SUNDAY, JANUARY 1, 2012
LOCAL
61 ex-MPs among 389 Parliament candidates Increase opens door for bargaining
KUWAIT: Swiss President and Federal Councilor Micheline Calmy-Rey is pictured withformer Prime Minister, Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, when she visited Kuwait in 2010.
Swiss president for nurtured communication with Kuwait GENEVA: Swiss President and Federal Councilor Micheline Calmy-Rey said yesterday it is important to nurture bilateral communication channels and encourage Swiss economic presence in Kuwait and the Gulf region. Calmy-Rey, who will soon leave political office, recalled the warm welcome she received from His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, former Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad AlSabah, and former National Assembly speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi, when she visited Kuwait in 2010. “I came back from Kuwait with the positive impression that Switzerland has made ‘friends’ with the Gulf country, after holding economic and regional talks with Kuwaiti officials,” the Swiss President said in an exclusive interview. She said that foreign policy in her country has changed during the past nine years. This is due to a drastic shift in the global political scene, where it places China as the second most powerful economic country in the world, and a setback of western influence. “This new international change in global political dynamics makes it difficult for any country to act ‘alone’ to find solutions to problems without collaboration with another country,” Calmy-Rey pointed out. “For this particular reason, I believe that Switzerland should play an effective role on the international scene in order to defend the country’s interests,” she explained. Calmy-Rey explained that out of her country’s interest, and with the support of the Geneva initiative, a special envoy was appointed in the Middle East. “There is an everlasting struggle in
the region, referring to the IsraeliPalestinian conflict, which negativity affects ‘trust’ between the Islamic world and the West,” she explained. She noted that this struggle is challenging, yet Switzerland manages to make a potentially substantial contribution to resolve this conflict through the Geneva Initiative, which aims at ending the Israeli-Palestinian struggle based on previous official negotiations and international resolutions. On a wider spectrum of the Middle East region, Calmy-Rey described the revolutionary wave of demonstrations, k nown as Arab Spring, as “a good opportunity to practice real democracy in the Arab countries.” She noted that the road to democracy is not an easy one and it may witness a relapse. She encouraged Arab youths to keep paying more interest in politics and to keep supporting their government and communities. She explained that although her take on foreign policy is severely criticized and has occasionally given rise to domestic controversy, she supports the Arab Spring movement in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia. She defended her approach to foreign policies by explaining that her country is “fit” to engage in international matters because it is neutral. Switzerland is not affiliated with any organization. It does not have any colonial past, nor any hidden agendas. “Because of her neutral status, Switzerland played the mediator role between Russia and Georgia, and Turkey and Armenia, not to mention that it played a greater role in supporting international human rights laws,” she concluded. —KUNA
KUWAIT: Ahmadi Governor Sheikh Dr Ibrahim Al-Duaij Al-Sabah cooperated with the Ministry of Education to solve the overcapacity problem in schools in Umm AlHaiman. His remarks were made during a recent meeting held with senior MoE officials including Assistant Undersecretary for Educational Facilities Affairs, Mohammad Al-Sayegh and Maintenance Supervisor at the Ahmadi educational directorate Saleh Habeeb.
Arab observers well-equipped to do mission CAIRO: Arab observers are well equipped to do their mission and document any violation to the Arab crisis deal, Arab mission Operation Chamber Chief Adnan Essa AlKhodeir said yesterday. In press statements here, Al-Khodeir pointed out that Arab monitors are moving ever ywhere in Syria according to the agreed upon protocol and the Syrian authorities are responsible for their safety. About 22 observers from Iraq and 25 from Gulf Cooperation Council member states will join the Arab mission this week, he said.
