There is nothing new under the Kuwaiti sun: Wholesale parliamentary interrogations of the government, from the Prime Minister down to his cabinet members; this is what I encountered in Kuwait a few days ago, and this is what I encountered in Kuwait one year and two years ago as well. I believe that the name that describes the parliament best is State Security Services, not the National Assembly. This addiction to interrogation is usually only pursued by state security officers against detained youths participating in an uprising in some given Arab country. I thus read in Arab language newspapers in Kuwait headlines such as: Parliamentary blocs agree on interrogation schedule; A queue of interrogations; Fahd submits [his interrogation] today, Al-Mohammad in April and Al-Sayer in May; then I read about 50 dinars [granted] to the citizens according to newspaper headlines the next day and the third day, all while I was visiting Kuwait to take part in the fourth session of the Spring Poetry Festival, organized by the Abdulaziz Saud Al-Babtain Foundation for poetic creativity. I searched for Arab news, or news about the Western airstrikes on Gaddafi forces in Libya, and the defection of half of the political and military institutions around President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Yemen. In the end I found a scant amount of such news in the inside pages. However, the two newspapers Arab Times and Kuwait Times offered me in English the news on Arab developments that was overlooked by Arab language newspapers. Thus the headlines in English focused on Libya and Yemen, or Bahrain, while coverage of the interrogations dominated those of Al-Qabas, Al-Watan, Al-Khaleej, Al-Anbaa, Al-Siyasa and Al-Jareeda. But I found Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, the Prime Minister, to have been less annoyed by the interrogations than I was. He told me in a lunch meeting that brought together a large number of friends, that Kuwait is a democratic country governed by the constitution and the spirit of the constitution, and that every MP hence has the right to interrogate members of the government. It seemed that Sheikh Nasser was dealing with the interrogations as being a part of his daily job. As I was listening to him, I remembered the story of the fortune teller who told a client that his next five years will be bleak and full of difficulties. The client then became frightened and asked her: And then what? She said: You will get used to it. The Prime Minister has ‘gotten used to' the interrogations, which a visitor like me finds tiring, confusing and an impediment to productive work. My feeling in this regard is that the MPs will find yet another reason to cause problems, if the constitution should be amended to abolish their right to interrogate members of the cabinet. I was in Kuwait when the medical team that was refused entry into Bahrain returned– after some of its members were accused of having ties to Iran or Hezbollah. I found that there is a political debate going on there as well, regarding something other than the issue of interrogations. The Sunni MPs said that the government of Kuwait, which sent naval forces to Bahrain, did not help its neighbor and GCC member enough, while Shiite MPs said that the government has gone too far in helping Bahrain (they were against any form of assistance anyway). But Sheikh Nasser assured me that the situation in Kuwait is stable, and that the home front is strong and resilient. I told myself that the Prime Minister knows more than I do. Then I was surprised to hear the Speaker of the National Assembly Jassem al-Kharafi, following his inauguration of the fourth Spring Poetry Festival, being asked about the attacks railed by a number of MPs against the Abdulaziz Al-Babtain Endowment. He expressed regret that the endeavors of Al-Babtain would become the target of such criticism, and said that what he believes in is that the endowment aims to serve public welfare, and not personal or commercial interests. I don't know how the MPs found a way to criticize an endowment that seeks to preserve the Al-Babtain Foundation for generations to come. Our friend Abu Saud [Abdulaziz Al-Babtain] had shown me two years ago a high rise that was almost completed, and said that it will be an endowment and that its profits will be allocated to fund the foundation's activities. I remember very well that he told me that he is certain the foundation will continue with Saud, his eldest son, and his brothers, but wondered who would guarantee this will continue with their sons and grandsons. I found his idea to be logical, especially as it came from a man who has the wherewithal to implement it. He is a poet and he is fond of poetry and poets, and he attempts unremittingly to encourage and nurture young talents. However, the Kuwaiti MPs seem to have a logic that is different from mine and that of normal people. I criticized domestic Kuwaiti politics and fell into its trap. But I return to the Poetry Festival which was inaugurated with the presence of Jorge Sampaio, former High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations and a former president of Portugal, in addition to the Speaker of the Maltese Parliament Michael Frendo. The festival was concluded later with the Bosnian ambassador in Kuwait Adham Bastch on the podium, standing between two Franciscan monks from Bosnia, comprised of one Archbishop and the president of a major library that houses hundreds of manuscripts, including rare Arab manuscripts and Quranic scrolls. (I shall continue with poetry tomorrow.) khazen@alhayat.com
