issue that needs to be dealt with instantly,” Dr Wael Al-Hassawi wrote for Al-Rai daily. “HH the Crown Prince did not fail to point out the state of misery in the region particularly in our neighboring State where people are drowning in pools of their own blood on a daily basis. “However, what is happening outside our community does not justify the spread of violence inside our community especially among the youths. Our ways of bringing up our children and the educational system have failed to protect our youths from deviations of all kinds. This phenomenon aggravated due to lack of prevalence for the law and principle of equal opportunity. “To summarize this matter, consider the following discussion between two Kuwaiti parents. The father told the mother that he wants their children to study in private schools that provide distinguished Western education and also preserve the Islamic principles and local traditions. The wife responded by saying, “There is no point for all that as long as the outcome is the same. What really matters is the connections that the father have and not the quality of the certificates. For those who are well connected, jobs are made available or they will come up with a position just to give the children of the well-connected people a job”. ❑ ❑ ❑ “We talk about development in Kuwait as if it is an elusive dream that we do not see or imagine except when we watch the experiences of other countries which got their independence either with us or a decade after us like the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia and Singapore as they steadily move towards development,” Dr Hassan Abdullah Jawhar wrote for AlJarida daily. “Many of us ask: What is the difference between them and us? Are they from another world? Do they have resources which we do not have? Do we lack the political stability they have? Is there a glimmer of hope that we will join them soon or even in the era of our sons? These questions come to mind every time we browse newspapers, hoping to read a report on the completion of a project to regain our lost glory. “I perceive the government’s instability, particularly in the past few years, is a major reason behind the state of randomness and volatility in the authority whose lifespan is counted by months instead of years. How can the ministers achieve anything within such a short period?” ❑ ❑ ❑ “The real problem in this country is administrative corruption which has led to financial corruption and as a result of this the development has run aground. It is seen in this country that the recruitment of some people is based on commercial interests - a trend which has taken over almost everything. This is one of the reasons why every single person is counting on others for selfish interests,” columnist Mohammad Ahmad Al-Mulla wrote for AlShahed daily. “All these things are happening and it looks like we are laughing at ourselves because we say we are marching towards reforms but in actual fact we are moving backwards, not forward. We have yet to find a reason why we don’t hire qualified people. In all governmental organizations there are thousands of people who are specialized in all domains and if we are to get out of the tunnel of loss, we need to change our recruitment system. “We spend lots of money to mend the situation but unfortunately our going backwards is pitiful. Why a state like Dubai has tasted success in every field is because of the manner in which the issues are managed. In Kuwait wherever we put our hand we taste failure because there is no accountability of officials who are above the law and this is what makes the situation worse.” ❑ ❑ ❑ “A three-month study conducted by official GCC agencies on 200 Twitter and Facebook accounts belonging to individuals aged between 18 and 24 produced important but dangerous results”, Talal Al-Saeed wrote for AlSeyassah daily. “Pages with extremist ideologies and concepts aimed to incite youths for Jihad and to join terrorist organizations in Syria and Iraq were discovered. They also found images aimed to embellish terrorism for the youths to make them believe that the latter will be rewarded for joining these organizations. This issue was not only limited in one GCC country. Sample accounts were randomly chosen from youths of all Gulf countries. The results indicated that 170 out of the 200 selected accounts support the extremist thinking. This makes us wonder how many followers such accounts really have. “It is unfortunate to see that the terrorist organizations are exploiting the youths through social media and enticing them to serve the terrorists’ interests. We wonder if the governments have taken any step to deal with this issue, especially since the study was conducted by experts.” ❑ ❑ ❑ “About 14 centuries ago, there was a conspiracy plotted by Quraish leaders to eradicate Islam by attempting to kill the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) before he fled from Makkah to Madinah. They though Islam will disappear after his death”, Abdulhameed AlMuhaimed wrote for Al-Shahed daily. “However, they were not aware that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) was protected by Allah who rescued him from that conspiracy. It is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an and Hadith as well as in Islamic history that his trip from Makkah to Madinah was not a simple one but was a special spiritual one. His migration transformed Islamic history. Muslims at that time, after they were chased from their homeland, leaving behind them their families, friends and wealth, always had a base at every corner around the world from where they worked to spread Islam. The prophet’s migration was the beginning of the formation of an Islamic State throughout his 10 years in Madinah. “These facts were presented by some of the prophet’s companions when they