Mutair, Jowhar call for Cabinet's resignation

KUWAIT CITY, March 28: Members of parliament upped their tempo against the government on Monday with MP Faisal Al-Duwaisan announcing that he will submit a grilling request today against Minister of Information and Minister of Oil, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah.

Furthermore, MP Saleh Ashour announced that he will submit the same against Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Mohammed Sabah Al-Salem, on Wednesday.

Explaining his stance, Al-Duwaisan said that Kuwait's media lacks press ethics and "has been harming the country's unity by defaming Kuwaiti public and religious figures of all sects."

The questioning debate will revolve around state Audit Bureau reports on administrative and financial violations within the Ministry of Information as well as the minister's failure in performing the duties of his post.

Speaking at a press conference, Al-Duwaisan added that the recent political scene has proven that the government is fueling sectarian tension, ignoring His Highness the Amir's call for national unity.

"The government is not governed. Some institutions have turned into quasi-governmental fiefdoms run by individuals who are instigating their staff to service their desires instead of working on the advancement of the country. A flagrant example of this is the Ministry of Information," he stated.

On his part, MP Ashour objected to the ministry's silence on the alleged defamation of Kuwaiti MPs on the Kingdom of Bahrain's state TV. He said that the channel has been launching fabricated slanderous attacks against him by accusing him of alliance with Iran and Hezbollah because he differed with their views on the Bahraini conflict.

"The Bahraini TV has also insulted the Kuwaiti Constitution by accusing me of not representing the Kuwaiti people and that is a violation of article 100 of the Constitution," he said.

Ashour added that, in respect of the Kuwaiti people, he will forfeit his right of filing a lawsuit against Bahrain TV, adding that he stands with the people of Bahrain as he is standing in support of the people of Egypt, Yemen, Syria, Libya and Tunisia with no distinction. "The media black-out instigated by Bahrain is not practiced, even by Israel," he stated.

Ashour further addressed His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah saying that government ministers in fact seek to protect themselves and do not support the PM.

Further government condemnation was issued by MPs Mohammed Al-Mutair and Hassan Jowhar who both called for the Cabinet's resignation. Jowhar said that government should avoid further political crisis by resigning as it has failed in many issues, which is the reason why MPs are resorting to interpellations in order to hold the government accountable.

Meanwhile, on behalf of the Development and Reform Bloc, MP Faisal Al-Muslim announced that one of its members will speak in support of the National Action Bloc's stance against the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, during the minister's grilling session. He declined to name the member.

The grilling session of Sheikh Al-Fahad, which was earlier submitted by NAB MPs, Marzouq Al-Ghanim and Adel Al-Saarawi, is expected in a week's time.

Al-Ghanim denounced any attempts by Sheikh Al-Fahad's supporters to refer the grilling to the Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee or to the Constitutional Court. He stressed that the questioning of Sheikh Al-Fahad was necessary so that the people may discover the truth of the accusations against him.

© Arab Times 2011