Al-Yousef to Al-Jarida: Dangers are imminent, unity is essential

The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousif, stated that the delicate phase the country and the entire region are experiencing necessitates everyone’s commitment to internal unity, awareness of the imminent dangers, and a focus inward to strengthen national cohesion and combat any rumors targeting its unity or undermining its solidarity.

In a statement to “Al-Jarida,” Al-Yousif added that, under the directives of His Highness the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the government is working to resolve files affecting citizens and residents that had remained stagnant for years and decades, acting like unhealing wounds in the body of the nation, until reaching a point where silence was no longer possible. This led to a phase of firmness led by His Highness, who issued strict instructions to apply the law uniformly to everyone.

He pointed out that among the top priorities, after making significant progress in addressing citizenship matters in accordance with justice and national interest, are combating crime, money laundering, human trafficking, and terrorist financing, alongside regulating the labor market and residency affairs, and tackling commercial concealment. He considered that the success of the Ministry of Interior and the government is not measured by the number of decisions issued, but by their tangible impact on the ground, the protection of rights, the reduction of violations, and the improvement of the efficiency of government services.

He added that the issue of the hour, along with other vital files, is the rights of expatriate workers, where chaos had escalated and was exploited by some weak-willed individuals to control the livelihoods of a vulnerable group and simple laborers, to the extent that it began echoing in the halls of some humanitarian organizations and damaging Kuwait’s reputation. This is something we cannot tolerate or negotiate over, as Kuwait’s reputation comes first and foremost. He explained that this clarifies the reason for imposing strict penalties on companies manipulating workers’ fates and suspending the files of 10,000 such companies for delaying and procrastinating in paying their salaries.

Al-Yousif emphasized that “Kuwait is a state of law and institutions, and anyone operating legally has nothing to fear, while those who violate the law will be held accountable for their violations according to legal procedures.” He noted that everyone is equal before justice, a point His Highness repeatedly stresses by prohibiting any exceptions to the law.

He considered that “the regulated labor market we desire in Kuwait is not built on exploiting the weak or depriving ordinary people of their rights, and we will never allow labor to become a means for commercial concealment, money laundering, or human trafficking.” He added, “However, we also do not want to waste the rights of companies. Therefore, we have been keen to support compliant business owners and facilitate their transactions, preserving the rights of both workers and employers, and preventing the exploitation of labor or its transformation into a means to achieve illegitimate gains.”

He pointed out that there is electronic linkage between the systems for labor force, residency, commercial licenses, and security surveillance to plug any loopholes that violators might exploit. He explained that integrated oversight helps identify fake companies and commercial concealment, verify the alignment of licenses with actual activities, and monitor violations more quickly and accurately.

Regarding traffic issues, Al-Yousif expressed his hope that traffic compliance becomes a daily culture, not just a temporary response to campaigns. He considered that “we are indeed moving in this direction following the implementation of the latest traffic law and the imposition of stricter penalties for violations. We have noticed a change, which is on its way to becoming a general culture, with many violations, recklessness, and carelessness in driving disappearing, especially after the decision to impound vehicles of those who endanger lives through reckless and indifferent actions.”

Regarding the fight against drugs and their traffickers, he emphasized that confronting this scourge is a shared security and societal responsibility. “In addition to the security pursuit of dealers and traffickers, we need to protect and educate our youth, as well as provide treatment for those who have fallen victim to this destructive scourge,” he added, stating, “We will not allow trafficking networks to target our youth.”