He added that Mission Chief Gen Mohammed Ahmed Mustafa Al-Dabi is coordinating the work of the different team members and supervising reports writing. Al-Khodeir unveiled that Operation Chamber has received a huge number of reports about detained people and these reports have been referred to the team members in Syria to handle their cases. He also revealed that Syrian authorities have agreed on allowing foreign reporters to enter and cover events in Syria, but reporters have to apply for permissions before starting their work. — KUNA
KUWAIT: Just 29 women are among 389 candidates who have registered to run for Parliament in the 2012 elections. The total is up by 147 from the 2009 elections. This increase, according to some spectators, opens the door for bargaining between candidates. Some of them will attempt to convince others to withdraw their nomination to receive ‘something in return.’ Other analysts believe that the redundancy is actually deliberate ‘in order to reduce chances of certain candidates.’ Salah Al-Ghazali, Chairman of the Kuwait Transparency Society that is assigned by the government to oversee the upcoming elections, hinted that there are individuals “looking to finance the vote buying process from political and commercial agendas.” Al-Ghazali did not provide details about this information, but told Al-Qabas daily on Friday that coordination is in place with the Ministry of Interior will “ambush vote buying activities in all constituencies.” After the close of the registering period on Friday, the number of candidates per constituency stood at 79 in the first, 78 in the second, 83 in the third, 73 in the fourth and 76 in the fifth. The first constituency saw the nomination of 11 former MPs and ministers, while 16 and 13 former lawmakers have been nominated in the second and third constituencies respectively. The fourth and fifth constituencies have 15 and six former MPs respectively registered as candidates. This makes 61 former MPs running
in the 2012 Parliament elections. Speculation has already begun about possible alliances taking place between candidates who hope to increase their chances to reach Parliament. An Annahar report indicated yesterday that at least four of the 24 urban candidates in the first constituency are expected to form a coalition to boost their chances, amid heated competition with 37 Shiite candidates who form a majority in the first constituency. Analysts quoted in the same report believe that the chances for tribal candidates (nine from the Awazem tribe and three from the Kandari tribe) are slim compared to the other two social categories. The second constituency saw a notable increase in the number of female candidates, with ten women running this year compared to only two in the 2009 elections. This increase means more competition for candidate Salwa Al-Jassar, the only female candidate from the second constituency to be elected previously. She only contested one other female candidate before. Either way, the second constituency is definitely going to feature new faces elected for Parliament with former speaker Jassem AlKharafi and former MP Mohammad Al-Mutair not running for office this year. In the third constituency, the 83 candidates are considered a huge boost from 2009 when only 54 candidates including eight women who ran for elections. Spectators already believe that Mohammad Al-Dallal of the Islamic
Constitutional Movement has an early advantage due to a large supporter base estimated at 5,500 voters. The decision by former MP Adel Al-Saraawi not to run in the 2012 elections gives a chance for at least 10 percent of change for the fourth constituency members of the Parliament. One spectator told Annahar that the nomination of 17 Shiite candidates in the third constituency boosts the chances of the Shiite community to have representatives in Parliament in that constituency. A similar increase in Independent MPs isn’t seen as a good thing for their chances. Analysts also predict former MP Saleh Al-Mulla to lose a significant number of votes, and former MP Dr Rola Dashti in not likely to be re-elected. The Annahar report further indicates that tribal majorities in the fourth and fifth constituencies are expected to retain their dominance in election results this year. Annahar also reported yesterday that two unnamed candidates could be disqualified due to convictions in criminal cases, in addition to other candidates with a record filled with defamation accusations. Political activist and former MP Dr Ahmad AlKhateeb told a crowd of young citizens that they have “a historic opportunity to save Kuwait” by electing MPs “who give top priority to Kuwait’s interest.” The long-time liberal activist made the remarks during a recent gathering held to celebrate the 37th anniversary of the Democratic Center List, reported Al-Rai.
Old equipment, new infections KUWAIT: The aged sterilization unit at Ibn Sina Hospital has resulted in an increase of the rate of infection among burn patients in Al-Babtain Center, sources revealed. The Infection Prevention Director wrote a letter to the Surgery Director in the hospital pointing out that the problem is caused by the old sterilization equipment in the depart-
ment. It is not supported with safety means, has no efficiency standard, and its location is not suitable. Safety steps in sterilization are not being followed, and no prior coordination has been made with the Infection Prevention Unit in the hospital in this regard. Reports did not show the date when the
problem started, the way it has been dealt with since its onset, or whether any official has interceded to rescue patients from infection. The question is how old is this equipment? And why did the ministry leave it in operation when it is old equipment and does not meet standard specifications? —Al-Anbaa