Opinion Spring in their step
How Kuwait is different from Egypt,Tunisia,Yemen
Now Kuwait. The bittersweet promise of the Arab Spring knocked on the doors of Kuwaiti parliament. The parliaments doors were flung open by demonstrators,who chanted the now popular slogan,The people want to bring down the head (of government). The chant popularised on Tahrir Square has made its way to Syria,Libya,Yemen and now Kuwait. But Kuwaits experience was different.
This was a sudden uproar,no long-drawn protest. Angry protesters egged on by opposition parliamentarians stood on tables,their white thobs covered in sweat. Threats were made through hand-held speakers: the people would return,the protests would carry on,until Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al Mohammed Al Sabah was sacked. This was a five-minute drama that left some parliamentarians in shock; it ended with a cool message from the Emir: law and order would prevail,for Kuwait is not yet another Arab Spring country.
It is natural to point fingers at Middle Eastern monarchs but Kuwaits ruling family is somewhat different. The Sabah clan acquired power not through conquest but rather through treaties with tribal and coastal leaders. The Emir,since independence from the British in 1961,has been answerable to the parliament,his powers severely curtailed by the constitution. It is commonly known in the Middle East that the Emir of Kuwait is not above the law but a part of it.
Kuwait is also no Tunisia,Egypt,Libya,Syria or Yemen,for they are autocratic governments,republics only in name as the constitution seldom counts. Kuwait,through its 1962 constitution,is one of the few Middle Eastern countries (the other being Lebanon) that ensures separation of powers,fair and regular elections,right to free speech and a parliament with a truly popular mandate. Unlike neighbouring Saudi Arabia,there is no law imposing the burqa on women; the people also enjoy freedom to practise all religions; Kuwaits press with a whopping 15 papers is the freest in the Middle East; and the parliament routinely sees the opposition criticise members of the ruling family openly.
Public discussion and gatherings are not outlawed but encouraged,as is evident in the diwaniyas culture. This is an experience truly unique to the country where those in power and with authority discuss politics with Bedouins while sipping cardamom-infused coffee. The diwaniya has also become a base for the opposition,and Kuwaiti blogs detail the plan to storm the parliament was sketched at one such gathering.
But Kuwait is not immune from corruption and the roots of the current upheaval can be found in a case publicised by the National Bank of Kuwait and the Kuwait Finance House (the countrys two largest banks). The two giants sounded an alarm to the public prosecutor after $92 million was transferred to the accounts of two MPs. The protesters have demanded an inquiry for months but the government has not acted yet.
This problem was years in the making: a 2006 WikiLeaks cable reads,The rapid rise in oil prices and the accompanying oil boom have fuelled corruption in Kuwait. Kuwaitis are increasingly beginning to ask where all this money is going.
But Kuwait may well ride through this. For one,the PM,a member of the royal family,has weathered crises before. The opposition has tried to have him unseated in the past and the current resignation follows six previous attempts. The Emir reappointed him each time.
Yet a sense of unease remains over Kuwait. The past year has seen not just protests but also strikes by employees of the national carrier. One such strike disrupted oil and gas shipments. Kuwaits oil revenues account for almost 90 per cent of its income; the country is the fifth largest exporter of oil following Saudi Arabia,Iraq,Iran and the UAE. The kingdom sits atop 10 per cent of the worlds proven reserves. This oil wealth allows for free healthcare for its citizens but has also fuelled corruption and stalled development in other areas. Many now ask,if not oil,then what?
Strolling in Kuwait City,the juxtaposition of the old with the new is striking: a modern shopping mall is a stones throw from a crumbly building. Infrastructural development was last a priority in the 1980s and only this year has the government allocated money for a five-year plan that will update hospitals and houses. A new Frisbee-shaped airport has also been planned. Greater attention has been showered upon Kuwaitis,with the Emir offering 1,000 dinar grants and food coupons to all citizens and it looks like change is coming,slowly.
This slow progress comes as tides of popular revolt and change buffet the Middle East. Kuwait may not be a country in revolt but in todays Middle East no country is immune from the Arab Spring.
express@expressindia.com
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