Legal panel eyes anti-corruption law
KUWAIT CITY: MP Al-Saifi Al-Saifi Al-Ajmi submitted a grilling request against Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Lt General Ahmed Abdul-Latif Al-Rujeib. The motion is the fifth of the 14th legislative term.
Despite Al-Saifi agreeing with the Majority Bloc to postpone the questioning request to next week, according to the MP, he filed the motion on Tuesday drawing opposing reactions from majority lawmakers. The bloc faced similar division when MP Obaid Al-Wassmi had filed a separate motion to grill former Minister of Finance Mustafa Al-Shammali. Al-Wassmi's stance indicated that disagreements between majority MPs are threatening the bloc's unity.
Al-Saifi's interpellation consists of three proponents. According to the tribal MP, the minister cannot cooperate with the current parliament due to his previous criticism of the segments of society the lawmakers represent. The grilling document cited an article published by Al-Anba newspaper.
Al-Saifi further wishes to question the minister on law violations and mismanagement and poor supervision within the ministry's sectors. This includes the mismanagement of Kuwait's Olympic Committee and other sport federations and the increased number of unskilled labor. The third proponent is on imbalances in the cooperative sector. Al-Saifi said he hopes the minister "does not tactically escape the interpellation and is up for the responsibility".
According to Article 100 of Kuwait's Constitution, the debate on an interpellation shall not take place until at least eight days have elapsed after its presentation. Therefore, the motion's debate will be on the schedule of next week's sessions if the minister does not request its postponement.
A number of Al-Saifi's majority colleagues criticized the grilling, indicating that the motion will not be as divisive as Al-Shammli's questioning had been. They said the grilling "does not represent the majority's approach." The grilling, however, could increase the friction between the parliament's majority and the Cabinet caused by Al-Shammali's questioning, amidst rumors of possible parliament dissolution or Cabinet resignation.
MP Mohammed Al-Kandari said the motion's timing is inappropriate, while MP Mohammed Al-Dallal said the grilling was not agreed upon by the majority and that only discussion on the issue was postponed. He added that "this issue must be adjusted so the majority is not dragged to a grilling that was not agreed upon".
MP Osama Al-Munawer further stated that the majority will handle the interpellation with neutrality as it is not backed by the bloc.
Meanwhile, MP Obaid Al-Wassmi said the interpellation is worthy and that he had previously called for the minister's removal. Liberal MP Nabil Al-Fadhl also said he suspects that most of the Majority Bloc approves the grilling or else it would not have been submitted.
Al-Saifi had previously expressed his intention to submit a grilling against Al-Rujeib with independent MP Riyadh Al-Adsani. Al-Adsani stated he wishes to question the minister on failure to implement the Disabilities Law, on residency trading and the increase in expatriate labor, on sports issues, failure to implement judicial sentences, price inflation of commodities and violations by co-op unions.
In response to Al-Saifi's move, Al-Adsani stated that "we are not in a marathon race" and affirmed he will file his interpellation against Al-Rujeib "soon".
In other news, Minister of Communications Salem Al-Othaina met with the parliament's Economic and Financial Affairs Committee and discussed the privatization of Kuwait Airways. Discussion on amendments to the Kuwait Airways law will resume on Wednesday.
Head of the Economic Committee MP Marzouq Al-Ghanim said amendments require the company's board of directors to privatize the company within five years -- by offering 35 percent of shares to the private sector, 20 percent to the government, five percent to employees and 40 percent free shares to citizens enrolled with the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI). He added amendments include end of service benefits equivalent to the comprehensive salary of three years.
Moreover, the Legal and Legislative Committee continued its work on anti-corruption laws. Rapporteur MP Mohammed Al-Dallal said the discussion identified those who fall under the financial disclosure terms including current and former ministers of state, parliament lawmakers, judiciary and prosecution officials, and high-ranking officials of public authorities and civil societies. He added the law will be finalized on Sunday so it can be included in the agenda of next week's sessions.
Meanwhile, Islamist MP Osama Al-Munawer expressed his frustration on the continued lack of supervision of social-networking sites Twitter and Facebook. He said the sites are "fostering an atheistic culture in the minds of people" and has contact numerous Interior Ministry officials in that regard.
Al-Munawer added that after investigations he found that the responsibility lies on the Ministry of Communications for its laxity in the monitoring of telecommunications companies the Internet. He alleged that there are "3,000 pornographic sites available for social-networking users regardless of their age group". Al-Munawer said the Negative Phenomena Committee has contacted Minister of Communications Salem Al-Othaina and other officials for an emergency meeting in that regard.
On another note, Shiite MP Abdulhamid Dashti submitted a draft law that proposes the establishment of a special chamber in the First Instance Court to undertake Jaafari personal status cases.
© Arab Times 2012
