Obituary: Yousef Saleh Al Alyan

Yesterday, I witnessed the funeral processions of one of Kuwait's leading Journalists, and one of the most prominent figures in Kuwaiti Politics, the late Yousef Saleh Al Alyan. I don't want to go into the details of his history of achievements, they can all be found here, and in today's edition of the Kuwait Times. What I would like to talk about is the person, "the man", and not the "CV".

This was a man who cared for his family right up to the end. This was also the man who actually heard the dictator of Iraq state "I will teach my people how the bread they eat comes from the sweat and toils of the Kuwaitis", just a few weeks before he invaded Kuwait! This man was living proof that Kuwait was a beacon of education and freedom, and heralded this proof in the form of an English language newspaper, sprouting from the smallest piece of desert in a obscure part of the Middle East, called the Arabian Gulf.

He believed in the freedom of the individual, and stuck to his principles, even in his old frail age. He was always smiling, courteous, eager to discuss politics and other issues related to Kuwait and it's role in the global arena. He never bothered much with local politics, simply because his nature was that of a forward-looking analyst, and not a myopic Member of the Kuwaiti Parliament.

On the lighter side, I will always remember his takes on local MP's and amusing political wrangling that happen in Kuwait, or the times he joked with his sons, or that one incident during his son's wedding, when we both chuckled at him for getting married, he was almost always a best friend to his family-that was the man I knew.

I will miss Bu Ziad, and I pray to the Almighty God that he may bless his widow and family with patience and peace of mind.