Several people were surprised and perplexed by Kuwait’s Interior Minister’s decision to create a committee to revoke driving licenses from foreigners earning less than 600 dinars and possessing a university degree, according to Al-Jarida newspaper.
The decision’s retroactive execution is intended to ease traffic congestion. Private parties contend that rather than using discriminatory methods, the traffic problem can be remedied by better road planning and infrastructure upgrades.
Bad street planning exacerbates traffic congestion, and discriminatory policies that single out vulnerable people are ineffective in reducing it.
First Deputy Prime Minister, Interior Minister, and Acting Minister of Defense Sheikh Talal Al-Khalid reportedly organized a committee to look at foreign drivers’ licenses and review data, according to Al-Jarida. For foreigners without a university degree and those making less than 600 dinars per month, the ministry intends to restrict and revoke licenses.
Over 300,000 licenses could be impacted by this decision, which would be extremely confusing and chaotic for both the affected people and their companies.
According to sources, it is possible to solve traffic congestion without turning to discriminatory measures that unfairly affect a sizable portion of the international workforce.
Effective alternatives to reduce the number of drivers include creating bridges, and tunnels, bettering public transportation, and controlling the taxi industry. Kuwait’s handling of immigrants is being closely scrutinized internationally due to the frequent targeting of foreigners.
Al-Jarida fought a similar decision made by Lieutenant General Sheikh Faisal Al-Nawaf, the former Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, that sought to “filter” expat driver’s licenses based on academic credentials and employment titles, in late 2021. This unfair trend was stopped as a result, but it appears to have returned with fresh vigor.
Source Arabtimes Kuwait
