Media Law... Censorship and Doubts!
I have reviewed the new media law... and here we must ask: Do we have prior censorship of books? Yes, we do. The new law, titled “Regulation of Media,” includes a provision stating that books cannot be printed or circulated within Kuwait without prior approval from the competent ministry, and that the author must submit a copy of the printed work. The law stipulates 14 prohibited topics that must not be addressed.
The text requires the submission of a hard copy of the book manuscript to the competent ministry, where the submitted material is referred to a designated body for review. If approval is granted within 30 days, printing permission is issued.
As I read this provision, I find it overly stringent and indicative of a suspicion that every publication must be monitored. Imagine if all authors and publishing houses submitted their works; would the regulatory authorities be able to determine the suitability of what is submitted, especially since most books deal with Kuwaiti heritage, examples, and customs, and are largely unrelated to politics?
If the legislator had consulted with stakeholders, the Writers’ Association, or publishing houses before drafting this provision, a more efficient approach that saves time and effort could have been achieved. Therefore, my proposal is as follows:
Publishing houses or authors should submit their book manuscripts electronically, in Word or PDF format, via the “Sahel” application to the competent authority. The authority would then forward the material online to the censor or censors, whether internal or external. The response would be swift, as some titles do not even require reading, thereby completing the prior censorship process. Although we do not favor prior censorship, it should be noted that suspicion should not exist, as most Kuwaiti authors are intellectuals, and publishing houses and printing presses are fully committed to avoiding the publication of non-compliant materials.
My proposal is implemented in another manner in Japan. Although, to my knowledge, Japan does not have censorship, it places great emphasis on translation. Thus, any book published in advanced countries, whether scientific or intellectual, is sent to Japan on the day of its publication. The copies are then processed online and assigned to professional translators. For example, if a book consists of five chapters, each chapter is sent online to a translator, and the translations are completed within two days, after which the book is printed.
This is my proposal because the old method of sending hard copies takes longer and is incompatible with a state that utilizes applications and electronic communication. I offer the following examples: I had a book titled “History of Folk Groups in Kuwait,” or “Kuwaiti Poets Over Two Centuries,” or “The Poet Abdullah Al-Duwaish.” These titles clearly do not require censorship or a waiting period of 30 days or more.
