Encourage the youth, Your Highness the President
No one in Kuwait opposes economic regulation or efforts to secure opportunities for young entrepreneurs to innovate by creating small businesses and relying on themselves, rather than seeking employment in the public sector. Historically, Kuwaiti society was built on individual initiative, which formed the basis of the pre-oil economy.
Therefore, when the state began regulating small businesses and established a fund to support them, this move was widely welcomed by citizens and yielded significant benefits for the private sector. Conversely, some young men and women who relied on their own resources did not utilize that fund. Instead, they worked with their own efforts and established their own projects. Initially, they received encouragement, but recently they have faced numerous obstacles that led some to suffer losses, and even imprisonment.
Arab News Desk
Arabs and the Peoples of the Middle East
These individuals attempted to serve the national economy in their own way, but certain decisions slammed doors in their faces. This drives them away from individual initiative and encourages graduates to seek jobs in the public sector, thereby increasing the burden on the state’s general budget.
Thus, the decisions taken in this regard appear to lack a scientific basis; rather, they seem more rooted in selfishness and personal interests than in supporting individual development, which is the foundation of sustainable development.
I have followed this issue through my interactions with a number of young people on social media who have been burdened heavily by these decisions and laws. A considerable number of them lost their money as a result, even though, before these decisions were made, they were working to develop their projects and had succeeded. Some of their businesses were self-sustaining, while others were partnerships. I will not delve into the details of those projects.
It is true that markets self-correct periodically and competition is the ultimate arbiter. However, when state pressure stems from regulations unrelated to encouraging individual initiative, but rather driven by short-sighted economic thinking, it naturally leads to greater reliance on the state’s single source of income. In colloquial terms, it is like saying, “You haven’t gained anything, O Bouzid.” Consequently, we remain trapped in a vicious cycle.
It is well known in all economies that states encourage individual initiative, even serving these entrepreneurs intelligently through the facilities granted to them. Moreover, they go further by purchasing from them if they produce goods that serve the state.
In contrast, there have been decisions that caused these individuals to suffer losses. During last Ramadan and the one before it, there were numerous individual initiatives by Kuwaiti youth and young women in public parks. Suddenly, a decision was issued prohibiting such activities and closing the parks, while shops on the other side of the same street continued to operate, leading to the loss of these young people’s projects.
This is just one example; many other decisions can be measured against it that effectively kill individual initiative. Meanwhile, the state suffers from a growing number of graduates each year, which increases disguised unemployment in the public sector. How can the state encourage the private sector while preventing these people from taking initiative? How can there be freedom of work for them while simultaneously restricting their access to state assets, given that we have vast areas of unused land in the country?
The answer to this question, and others, is directed at all ministers and His Highness the Prime Minister. Indeed, everyone should listen to these proactive young people and follow up on the issues they raise in the media and on social networking platforms. These young individuals are the lifeblood of the national economy and the future of Kuwait; therefore, we must encourage them rather than erect obstacles in their path or stifle their creativity.
