Honorable, arbitrary decisions
i know dr abdullatif al-sahli. however, before writing this article, i had contacted a number of his colleagues and friends. they all affi rmed that the man is exceptional in his love for his country and his dedication to his work. he had been exposed to two ordeals — ordeals that he should not have faced especially the second one if morality and sincerity were among the criteria for assessing the performance of a civil employee and if senior offi cials were held accountable for their grave mistakes. the former minister of health dr ali al-obeidi, immediately after taking of- fi ce, had terminated the services of dr al-sahli and sent him to retirement in an arbitrary and unjustifi ed manner whatsoever. the man did not accept this decision, and fi led a case of “grievance” against the minister in defense of his right and reputation as well as his status as a professional and a citizen. while the case was ongoing, the government, in a cabinet reshuffl e, terminated dr al-obeidi, perhaps because his highness the prime minister was not satisfi ed with his performance. the case of dr al-sahli took its course in the corridors of the judiciary through various degrees of litigation, until the court of cassation ruled in his favor and reinstated him with all honor because what happened with him can be regarded as a prudent and illegal behavior! this story is repeated everywhere; but funny or sad, the drama began with the reappointment of dr al-obeidi, who was already out of offi ce, perhaps because of his incompetence. he was re-appointed to the same position in another cabinet reshuffl e. this time, his fi rst decision was to refer dr al-sahli for retirement again. and once again, dr al-sahli did not accept the decision and had appealed before the judiciary. during his fi rst tenure, dr al-obeidi spent more than $2 billion on overseas medical treatment – the largest moneywastage operation of its kind in the history of kuwait. serious violations also occurred in his second term. we are still paying the price for consequences until today and will continue to do so for years to come. the government was good and honorable only in dispensing with his services and getting him out of the ministry. shortly after, the court of cassation ruled in favor of dr al-sahli for the second time, affi rming that the decision to refer him for retirement was a mistake as it was not taken on any legal basis. now, who will pay back dr sahli the money he had spent and the efforts he had exerted both times on the lawyers, as well as the suffering and anxiety he underwent? who will reassure him and others that this arbitrary dismissal or referral of a senior of- fi cial of the state will not be repeated, and if repeated, the responsible offi cial will be held accountable for it? how can any honorable person accept being referred for retirement not once but twice? the court ruled in his favor twice and returned his job to him but he had to pass three times in the different courts while the not-so-responsible offi cial was not held accountable for what unfairly happened to dr al-sahli, even by a mere word? what happened to dr sahli should not be repeated; it was a crime against him and against the homeland.
email:
