Kuwaiti ruler grants $4b, free food to citizens

[reorg]

Source: gulfnews.com

AFP, 11:52 January 17, 2011

Kuwait City: Kuwait's Emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah on Monday ordered the distribution of $4 billion and free food for 14 months to citizens as the oil-rich emirate prepares to mark national occasions.

Each of the 1.12 million native citizens will get 1,000 dinars ($3,572) in cash as well as free essential food items until March 31, 2012, the KUNA news agency cited state minister for cabinet affairs Rudhan Al Rudhan as saying.

The Gulf state, whose financial assets top $300 billion, will next month mark the 50th anniversary of independence, 20th anniversary of liberation from Iraqi occupation and the fifth anniversary of the emir's ascendance to power.

The announcement was made following an overnight meeting of the cabinet. The 2.4 million foreign residents of Kuwait are excluded from the grant and the free food.

Read more: http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/kuwait/kuwaiti-ruler-grants-4b-free-food-to-citizens-1.747643

[Monsoon]

1. Someone is casting a wary eye toward Tunisia

I'd guess. Can you buy off the "serfs" for very long?

[oberliner]

4. The Kuwatis aren't serfs

These are the real serfs of Kuwait:

"The 2.4 million foreign residents of Kuwait are excluded from the grant and the free food."

And they get nothing.

Same kind of deal in the UAE. Foreign workers do all the grunt work while the Emiratis share the wealth.

[PatSeg]

7. These people are hardly serfs

"Some 80 percent of Kuwait's 360,000-strong national workforce are employed in government jobs, where the average monthly wage is more than $3,500." http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/kuwait/kuwaiti-ruler-grants-4b-free-food-to-citizens-1.747643

They pay no income taxes and have access to free education. People in Kuwait seem to be very happy with their government and their way of life.

[Zephie]

2. I wish we would do the same for the needy here...

I know lots of people who would benefit greatly from a years worth of food.

[JJW]

3. So if they distributed all the money

If they distributed the entire $ 300 billion, each citizen would get $ 2 million. Crumbs for the peasants.

[oberliner]

5. "The 2.4 million foreign residents of Kuwait are excluded from the grant and the free food."

Those are the real peasants - and they get none of this largesse.

[RantinRavin]

6. math check

267,000

[AngryAmish]

8. If only they would put on a series of horse and chariot races free for the public...

[oberliner]

9. Not sure you understand how things work in Kuwait

Their citizens do quite well for themselves financially.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the countless foreign workers they bring in to do all the dirty work.

[JCMach1]

10. Exactly, this is money for an already spoiled populus... call this HUSH money

It will, no doubt, work...