KUWAIT -- Kuwait's Minister of Communication, Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs and the government's spokesman Dr. Mohammed Al-Busairi hailed "as big achievement" the approval of the draft law for the country's annual plan (2010/2011) on Wednesday.
The National Assembly (parliament) has passed the second and final reading of the report of the parliamentary committee for financial and economic affairs on the draft law and referred it to the government.
Speaking to reporters at the Assembly, Al-Busairi said the endorsement of the bill put to test the government's ability to launch the key development projects envisaged in the plan.
"The government was eager for passing the law at an early date in order to enable the parliamentary committee probe the draft budgets of the state departments," he noted.
The Assembly amended the fourth article of the draft bill aiming to dovetail the figures of the annual plan with the draft budgets of the state departments.
"The draft budgets are reference points because figures they entail are more accurate," the minister pointed out.
Asked whether the government was able to implement 100 percent of the projects in the plan, Al-Busairi said: "I can't say 'Yes' unequivocally, but we are sure of the implementation of at least 70 percent." He voiced confidence in ability of the executive and administrative apparatuses of the government to realize the targets of "the pioneering plan." The number of projects envisaged in the plan amounts to 885, involving investments of up to KD five billion.
Admitting that the red tape poses a challenge to the implementation of the key projects, Al-Busairi said the government was straggling against this problem.
"The government is mulling a draft accountability bill. The bill will bring to book senior officials, ranging from undersecretary of a ministry to director of a department, whose performance proves to be detrimental to implementation of the projects," he disclosed.
On Tuesday the Assembly turned over to the government a report including recommendations to solve the environment problem in Sabah Al-Salem Area (formerly Umm Al-Haiman).
Al-Busairi said the government would take into account all suggestions raised by the MPs about the report, worked out by the parliamentary committee on environment affairs.
"The government adopted legal punitive moves against the polluting firms over the last two months; it used a gradual approach to solve the problem. Some of the polluting factories were suspended for three days, one week, and then for two weeks," he revealed.
Recalling the remarks of First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and President of the Supreme Environment Council (SEC) Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah during yesterday's parliamentary session, Al-Busairi said: "While deciding on such crucial issues as this, the government uses gradual approach and equates punitive measures (such as closure of pulling firms) with the prerequisites of development." Al-Busairi noted that the Public Authority for Agriculture Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) planned to initiate a green belt to alleviate the toll taken by environment pollution on the residents of Sabah Al-Salem.
"The cabinet has probed this plan as well as the plan to launch a green area over six sq.km. in south Kuwait.
"Sheikh Jaber is scheduled to lead a delegation, consisting of SEC officials and MPs, on a tour of the factories in Al-Shu'aiba industrial area and inaugurate a factory for waste recycling in the area," he disclosed.
Noting that the environment problem in the area existed for decades and could not be resolved overnight, Al-Busairi the government has made a remarkable progress over the last few weeks.
Asked about the agenda of the current legislative term, Al-Busairi said the Assembly would be in session on almost a daily basis in June.
"There will be 23 - 24 sessions in this month including 6 - 8 session slated to debate the draft budgets of the state departments," he revealed.
"The remaining sessions will debate draft bills including the one worked out by the parliamentary financial affairs committee on launching a fund for consumer debtors.
He affirmed the soundness of the government stance that a debtor whose monthly repayments exceed 50 percent of their salaries should not benefit from the planned fund.
"The government showed understanding of the suffering of the debt-burdened citizens, tabled to the Assembly more than 15 amendments, and approved almost all the recommendations of the MPs except those relating to the percentage issue," the minister noted.
"The government agreed that the fund would have an open ceiling in order to include as many applicants as possible," he added.
Regarding the bill on small and medium enterprises (SMEs), Al-Busairi said the government asked the Assembly to step up the debate on the bill.
The bill envisages launching of a USD 500 million fund to back up the SMEs under an initiative announced by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah during the Arab Economic, Social and Development Summit in Kuwait in January, 2009.
Al-Busairi denounced the death threat by a citizen to Minister of Health Dr. Hilal Al-Sayer during a live TV program.
"The government denounces in strong terms this direct threat against one of its ministers. We are in a state of law, governed by legal and judiciary systems; we can never accept the jungle law," the minister said.
The government is studying the background of the issue and mulls the possible measures to counter delinquent behaviors, he said, affirmed solidarity of the cabinet members with Dr. Al-Sayer.
Criticizing the decision of the Iraqi government on Tuesday to dissolve the state-owned Iraq Airways, Al-Busairi said: "The Iraqi government was trying to evade the final rulings of British courts of justice relating to the war reparations.
The High Court in London ruled that on freezing the assets of Iraq Airways worldwide and seizing an Iraqi airliner on April 27 shortly after the airline made its first commercial flight to the United Kingdom in two decades.
"When the issue was first raised at UK courts, we made it clear that the State of Kuwait was not a party to the dispute. The entire issue concerns the UK courts and Iraq.
"However, we cannot drop our legal claim against Iraq Airways for USD multi-billion worth reparations relating to aircraft and spare parts Kuwait Airways Corporation seized by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's regime during the 1990-91 invasion of Kuwait," he added.
© KUNA (Kuwait News Agency) 2010
