The Solution to Supply Crimes?

Hardly a week passes without hearing or reading about customs inspectors’ success in seizing smuggled food supplies found in suitcases or containers destined for export. The question is: Why does this shameful practice persist, despite the perpetrators’ knowledge that the penalties far outweigh the profits from this illegal act? The reason appears to lie in the ease of obtaining these goods, often at a bargain price, coupled with the reputation of Kuwaiti food supplies for their high quality, which makes it easy to sell them at a reasonable profit in several countries, including Egypt, Sri Lanka, and some neighboring states. Moreover, there are always those eager to sell what they obtain, almost for free, at a modest price differential.

Maintaining the status quo under the pretext that this subsidy serves needy citizens may appear compassionate, but it is inaccurate. We must consider better ways to alleviate the cost-of-living burden on these individuals and halt the clear, ongoing damage to public funds, which has persisted for nearly 55 years. The cost of this damage may have far exceeded $25 billion, and this figure accounts only for food subsidies, not to mention the amounts spent and still being spent on subsidies for fuel, water, electricity, and other utilities.

Food subsidies can be curtailed and, subsequently, applied to other subsidized goods through one of the following methods:

1. Paying a fixed monthly amount deposited directly into the bank account of each family proven to be in need, allowing them to spend it as they see fit.

2. Granting these families the right to purchase their necessities from their local cooperative society within a specified monthly allowance, with any unused portion returned to the state.

To minimize waste and ensure, as much as possible, that subsidized goods reach the most needy families, applicants must submit a request through their local cooperative society to the relevant authority. They must sign a written declaration affirming their need for the subsidized goods and commit not to dispose of them in any manner, accepting responsibility for any violation. Applicants must also acknowledge that they belong to low-income households, with a monthly income not exceeding, for example, 1,000 or 2,000 Kuwaiti dinars. In the event of providing misleading information or disposing of the goods illegally, the family will be deprived of access to subsidized goods for a specified period.

The mere existence of such a declaration and the requirement to sign it would deter a large number of people from applying for subsidized food items—including myself and tens of thousands of others—not because we lack need for these goods, but because we do not wish to increase the state’s burden, especially under these difficult circumstances, to prepare for the uncertainties of the future, and to avoid competing with low-income families for their share of state funds.

Furthermore, the relevant authority should remove sugar from the list of subsidized items, as there is hardly a household in Kuwait today without a member suffering from diabetes. It is also necessary to end subsidies on “luxury” items such as Zubidi bread, shrimp, and similar products.

Note: Self-proclaimed champions of honor and patriotism will shout to the best of their ability; we shall refrain from responding.

Ahmed Al-Sarraff