wrote about the Islamic history. They referred the migration as an important event and agreed to make Muharram as the first month of the Hijri calendar.” ❑ ❑ ❑ “The National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters exerts tremendous efforts to spread Kuwaiti culture and art in the country. It also diligently tries to introduce the cultures and civilizations of other nations”, Salman Al- Qallaf wrote for Al-Shahed daily. “It publishes a number of important magazines of various fields such as Alam Al-Marifa Magazine, Alam Al-Fikr Magazine and AlArabi Magazine. “In fact, I enjoy reading these magazines. I have subscribed to Alam Al-Marifa magazine which features various important cultural topics particularly for those who are interested in detailed explanations of such subjects. “However, such important and useful magazines suffer due to delays in their distribution because those who are responsible for distributing the magazines to subscribers inside and outside Kuwait take almost two successive months for the task. “I believe the cultural mission should be given to people who respect culture and can help in spreading it.” ❑ ❑ ❑ “It seems there is an aggressive war flaring alongside the international war against DAESH. However, this war is not against terrorism. It is an economic war in which the weapons are petroleum and dollar, and its goals are strategic and political. It is the Petroleum War”, Adel Abdullah Al-Mutairi wrote for AlAnba daily. “It seems some GCC nationals are fed up with the Iranian interference in the regional affairs especially since it is involved in each and every Arab conflict. Therefore, it has become necessary to confront Iran even indirectly like the Petroleum War. “Petroleum is a double-edged weapon but in the positive sense. It is possible to reduce or stop petroleum supplies so that its prices are increased for punishing the consumer countries. It is also possible to supply the market with so much oil and petroleum products that the prices will be reduced and the producing countries can be punished. “Despite the embargo imposed on Iran, the latter did not stop financing militias such as Hezbollah, Houthis and some groups in Iraq, and supporting Bashar Al-Assad in Syria.” ❑ ❑ ❑ “Ministry of Interior recently declared that the Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Public Security Affairs held a meeting with the leaders of Hussainias to deliberate on the necessary procedures to guarantee security of people inside the Hussainias”, Prof Bahijah Behbehani wrote for Al-Qabas daily. “The ministry urged owners of the Hussainias to comply with the Constitution and the instructions of security operatives stationed in the locations where their activities are held. It advised them to avoid any kind of sectarian or religious intolerance, and to not create any traffic congestions that could hinder rescue officers, firefighters and paramedics to handle emergency cases. “They were advised to report any unruly behavior or presence of suspicious structures or vehicles, so that concerned officers can take necessary actions in that regard. The Ministry warned them against disturbing people in the neighborhood especially since the Hussainias are located in residential and school areas.” ❑ ❑ ❑ “The problems that our Bedoun brothers are facing did not begin today; it dates back to several years! Government has always been forming committees to resolve these problems but we are yet to see any concrete solutions”, Marzouq Al-Heet wrote for Al-Watan Arabic daily. “Due to the determination and seriousness of the government to resolve this problem appropriately, Director of Central System for Remedying Status of Illegal Residents Saleh Al-Fadhala last week held a meeting with a delegation from the Personal Status Agency affiliated to Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior. The meeting was aimed to share experiences on how the sisterly GCC country managed this issue in that country. It will be good if the authority holds a similar meeting with its counterparts in Iran and Iraq. “Various committees in Kuwait have been holding meetings and forums for about thirty years regarding this issue but without arriving at appropriate solutions. Should we form committees to carry out series of meetings for another thirty years? “I want to ask our brother Al-Fadhala, who is known for his unquestionable patriotism, a question concerning the location of traffic lights... I mean the three segments which are demarcated with green, yellow and red colors. Are the officials no longer capable of resolving the problem? You have used more time than what you had pledged to solve the problem, but we have not seen anything except unending statements and drug injections.” ❑ ❑ ❑ “We recently lost a progressive Bahraini writer Abdullahi Khalifa. The Bahraini, Gulf and Arab literature movements have lost one of the pioneers of short stories and tales, who was also known for his various critical and intellectual articles”, Waleed Al-Rujeib wrote for AlRai daily. “The late Abdullahi Khalifa is from the generation of Bahraini writers who established the contemporary literary movement in Bahrain, which is currently enriched with authors and quality literary produce despite its small size and small population. “The literary movement in Bahrain has contributed a lot to the Gulf and Arab literary movement. In fact, some of the writers and poets among them have attained international fame for their literary work. “However, Abdullahi Khalifa and other Bahraini writers and authors did not stay away from the national matters affecting the Bahraini people. In fact, Abdullahi Khalifa was once jailed for his national stances. May Allah have mercy on his soul and give him eternal peace.” — Compiled by Zaki Taleb
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