The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmed Al-Nawaf during an interaction with senior Interior Ministry officials stressed on the necessity of dealing with the public, citizens and residents, with respect, away from injustice or insult, especially for the expatriates who should be treated with one rule, either American or Indian should be treated in the same manner.
A local Arabic daily quoting the minister said, injustice does not exist in his dictionary, and promised to punish any officer who abuses his authority to harm the citizen or resident, that he will not have a place in the Ministry of Interior, after taking legal measures against him.
In his address to the security officials and employees at the ministry headquarters yesterday who gathered to congratulate him on his new position, Al-Nawaf stressed the need to implement the law and punish those who violate it.
The demographic structure will be discussed through the Council of Ministers, to deal with the huge numbers that come to Kuwait when it is beyond the ministry’s capacity, by adjusting the demographic structure, and utilizing the energies of Kuwaiti youth, an issue that will be his main concern.
The minister addressed the leaders by saying, everyone knows the size of the heavy responsibilities that fall on the Ministry of Interior and praised the role of the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, Lieutenant-General Anwar Al-Barjas, saying “Most of you know it well and know his nature, and I ask you to cooperate with each other and I promise you that no matter what I do, I will not oppress anyone, and (injustice is not in my dictionary), I came to fix the situation, and this does not mean that some will be angry with me, for transfer, retirement and/or the process of restructuring,” calling it “part of life and we must accept it, and I hope that no one will get angry with me if he is transferred to another sector or sent to retirement, and Lieutenant-General Al-Barjas is the best proof of this. No one gets angry, when the undersecretary nominates names for transfer, retirement or promotion, and we approve them.”
He continued, “I came to the ministry to try and do everything I can to advance it, and if we do not cooperate, we will not advance the ministry, and I am confident that if we join hands, the desired goals will be achieved, and I will have a close meeting with you to discuss all issues and problems from the largest to the smallest, and to develop solutions to them.”
The door of Lieutenant General Al-Barjas, he said, is open to everyone, as he is currently seeking to take all steps aimed at developing the ministry, so he will listen to all problems, and he will receive any officer who has already been wronged and will solve his problem, and with the application of the law, no one will be wronged.”
He added, “Let us be keen on the issue of citizens in the first place. We have know his requirements. Most of those who deal with citizens are non-commissioned officers in public security, emergency services and traffic.
“They feel people’s pulse, and when they come to the police stations with complaints, they must be taken care of, focus on the citizens and help them as much as you can, rightly and not arbitrarily, the young must be respected before the old, and the newcomer must be respected, whether he is an Indian or an American, and respect from you must be for all segments of society and those residing on the beloved land, through just dealings with them, especially by the officers and security men who work in the field.
“If you want to issue a violation, this should be done with respect, and believe me, any complaint against an officer who offends and abuses the citizen or resident legal procedures that will be taken against him, will have no place among us, because the one who does not respect the citizen and the resident does not respect his country, and we will also not respect him.
“I hope that everyone respects everyone, apply the rule of law to everyone, overcoming the obstacles they face and facilitating their affairs should be the norm of work, and this will reflect on the reputation of government agencies.
“Put God in front of you while you pray while you work, try to serve your country to the satisfaction of your Lord, do not trumpet, do not be afraid, and have the authority to decide, be a decision-maker, as long as you know that you apply the law, so issue your decision and do not be oppressed and I hope to convey this message to our fellow officers and our military sons, I came to serve Kuwait and put my hand in yours, so do not go to the side that I am harmed by, which is to oppress and abuse people.
“Most of you know me well, and know my style, I do not accept things that offend the citizen, as it is my main job, and I came to serve him.”
The minister concluded his speech by saying: “The number of citizens is small, and there will be coordination with the Council of Ministers to study the huge numbers that come to Kuwait when they are above requirement, and the demographic structure must be modified, and we must exploit the energies of Kuwaiti youth who do not have a job, and this file is our concern, and I will discuss it with the Council of Ministers, and I will put forward my ideas and what I hear, and the picture will become clear to me when I discuss the matter with the brothers in the Council of Ministers. This is what I have and I love to convey to you.”
The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Lieutenant General Sheikh Ahmed Al-Nawaf sincerly thanked His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad, and His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled, for putting their confidence in him by handing him the portfolio of the Ministry of Interior.
He considered it a badge of pride and stressed that this trust will remain a good incentive to make more efforts, hard work and to support the security of the homeland and citizens under the wise supreme leadership.
He stressed that “this assignment is a precious trust, and we ask the Almighty to help us in it.”
Sheikh Ahmed Al-Nawaf confirmed that he came to the Ministry of Interior to reform and amend the situation with justice and equality.
“I used to work in the Ministry of Interior, and I retired from it years ago, and went to work as a governor, and then to the National Guard, but fate brought me back to you at the Ministry of Interior, how, I do not know, but I came to you, and dealing with you will be easy for me, because I have worked in the Interior ministry in the past, and I know most of you from assistant undersecretaries and general managers.”
Al-Nawaf said: “We are entering a new era and we will take care of developing the Ministry of Interior, and setting a time frsme for the next 5 years to qualify future leaders.
May God bless those who were present, and may God reward them, for they worked hard and gave their best, and we must not deny that.
“We thank and praise them for the years they spent in the service of their country, and let us give a chance to the second row of leaders and prepare them, to learn from the leaders we have, for we do not have a second class.
“We will now begin to discuss this problem, and as long as I am at the helm and before I leave the ministry, I must prepare new leaders for the coming years, and the Ministry of Interior has generations present, and work must begin to rehabilitate them and take care of them, and they learn from you as leaders, and benefit from your ideas.”
Minister Al-Nawaf stressed that “paper transactions must be completed, and there is nothing difficult or what we are capable of, and the closest example we have is Dubai. Completing all transactions in one department, without going to other departments.”
He continued saying, “I will meet with the leaders of the Information Systems Department to develop quick solutions and a plan of action, to facilitate the transactions of citizens and residents in the Ministry of Interior with ease and we must accomplish this task to make the Ministry of Interior most civilized and advanced entity.
“I have no objection to sending a specialized committee from the Ministry to Dubai to learn how they operate, take a leaf of experience from them, or we bring them to Kuwait, and we have to strive and be at the forefront of developing work.”
Al-Nawaf called for “interest in meeting citizens and solving their problems, once every two weeks, with the presence of the concerned undersecretaries, especially in the sectors of nationality and passports to complete their transactions, and before entering the client, we will set up a committee to study the transaction and verify its validity. There are people with necessary humanitarian needs.”
The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, Lieutenant-General Anwar Al-Barjas, welcomed the Minister of Interior, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Nawaf, during the reception.
He stressed that all the instructions recommended by the minister will be implemented on the ground by the most senior official to the smallest element, and said: “Your brothers, the security officers will be your support and aid, and all the works you assigned us will be taken into consideration, and we are your right arm and your hands that will not disobey you.”