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العربية
Unfortunately, the Minister is heading in one direction while the youth are lost in all directions
A person’s ability to secure suitable housing through their own labor and freely choose where to live is strongly connected to human development and is one of the most important requirements for a dignified life.
It is also a fundamental pillar in developing confident, productive citizens and stable families who benefit their society and build their nation without becoming a burden on it.
His Excellency the Minister of Youth, in his brilliant speech two days ago about the new strategy for Kuwaiti youth, went on at length about the importance of youth and their care, and outlined several main objectives followed by sub-goals and various branches in this regard.
Even if the Minister and his government are sincere in their concern for youth, which is appreciated and undoubted, they remain, despite the declared care, dependent on it to secure housing, often unsuitable, until they grow old.
Despite obtaining the highest local and foreign degrees, and securing a comfortable government job with a solid salary, the Kuwaiti youth finds it impossible to buy suitable private housing and form a stable, independent family no matter what they do.
The Minister’s and government’s strategy missed the goal of enabling Kuwaiti youth to form families and secure housing outside the hard-to-reach, burdensome government housing welfare system.
Perhaps the Minister of Youth thinks it’s not his concern, but what’s the purpose of the strategy if it doesn’t solve a fundamental crisis? And what’s the use of working hard if one can’t buy a home?
Kuwaiti youth spend over 15 years paying rent that totals the value of 2-5 houses at fair prices, while current (unfair) average prices exceed the total salaries of a Kuwaiti employee until retirement.
It’s strange that the concerned Minister and the wise government don’t know about this simple calculation and the poor situation that has persisted for about 25 years despite the small size of the Kuwaiti youth segment.
Meanwhile, the government creatively enacts laws and decisions every other day that ultimately result in opening the country to millions of expatriates, who occupy large areas of Kuwait’s closest, best, and most expensive residential lands within the urban area.
Really?
