KUWAIT: The Interior Ministry's investigation department unexpectedly decided yesterday to release Nahar Al-Hajeri, who was arrested a week ago for allegedly burning an Iranian flag. Hajeri's release comes a few days after the same department ordered an extension of 21 days to his detention pending further investigations and trial. It also comes after serious threats by Islamist MPs to grill the interior minister over the issue.
Hajeri was arrested on March 21, a day after the Iranian flag was set ablaze at a rally by Islamists in protest against a Shiite tweeter who allegedly insulted Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), his wife Aisha and some companions. The Interior Ministry accused Hajeri of burning the flag, but he denied it. Several Islamist MPs strongly criticized the arrest and detention of Hajeri. MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaei also vowed to grill the interior minister over the issue.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly unanimously passed the tenders law in the first reading, despite a heated debate in which the government said approving it without crucial amendments will harm development. All 48 MPs present voted for the law, which introduces a large number of amendments to the decades-old law to make it more open and fair for all bidders. Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah said the government voted for the law in a sign of cooperation but insisted that all the necessary amendments must be studied and incorporated in the law before the second vote.
MP Marzouk Al-Ghanem, head of the financial and economic affairs committee which had prepared the law, called on MPs and the government who have any proposed amendments to submit them to the committee. Ghanem said the law will be ready for the second round of voting after one month, but Speaker Ahmad Al-Saadoun said the second vote will take place on April 24. The session witnessed heated debates between MPs themselves and between MPs and ministers who insisted that the law should not be passed without key amendments.
Finance Minister Mustafa Al-Shamali cautioned that the law could impact tenders for manufacturing Kuwaiti dinar banknotes and make it easier to fake the Kuwaiti currency. Opposition MPs however wanted the law to be passed and completed because of the government's failure to submit its amendments to the concerned Assembly committee, despite the lapse of a very long duration. Top government bureaucrats including Khaled Al-Kulaib, head of the Central Tenders Committee, said the present form of the law will obstruct development plan and projects.
Kuwait Times 2012
