The opposition MP Ahmad Al Saadun at a meeting with Kuwaiti youth in Kuwait City last weekend. In the background is Kuwait's constitution and a portrait of late emir Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Al Sabah.
The opposition MP Ahmad Al Saadun at a meeting with Kuwaiti youth in Kuwait City last weekend. In the background is Kuwait's constitution and a portrait of late emir Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Al Sabah.

Youth movement helps to set Kuwait’s political agenda



KUWAIT CITY // Kuwait's majority opposition bloc appears to be courting a growing youth movement in the country in a drive to bring about political reform.

Before issuing a "declaration to the nation" on Monday calling on the rulers to legalise political parties, reform the judiciary and fight corruption, the parliamentarians — who won a majority in the country's February elections - held three nights of meetings with young activists.

"The proposed constitutional and political reforms aim at strengthening the principles of rational governance and to limit the dominance of the executive authority on the political decision-making process," said Monday's statement.

Kuwait's opposition - a rough grouping of parliamentarians who campaigned along Islamist and tribal lines and now call themselves simply "the majority" - said that the state was passing through "the worst political phase of its modern history", citing stalled development, rampant corruption, political instability and non-stop crises.

The statement was endorsed by 35 of the 50 members of the parliament that was scrapped last month by a court ruling. Youth activists also supported the moves but said the calls for reform did not go far enough.

Many of the MPs have been in politics longer than Kuwait's politically active youth have been alive but it was these young men and women who set the tone at the meetings.

Days earlier, they announced that they would not support the opposition if it failed to demand reforms — such as a popularly elected prime minister - that would push Kuwait towards a full constitutional monarchy.

"We had our own position and we have submitted it to the opposition bloc," said Salem Al Ghadhoori, the deputy secretary general of the youth group calling itself the Civil Democratic Movement (CDM).

"Our position is that all Kuwaiti political players should be united ... with one objective: political reform," he added.

The roots of the CDM - one of the first among a growing number of youth movements in Kuwait - date to 2006, when dozens of young men and women led calls for changes in the electoral law.

They began calling for the removal of the former prime minister, Sheikh Nasser Al Mohammad Al Sabah in 2009, two years before he resigned in a corruption scandal.

Its tactics at the beginning were to focus on a single target, centred around catchy slogans and simple messages. The CDM's appeal was widespread - unlike many political groups in Kuwait, the youth movement has avoided fracturing along sectarian or tribal lines.

Now, the youth are eager for more change - and they are more organised than ever. After several years of leaderless operation, the CDM now has bylaws, internal elections and a political platform that is among the most progressive in Kuwait, calling for a full constitutional monarchy. Other youth coalitions are following suit.

Because of its popular power, the youth movement's relationship with Kuwait's oppossition MPs can be tense. Parliamentarians, who know that they have the youth in part to thank for their electoral success in February, were eager to bring them on board again.

"The youth are a major factor in achieving change," said the former MP Mohammed Al Dalal. Many of their proposals had made it into the final opposition platform, he added.

Where the two movements often disagree is the speed of reform. While the youth demand immediacy, the political opposition imagines a slower period of interim steps. Before reading their official statement, MPs gathered on July 16 warned that the changes the youth demanded would not - and could not - happen overnight.

Tensions are heightened by the possibility that the youth movements could become active political players if reforms come about to allow political parties.

"We are pushing to legalise parties, and once this goes into effect, next year we are going to declare ourselves a party," said Tariq Al Mutairi, the secretary general of the CDM.

Regardless of whether and how the CDM and other movements enter politics formally, with about half of Kuwait's population under the age of 25, nearly everyone acknowledges that youth will be a vital part of politics in years to come.

* With additional reporting by Agence France-Presse

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Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

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Squad

Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas) 

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Draw:

Group A: Egypt, DR Congo, Uganda, Zimbabwe

Group B: Nigeria, Guinea, Madagascar, Burundi

Group C: Senegal, Algeria, Kenya, Tanzania

Group D: Morocco, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Namibia

Group E: Tunisia, Mali, Mauritania, Angola

Group F: Cameroon, Ghana, Benin, Guinea-Bissau

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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THE BIO

Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13 

Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier

Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife 

What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents. 

Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
PREMIER LEAGUE STATS

Romelu Lukaku's goalscoring statistics in the Premier League 
Season/club/appearances (substitute)/goals

2011/12 Chelsea: 8(7) - 0
2012/13 West Brom (loan): 35(15) - 17
2013/14 Chelsea: 2(2) - 0
2013/14 Everton (loan): 31(2) - 15
2014/15 Everton: 36(4) - 10
2015/16 Everton: 37(1) - 18
2016/17 Everton: 37(1) - 25  

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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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