KUWAIT CITY, Feb 10:  A number of lawmakers have expressed doubt on the government’s ability to implement its five-year development plan despite the allocation of a huge budget for this purpose due to the prevalence of administrative corruption in the authority, sources told the Arab Times.
Sources said the lawmakers have vowed to closely monitor the situation and urged the civil societies to fully cooperate with the government.  They also underlined the need for the government to resign in case it fails to execute the plan within the agreed timeframe.  They pointed out the ball is now in the court of the executive but if it cannot score goals, then it should leave the field open for those with the ability to do so.
Speaking at a workshop organized by Kuwaiti Professionals Group (KPG) Sunday at their headquarters in Jahra under the slogan “Political Work and its Impact on Development”, KPG Coordinator Eng Mohamed Naif Al-Enzi said the development plan is the result of a strong coordination between the government and Parliament.
MPs Naji Al-Abdulhadi, Khalid Al-Tahous, Khalid Al-Sultan, Marzouq Al-Ghanem, Musallam Al-Barrak and Dr Jamaan Al-Harbash, in addition to Kuwait Engineers Society Chairman Eng Talal Al-Qahtani attended the workshop.
Al-Barrak confirmed the Parliament is keen on playing its monitoring role, so the government should ensure execution of the plan.  He opined the workshop clearly manifests the professionals’ willingness to understand the plan and its impact on the country.  He added the plan includes vital development projects like health and education.  He stressed the government has the required tools to execute these projects and it will be held accountable in case of failure in this regard.
On the other hand, Al-Tahous accused the government of delaying the development process in the country, citing the executive’s failure to submit its plan in 1986; hence, there were no development plans from 1986 until 2010.
Al-Abdulhadi believes the government lacks the ability to implement the plan due to the unjust salary distribution and assimilation of professions.
He asked the government to look into the current pay scales of professionals, indicating the development plan will not succeed without the support of the professionals.
Al-Sultan contended the success of this plan lies in the government’s willingness to change its operations.  He went on to say the country needs independent authorities with the required skills to execute the plan, not a corrupt government.  He pointed out the executive should now focus on the implementation of at least 50 percent of the plan and complete overhaul of its operations.
Al-Ghanem stressed he will congratulate the government if it executes at least 50 percent of the plan.  However, he was quick to add that the plan is unrealistic as it includes suspicious articles, such as Article 7 which allows the government to change objectives of the plan if the need arises.
Al-Harbash affirmed the plan needs the support of professionals, especially since the country has not witnessed any development since 1986.
He emphasized the importance of having clear objectives and outlines to ensure the successful implementation of the plan. 
He argued a country full of citizens who think of ‘wasta’ (influence) before considering the work at hand cannot execute any plan.
He also encouraged the private sector to actively participate in the implementation of the plan.