License To Be Cancelled, If Salary Is Less Than Kd 600 And No University Degree

Kuwait's Interior Minister has established a committee to revoke driving licenses from expats earning less than 600 dinars and lacking a university degree, surprising many and causing confusion regarding this decision, reports Al-Jarida daily. The retroactive implementation of the decision is aimed at reducing traffic congestion. However, private sources argue that the traffic issue can be resolved through better road planning and infrastructure improvements, rather than through discriminatory measures.

Poor street planning contributes to traffic congestion, and targeting vulnerable groups with discriminatory decisions is not an effective solution. Al-Jarida reports that First Deputy Prime Minister, Interior Minister, and Acting Minister of Defense Sheikh Talal Al-Khalid has formed a committee to examine expat driving licenses and review data. The ministry plans to block and revoke licenses for expats without a university degree and earning less than 600 dinars. This decision could affect around 300,000 licenses and cause significant confusion and chaos for affected individuals and their employers.

Sources emphasize that traffic congestion can be addressed without resorting to discriminatory actions that unfairly impact a large segment of expats serving the country. Rather than reducing the number of drivers, effective solutions include improving roads, constructing bridges and tunnels, enhancing public transportation, and regulating the taxi sector. The repeated targeting of expats places Kuwait under international scrutiny for its treatment of immigrants.

In late 2021, Al-Jarida campaigned against a similar decision made by the former Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, Lieutenant General Sheikh Faisal Al-Nawaf, which aimed to "filter" expat driving licenses based on academic qualifications and job titles. As a result, this unjust trend was canceled, but it seems to have resurfaced with renewed force.

 

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