FREE Established 1961 Friday ISSUE NO: 17973 RABIA ALAWWAL 4, 1441 AH FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2019 Customs to destroy 6,500 kg Central Bank cuts discount Nationals rally to beat Astros 9 fake goods shipment 37 rate from 3% to 2.75% 47 and capture World Series At least 74 killed in Pakistan train fire Page 10 2 Friday Local Friday, November 1, 2019 PHOTO OF THE DAY Year of disputes Local Spotlight By Muna Al-Fuzai [email protected] nfortunately, the daily news has become violent and disturbing. There is either an internal crisis Uin a regime or public crisis and chaos. It is indeed a year of dispute and conflict, and it seems to me that no one is safe. When a neighbor’s house burns down, the house next door will be affected by smoke. I believe that all people want to live in peace and prosperity, but when this hope is not being realized, and especially when the poor get poorer and corruption is widespread, an explosion occurs. It is a natural end for desperate people. When a public movement turns into a news report on television channels, then the situation becomes an embarrassment for the political authority. No leadership wants to show the world its failure or inability to run its state. Tightening sanctions and distorting the objectives of the protest are the most likely scenarios to show the KUWAIT: Vehicles drive on a main highway in Kuwait during sunset. — Photo by Fouad Al-Shaikh No leadership wants to show the world its failure or Realizing grief inability to run its state IN MY VIEW By Noha Al-Awadi world media that it is an external conspiracy and sabo- tage against the state. Sadly, the demands of poor peo- [email protected] ple usually get ignored. Nowadays, the most prominent examples of peo- always imagined that grieving over a loved one would And all along, unbeknownst to me, this was my grief. ple’s movements followed by the world are those of be a very perceptible moment in time. I was under the This was me mourning the eventual death of my mother. Iraqis and Lebanese, who took to the streets to Ifalse impression that it would be something that could When she was admitted to hospital, where she would express their rejection of corruption, especially in light be measured, that the grief would have a defined beginning spend the last three weeks of her life, the triage doctor of the deteriorating infrastructure and suffering of and an end. That it would only last for so long, whether it pronounced the diagnosis: pneumonia. low-income people. be weeks or months, or longer. That it would be an over- Up until that point in time, I had been poised, collected, Iraq, for example, is a very rich country. So it is really whelming emotion that would eventually pass. extremely pragmatic and forever hopeful. I was a rock. I painful to see images of poverty and death there. The Yet now, on the second anniversary of my mother’s had to be. I was Mama’s rock, and I knew she was depend- Iraqi and Lebanese people deserve the best and should death, I think that I have started to realize what grief truly ing on my fortitude. For eight years, my resilience was my be able to live in prosperity. Another example is when is. Or rather, I have come to understand how my grief has armor. beautiful Barcelona witnessed a fourth strike in less manifested itself within me. But I also was well aware of what this diagnosis meant, than two years calling for the independence of Instead of it being a punctuated emotion, my grief is and I knew that my grief would be catapulted into real time Catalonia. Crowds came to the city in protest against a more like a million shards of glass that have seeped into very, very soon. decision of the supreme court. Protesters blocked some every part of my being. So I cried. For the first time, I cried and cried and cried. roads and dozens of flights were canceled. I have also come to the realization that while my grief In the emergency ward of Al-Amiri Hospital, I was already The conflict between Spain and Catalonia is well metastasized in October 2017, it actually began in the sum- mourning the impending, ever-nearing, loss of my mother, a known, but the images shown on television appear to be mer of 2009. My mother’s diagnosis of Progressive Supra full three weeks before her actual passing. violent, and naturally there was loss of life and property. Nuclear Palsy (PSP) was exactly when I began to mourn Two years on, the grief has not dissipated, and I am not I felt sorry for the horrific situation and the people her eventual loss. Yes, she would continue to fight the hor- expecting it ever will. there. rid and relentless disease for eight defiant years, but still - I Instead, I have learned to pick through the slivers of I believe that the reason for conflict with authorities grieved. Those who have been handed down similar sen- broken glass. I have trained myself to search for the shat- today is that man sees himself as a partner in the state tences of “lifespan expectancies” will understand this tered pieces and to carefully collect and arrange them. and not a subordinate. Therefore, the absence of social choking, suffocating emotion. They are always with me; I proudly carry this beautiful box justice will lead to creating strife and discord in society. You begin to chart the course of the disease. As with all full of love and memories of a lifetime, wherever I go. These I believe political systems have a great role in elimi- progressive conditions, you start to do the guess work. fragmented pieces, in their entirety, have become a part of nating conflicts by playing their natural role and serving Mapping symptoms, charting where your loved one stands. me, and this is how I am realizing my grief. all segments of society through social justice. They Swallowing issues? It’s okay, they can still talk. Voice In my mother’s memory, I urge you to consider making a should set the right priorities for the poorest first, gone? No worries, still no aspiration. Vision obliterated? donation to support scientific research in to progressive because all revolutions in the world have come from the Still responsive and alert. The voices, the negotiation inside neurological conditions. For more information, or to make a hungry classes as they suffer the most. Only then can your head, it is all an endless fight against the inevitable contribution, please visit www.curepsp.org or pspassocia- peace be achieved. unknown. tion.org.uk 4 Friday Local Friday, November 1, 2019 By Faten Omar s part of our occasional series exploring various areas of Kuwait, Kuwait Times visited Jahra to learn more Aabout this historical residential area. Jahra is located to the northwest of Kuwait City and is connected by a series of ring roads. It is the capital and old- est area of Jahra governorate. The area was known for its wells and cultivation of palm trees and vegetables in the past, but with urbanization, the green cover has shrunk. Jahra also has some historic relevance to Kuwait’s history, as the Red Palace was the site of a famous battle. “Jahra is one of the largest governorates in Kuwait. It has undergone major development and transformation,” resident Ahmed Al-Turki told Kuwait Times. He added Jahra has a historical national park, but the Public Authority for Agricul- tural Affairs and Fish Resources must take care of it to serve the people of the area, and concerned parties must pay more attention and make it beautiful again as it is located in the heart of the province in a strategic place. Friday 5 Local Friday, November 1, 2019 Photos show public spaces in Jahra. “The Jahra nature reserve is a good place to visit, as it —Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat is located 19 km west of Kuwait Bay and is considered one of the most biologically diverse locations in the country with various species of animals, birds and fish dwelling there,” he said. For Faisal Al-Areefan, Jahra is a great place to live, as it takes you back to the original and traditional way of life of Kuwait. “But we seek a solution to put an end to the reck- lessness of young people who drift in the area and endanger the lives of people.” Abu Hamad told Kuwait Times that residents of old Jahra’s blocks 1 and 2 want more services, stressing the importance of developing the waterfront of Jahra to be- come an entertainment place for the people of the area. He added stray dogs are common in old Jahra and cause many injuries. “The area needs attention. Streets need maintenance, as flying gravel is damaging the windows of most cars,” he said. 6 Friday Local Friday, November 1, 2019 Is Kuwait heading backwards? IN MY VIEW By Nawara Fattahova [email protected] uwait is at a cross roads. Will it develop and become a regional leader? Will it embrace the Kvision of HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for the 2035 New Kuwait and open for growth in tourism, investment and entertainment? There are many in Kuwait who hope so. But there are also those who continue to push back against the efforts to develop the country.