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Quiz and clash in Kuwait

Political uncertainty is on the rise in Kuwait. The opposition MPs have filed a no-confidence motion against the prime minister, which might see weeks and months of turmoil before the synopsis is presented before the Amir for his final word.

The resolution against Prime Minister Shaikh Nasser Al Mohammed Al Sabah will be voted on January 5, as opposition legislators are more than eager to exercise their privilege of questioning the chief executive over a host of policy issues. As far as democratic norms are concerned, which are rapidly taking roots in the tiny Gulf Kingdom, this is a welcome development but it should not be furthered as an excuse to instill marginalisation of the society. The government and the opposition should seriously look into this aspect, and would be better advised to chalk out a congenial plan of action, wherein the difference of opinion is addressed amicably.

The prime minister, a nephew of the Amir, has been under constant political pressure since be became the chief executive in 2006, and has seen the cabinet fall five times under his supervision. This goes on to prove that the underlying reason behind the crisis has not been addressed to date, and it keeps on popping up off and on. There is no reason for the prime minister and the ruling elite to see the questioning process as humiliating, and should rather come as a feather in the cap for the ruling family, which has wholeheartedly enabled the democratic process to take roots. This is primarily a conflict between forces of tradition and neo-liberal sentiments, and has nothing to do with the overall respect that the royal family commands unanimously in all strata of society. What is required at the moment is to put an end to this parliamentary infighting and save the infant democratic system from being bogged down for long. Parliamentarians can do well by synchronising their priorities on a nationalistic basis, and stay aloof from politics of personalisation.