One Step Forward, Ten Steps Back

A bold initiative published in the local papers (“Kuwait To Grant Three Month Visit Visas“) was steamrolled by a smorgasbord of negative news this week, including the elimination of a clause requiring a foreign partner in helping establish the Third Telecom company (no BT, Etisalat or Verizon partner anytime soon); plans to scrap high school sex education curriculum (to be replaced with traffic courses!); potential plans for dozens of more roundabouts all over Kuwait (“to lessen accidents”, say the Traffic Czars – merde, I can barely deal with the Sheraton roundabout); tentative legislation disallowing foreigners from the right to invest in the stock market and real estate; the Ministry of Education’s continued resolve to push for the “Kuwaitization” of all private schools (thus dumbing them down to the level of government ones).

Oh, and Rush Hour 3 got thirty minutes chopped off at your local theatre. So basically you’re shelling out 2.500 KD to view a 1 hour film (no wonder piracy – including torrent downloads – are popular in Kuwait). Way to go people!

2 thoughts on “One Step Forward, Ten Steps Back

  1. Woooooo Hoooooooooooooo! HILALIYA is BACK! And in rare form! Woooooo Hooooooooooo!
    All the other Gulf countries are ELIMINATING roundabouts in the interest of traffic safety, and putting in stop lights (ones that really have bulbs in them that work!)
    And now, women in some professions CAN work nights, did you see that, but not any in the oil industry . . . go figure.
    You’ve gotta wonder sometimes who is making policy in Kuwait wonderland. . .

  2. You are doing very nicely, Intlx, I read your stuff often – thanks for the welcome – been a very busy few months.

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