Based on people’s view raised
on Twitter from series of questions posed by the Author. “What are the hot issues facing the government
of Qatar” . A few seconds had hardly passed when answers to the question started
to trickle in. Here were some of the most important answers in this regard.
1.
Health
Only a healthy society can function effectively. This is one
reason why most tweeters focused on the health of individuals and the society
in general. They sought to invite attention to the condition of the country’s
hospitals, particularly those which have lavish decor but poor services,
especially when it comes to the number of doctors and beds, which are hardly
enough for even half of Qatar’s population. Since the health insurance scheme
had already been approved, most of those who sent answers to my question
focused on the need for offering all Qataris health insurance cover, both
inside Qatar and outside.
2.
Education
It is one of the basic pillars of development of countries. Most
of those who sent answers to question focused on the need for upgrading
education by putting special focus on the gains of society and its experiences.
They called for giving up the propensity for importing educational systems from
abroad without adapting them to the aspirations of the local society. Some
tweeters said Qatari society was full of expertise in the field of education
and educational planning. They said these people would be more useful than
foreigners who are unfamiliar with the religion or traditions of Qatari
society. They added that these foreigners were only interested in making a
quick buck regardless of whether the Qatari society benefited from them or
not.
3.
Priority to citizens, not foreigners
Most of those who sent answers to question underlined the need
for the government to pay more attention to Qatari citizens by giving them
positions they deserve, instead of excluding them from development programmes.
They said Qatari citizens were the ones who would remain in the country at the
end of the day and they would be the ones who will develop this country. They
added that qataris should learn a lesson from what happened in Kuwait following
the Iraqi invasion. This is why it is important to give priority to Qatari
citizens when it comes to salaries and training. Most importantly, these
citizens should not be subject to the whims of government officials who
sometimes nip their dreams in the bud with their unconsidered decisions.
4.
Social Affairs, salaries
Several tweeters described the salaries given to widows, the
disabled and those with special needs as “small”. They said although Qatar
ranked as a country with one of the highest per capita incomes in the world,
part of its population (around 12,000 people) was living at the subsistence
level or an even lower level. Everybody asked what QR2,250 could fetch when
commodity prices kept soaring.
5.
Giving citizenship to foreigners
Tweeters made a distinction among three categories of
foreigners: Children of Qatari women, long-time residents of Qatar and
newcomers to this country. They expressed sympathy for the first and second
categories of people.As for the third category, most tweeters agreed in that
strong measures were needed to prevent them from getting Qatari citizenship.
They said most of the time there were no strong links between these people and
Qatar and its people.
6.
Combating corruption
Financial and administrative corruption is the target here. This
is about bringing to account government officials who harm public interest,
regardless of who they are. Civil servants who do not do their work properly
must be brought to book. Those who award
contracts to specific companies and contractors disregarding rules of fair
competition must be called to account. Those who give jobs only to their
friends and relatives, overlooking experienced and talented individuals, should
also be brought to account.
7. An
elected Shura Council
Tweeters were divided on this issue. One group called for
speeding up the process of drawing up rules for the election of the Shura
Council so that the people can choose their representatives. This was a
considerably small group. The larger group called for scrapping the concept of
an elected Shura Council. They expressed fear that the painful experience of
Kuwait would repeat itself in Qatar. These people thought that the formation of
the current council matched the make-up of Qatari society. They said it adhered
to the constitution because it represented all segments of Qatari
society.
8.
Paying attention to cities and villages
It’s very astonishing when one of the tweeters mentioned this
issue, drawing support from other tweeters. As per one of the agencies
concerned and as per the inquiries to them about towns and villages outside
Doha. One of the officials in this agency said: “Let’s finish our work in Doha
first and then we will have time for the other cities”. The government seeks to
curb the migration of citizens to Doha from other cities. But the situation on
the ground encourages citizens to leave all other cities for Doha.
9.
Honest aides
A large number of tweeters expressed the hope that the Prime
Minister would enlist the services of talented and experienced individuals who
cared about the interests of Qatar and would advise him on various
issues.
The fact is that the list of hot issues can be endless, but the
space of one column makes it necessary not to go any further. Some people
mentioned the human resources law; pensions; mortgage; the retirement law;
controlling commodity prices; speeding up the reclamation of lands given to
citizens; the attitude of Qatar Airways towards Qatari citizens, and charity
houses’ ownership bonds.
Lets hope that the tenure of the Emir will be one during which
all-important projects are completed and lets have hope that everybody in the
country of Qatar, especially it’s citizens, will enjoy prosperity.
BY: Dr. Muhammad Al Kubaisi (The
Peninsula)
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