KUWAIT: The Iraqi parliament discussed yesterday, a bill to allocate $300 million to be paid to the Kuwait Airways as part of the settlement reached recently with regard to paying compensation for damages caused during the 1990/91 Iraqi Invasion to Kuwait. The bill was presented by the financial, services and construction, and legal committees in the parliament, and urged lawmakers to approve the amount. The settlement also includes investing $200 million in joint projects between the two countries.
Wrong decisions
A supreme economic advisory committee has recommended to the government to "reconsider allowances approved to a certain state department, rejecting proposals that new allowances be paid at the Civil Service Council(CSC)," revealed sources. "It is important (to do that)in order to curb inflated public sector pay scale. If the government does not proceed with paying allowances approved recently, putting more pressure on the state's budget that lacks new financial resources to -help achieve balance," said sources. The committee, formed last year by HH the Amir to help curb overspending in the state's budget, mentioned that allowances paid to teachers and oil sector employees are examples of "wrong decisions made without correct financial basis," urging "privatization of education and other vital sectors in the state."
Meanwhile, a recent economic report blamed ministers and other state officials of "hurting the credibility of the government" by continuously criticizing the country's economic policies." "Several ministers and state officials criticized the government's economic policy, but they failed to demonstrate true willingness to execute visions they announced to help solve the problems they brought up," reads a recent report released by Bayan Investment Company. "Economists lost confidence in such empty statements, which is increasingly hurting the government's credibility in reforming the economic sector".
'Housing' appointments
The Minister of Housing Anas Al-Saleh assigned the ministry's Legal Department to verify the legality of appointments made by former minister Shuwaib Al-Muwaizri yesterday. "Minister Al-Saleh consulted legal opinion before making any decision regarding several complaints made by employees against appointments made by the former minister," said sources. Al-Saleh reinstated Salah Al-Mudhaf, General Director of the Savings and Credit Bank, based on the opinion of a technical committee who found his termination order made by Al-Muwaizri to be illegal.
© Kuwait Times 2012
