KUWAIT CITY - The government should not attribute straining relations between the executive and legislative authorities to the MPs' desire to exercise their constitutional right to grill erring ministers, MP Ali Al-Deqbasi said in a statement Saturday. Expressing his full support to the interpellation request presented by MP Musallam Al-Barrak against Interior Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, Al-Deqbasi pointed out the government should not be scared of grilling requests and it must allow the Parliament to use its constitutional tools to question ministers. He outrightly rejected attempts to prevent the Parliament from activating its monitoring role under the pretext of transferring the grilling request to the Constitutional Court or Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee. He also criticized calls to hold the grilling in a closed-door session, asserting the need for Sheikh Jaber to face the grilling in the interest of the government.
Warning against delaying the grilling, Al-Deqbasi stressed it is pointless to postpone the grilling as such a step will only disrupt efforts to strengthen coordination between the government and legislature. He asked the government to take concrete measures to cooperate with the Parliament, instead of dodging grilling requests while issuing statements on its readiness to extend a cooperative hand to the legislative authority. "It is now time for the government to fulfill its promise to fully coordinate with the Parliament to serve the interests of Kuwait and its people in accordance with the Constitution," he opined. Wondering why some groups regard grilling as a straining factor, Al-Deqbasi stated such allegations are tantamount to saying that the Parliament is just another department under the control of the executive authority. He emphasized the need to open a new page in which ministers respond to parliamentary queries and provide clarifications on a number of issues, especially those highlighted in grilling requests.
Al-Deqbasi appealed to Sheikh Jaber to stand on the grilling podium to pave the way for the emergence of a new culture in the government in which ministers promptly respond to MPs' questions and carry out their duties with full transparency. He also underscored the importance of transferring the election billboards issue to the Public Prosecution to hold those proven to have committed financial violations accountable. Meanwhile, MP Hassan Jowhar's sudden change of attitude towards the grilling of Interior Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Khalid Al-Sabah seems to be aimed at aggravating conflicts between the former and current members of the Popular Labor Bloc, reports Al-Shahid daily quoting a source from the Parliament.
According to the source, Jowhar had previously expressed his willingness to support the grilling request forwarded by MP Musallam Al-Barrak against Sheikh Jaber. He even urged the government to face the grilling and stressed the importance of respecting the Constitution. However, he changed his mind later, asserting this is not the right time to grill the minister, since the government took its oath only on May 30. The source revealed internal conflicts in the Popular Labor Bloc started when MPs Adnan AbdulSamad and Al-Barrak, long-time members of the bloc, had a heated argument over the ouster of AbdulSamad and Ahmad Lari from the bloc due to their participation in the eulogy for terrorist Imad Moughniyah and Jowhar's resignation during a parliamentary session in the previous legislative term.
In the meantime, MP Mubarak Al-Wa'lan has reiterated his statement to submit three grilling requests -- two against the Minister of Interior Sheikh Jaber Al-Khalid, and the third against the Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Roudhan Al-Roudhan. Al-Wa'lan also said he will forward the second grilling request for MP Hussein Qallaf to sign since it is linked to what he calls the 'Iranian Spy' issue.
The daily quoted parliament sources as saying MP Al-Wa'lan's announcement aims to provoke tension, adding it is a useless grilling inquisition. The sources explained the alleged grilling request is in reaction to the altercation that has flared up between the two MPs, indicating the situation of getting the signature of Al-Qallaf on the alleged inquest is mere manipulation of the constitutional tools on personal disputes, and not related to the nation's interests. In an unrelated development, the Minister of Interior Sheikh Jaber Al-Khalid has reportedly issued a verbal decision to officials of the ministry to suspend all transactions with the MPs. He has ordered that such transactions must be directed to him following the incident regarding MP Badi Al-Dosari who was said to have attacked the director of Immigration Public Department Brigadier Kamel Al-Awadhi.
© Arab Times 2009
