Kuwait, June 2024 (KUNA) — Kuwait’s history is rich and eventful. Back in 1904, Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah, the seventh ruler of Kuwait, welcomed a British representative, Colonel Knox, who arrived in August that year. Fast forward to 1960, when Kuwait’s Amir, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, introduced a law to regulate civil aviation. Then in 1986, the parliament saw four interpellation motions aimed at various ministers, including the Minister of Communications, Issa Al-Mazidi, over fee collections, and the Minister of Finance and Industry, Jassem Al-Kharafi, concerning some irregularities in the insurance fund for stock transactions. Unfortunately, these motions never got a chance to be reviewed because the parliament was dissolved unconstitutionally on July 3.
In 1993, the Kuwaiti media lost a pioneer when Yousef Al-Roumi passed away at just 56. By 2000, the Kuwait Small Projects Development Company (KSPDC) kicked off its “2000” initiative to inspire youth to engage in the free market. In 2002, MPs were busy debating an interpellation motion against Finance Minister Dr. Yousef Al-Ibrahim over mismanagement of public funds. That same year, the Utilities Development Company struck a deal worth KD 114.25 million with local banks to fund a water sanitation project in Sulaibiya.
Moving to 2008, the National Assembly greenlit the creation of a fund for debtors, starting with a capital of KD 500 million. In 2010, the Kuwaiti Diplomatic Institute celebrated the graduation of its first class of future diplomats. By 2015, Kuwait had made quite a name for itself, ranking first in the Middle East and seventh globally in external investments, according to a UN report. The National Assembly also passed laws to set up the National Diwan for Human Rights and made amendments to Law 21/1962 regarding diplomatic and consular sectors. Plus, a bill was approved to establish a close shareholding company for recruiting domestic workers.
In 2018, the country mourned the loss of Mubarak Al-Hashash, a beloved playwright and scriptwriter for radio and television, who passed away at the age of 70. Then in 2019, the National Assembly moved forward with bills concerning copyrights, public tenders, public universities, and the re-employment of former teachers.
