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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2011
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‘20 MPs may resign in protest at govt’ Assembly fight to continue KUWAIT: Around 20 Kuwaiti MPs will submit their resignations if the Cabinet continues to impose its control by lobbying to foil the use of constitutional tools, said veteran anti-government lawmaker Walid AlTabtabaie yesterday. In a statement issued as his Development and Reform Bloc (DRB) continues its joint preparations with the Popular Action Bloc (PAB) of a grilling motion against the Prime Minister His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed AlSabah, Al-Tabtabaie underlined, however, that “the mass resignation option will not be taken unless all others have been exhausted.” The MP also insisted that the anti-government movement within parliament “will not give up...we will continue until the truth behind the multimillion dinar deposits scandal and those involved is exposed.” The scandal, which has rocked Kuwaiti society in recent weeks, involves allegations of political bribes totaling millions of dinars being paid into some MPs’ bank accounts, with the DRB and PAB’s joint
grilling motion set to tackle the premier over the issue. Al-Tabtabaie said that the option of mass resignation would be the best option “if the Cabinet is able to keep the truth hidden and prevents MPs from exercising their constitutional right [to hold the Cabinet accountable].” The veteran MP, who is a member of the parliamentary legislative committee, also said that the committee would work on introducing amendments to the recent bill on the formation of an anticorruption authority recently submitted by the cabinet “if it doesn’t contain the wealth disclosure stipulation [called for by MPs] retroactively.” Members of both the DRB and PAB have continued to issue statements urging the Cabinet members to attend the parliamentary debate on the grilling motion which is set to be formally introduced there on Thursday. Reports from parliamentary insiders suggest that the Cabinet will request that the grilling motion be referred to the Constitutional Court or the parliamentary
legislative committee prior to any discussion, or that it be debated in a closed session. Another MP and DRB member, Falah Al-Sawagh, told local daily Al-Jarida, “We need to hear responses from the Prime Minister regarding the steps taken by the cabinet with regard to the case [of the multibillion dinar bribe allegations],” whilst MP Ali Al-Deqbasi of the PAB insisted that the Cabinet must provide answers during the grilling debate “to questions shared by all the Kuwaiti people.” In other news, the parliamentary health and social committee is apparently cautiously supportive of a draft law submitted by the Cabinet which would see a restructuring of Cooperative Societies’ working practices and a revision of how Co-ops’ managerial board elections are conducted. According to a committee insider, the committee met last Thursday to discuss the bill, with the members agreeing on the conditions put forward, which include holding elections to the managerial board positions every three years. — Al-Rai, AlJarida, Al-Qabas
Pakistan calls on Kuwait for flood relief KUWAIT: With devastating monsoon rains continuing to flood an area nearly double the size of Kuwait and leaving nine million people homeless in only two months, Pakistan appealed to the people of Kuwait to come to its aid. The land area currently being affected by the natural disaster covers a total of 23 districts of the country’s Sindh province, regarded as southern Pakistan’s breadbasket. So far, the rains have damaged over a million homes and destroyed most agricultural lands and roads in the region. Also, the floods have contributed to the spread of fatal diseases like malaria and typhoid among families.
“We seek the support and assistance of the government of Kuwait, its people and the 130,000 expatriate Pakistanis employed in Kuwait,” Pakistan’s Ambassador to Kuwait, Iftekhar Aziz, told KUNA in an exclusive interview. The ambassador described the types of assistance as immediate and long-term. Immediate needs include tents, blankets, mosquito nets, drinking water and high energy foods, while long-term requirements are for the funds required for the rebuilding of damaged infrastructure and agricultural property. People in Kuwait can donate to the cause through depositing sums in an account, named
‘Pakistan Flood Relief Fund2011,’ opened by the embassy with the support of the Kuwaiti government, at the local bank, National Bank of Kuwait. Cash donations are also welcome at the Pakistani Embassy. The South Asian nation has already asked for $357 million from the UN’s OHCA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) to provide care for the millions of displaced individuals and to rebuild the devastation that will continue to spread for months to come. “Up until now I can report that a lot of countries have already sent aid including China, the US, France, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Iran, but we
need much, much more.” The annually- occurring floods were more severe a year ago, as they affected the whole country with a population of 180 million, from the nor th right down to the south. “Last year, over $25 million was given by the government of Kuwait - $10 million by His Highness the Amir and another $15 million was raised by a special telethon that was done for Pak istan,” said the Pak istani diplomat. He concluded by expressing confidence the people of Kuwait would “come to the aid of their brothers and sisters in Pakistan, bound by a history of seafaring trade as well as a common religion.” —KUNA
KUWAIT: The Minister of Public Works and Municipality Affairs Dr Fadhel Safar inspected the project sites of Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Ring Roads. He was accompanied by Husain Al-Mansour, Assistant Undersecretary for Roads Affairs. The minister said that the road projects are part of plans to resolve the country’s traffic jam issues.
Cabinet under pressure as customs workers plan strike KUWAIT: While the government was able to prevent Kuwait Air ways Corporation(KAC) and civil employees at the Ministry of Interior from staging a strike by approving a part of their demands last week, it still faces a bigger challenge as Customs General Department employees plan to demonstrate tomorrow. “The strike will take place. The risks are high. Activity at the ports will stop. Our demands are legitimate. The solution lies in your hands,” stated Ahmad AlEnizy Head of the department’s Labor Union in a press statement. He insisted that the work be halted only “after a letter is sent to His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad detailing the unfulfilled rights of employees.” Al-Enizy argues that salaries that customs employees are paid are insufficient when compared to the difficulty
level of duties performed including protecting Kuwait from turning into a smuggling haven, in addition to collecting an approximate KD 265 million in customs fees. “We decided to strike after reaching a dead-end after asserting our demands for several years,” he said. Last month, the Cabinet approved a pay rise to employees of public firms in the oil sector, after they threatened to down tools; a move that would have disrupted Kuwait’s oil exports. The government also agreed last week to hike, by 70 percent, KAC’s financial demands. Meanwhile, the Labor Union at the Kuwait Fire Service Directorate(KFSD) released a statement urging it to not take legal action against firefighters who took part in a sit-in last Monday, insisting that the break-in took place because they were “provoked by an insult from a senior KFSD official.”