KUWAIT CITY: HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, in a meeting with the Budgets Committee at the Parliament on Tuesday, stressed the need for cooperation between the Parliament and government to address a number of pressing issues. Speaking to the Arab Times after the meeting, Commit-tee Chairman Adnan AbdulSamad explained this is just one of a series of meetings the Amir is currently holding with various parliamentary committees. He said the committee had a fruitful dialogue with the Amir, who heard the concerns of the committee members.
AbdulSamad asserted the committee discussed some important issues with the Amir, including the inconsistencies in the general budget and government program. "While studying the figures, we discovered that the program is not in line with the budget," the MP revealed. Disclosing the Amir emphasized the importance of creating a unified body for planning, AbdulSamad said the establishment of an autonomous authority for huge development projects -- similar to Shuaib Industrial Authority -- will pave the way for the execution of vital projects like the construction of Boubyan, Sabiya and Jaber bridges. "The Amir is keen on the immediate creation of this authority to guarantee the implementation of many development projects, such as the improvement of health services, construction of the University City, and developing Kuwaiti borders," he added.
Implementation
AbdulSamad said the delayed implementation of development projects is not a budgetary issue, since the KD 1.7 billion earmarked for this purpose is enough to complete the projects. He said the Amir has also agreed to look at the possibility of privatizing some services provided it is done in accordance with existing regulations and laws to protect public fund and the rights of citizens. The committee also tackled several recommendations stated in the Audit Bureau report and asked HH the Amir to activate the role of a committee previously established by the Cabinet to monitor the bureau. AbdulSamad said the tasks of this committee include studying final accounts to uncover errors and correct them, hold those proven guilty of any wrongdoing responsible for their acts, specify responsibilities, impose punishment, and grant rewards.
Moreover, General Secre-tary of the Parliament and member of the committee MP Roudhan Al-Roudhan praised the directives of the Amir, saying "these instructions came from the Amir's heart." On another issue, Speaker of the Parliament Jassem Al-Khorafi thanked the Amir for addressing the nation on the occasion of the last 10 days of Ramadan. He said the speech touched on the over-all situation of the country and is a manifestation of the Amir's commitment to follow-up local issues, ensure stability of the country, and call for cooperation between the legislative and executive authorities.
By Dahlia Kholaif and Abubakar A. Ibrahim
© Arab Times 2008
