KUWAIT CITY, March 31: The Parliament approved Wednesday the Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee’s request to lift the immunity of MPs Khaled Al-Sultan, Musallam Al-Barrak and Dr Faisal Al-Muslim for their involvement in media-related cases. Deputy Parliament Speaker MP Abdullah Al-Roumi called for a 15-minute break twice during the session due to heated arguments among the MPs.  Al-Roumi ordered the first 15-minute break when MP Adel Al-Saraawi and Al-Barrak exchanged heated words.  Al-Saraawi demanded lifting the immunity of Al-Barrak as the latter allegedly described Minister of Finance Mustafa Al-Shamali as “a lizard that does not fear God” in his previous press statements.

Al-Barrak retorted, saying Al-Saraawi misquoted him as he compared the minister to a lizard which does not know his Lord and keeps on lying down.  The two MPs went on to accuse each other of lying and hatred.
The second break came after a heated argument between Al-Barrak and Khalaf Al-Dumaitheer when Al-Barrak criticized former Deputy Chairman of the Public Authority for Youth and Sports (PAYS) Sheikh Talal Al-Fahad. 
On the other hand, Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr Mudhi Al-Humoud talked about the observations made by MP Dr Hassan Jowhar during Tuesday’s session on issues concerning two respectable and prominent figures in the educational sector - Director of Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) Dr Abdullah Al-Fuhaid and Director of Kuwait University (KU) Dr Yakoub Al-Rufai.

On Tuesday, Jowhar alleged that Al-Fuhaid has presented a forged certificate, while Al-Rufai cannot perform his duties effectively due to his health problems.  Al-Humoud asked the lawmaker to prove his allegations, pointing out Jowhar has no right to slander the two officials especially since he cannot provide evidence to substantiate his claims.  She asserted Al-Fuhaid’s certificate is not forged and Al-Rufai is in excellent health condition.
Al-Humoud has also rejected attempts to tarnish the image of   Directress of Farwaniya Educational Zone Yusra Al-Omar, who has been criticized by MP Mubarak Al-Waalan.  She affirmed Al-Omar carries out her duties efficiently.

 On other issues, MP Dr Mohammed Al-Huwailah stressed the need to take serious steps to address the worsening environmental problems at Umm Al-Haiman. 
He also called on the government to improve the health sector to stop citizens from undergoing treatment abroad, while emphasizing the importance of solving the unemployment problem as there are no job opportunities in many state ministries which do not comply with the Kuwaitization policy.
MP Hussein Al-Huraiti opined the health care program in the country does not conform to the specifications of the World Health Organization (WHO).  He lamented the existing hospitals in the country are not enough to serve the growing population, citing as an example the concerned authorities’ failure to push for the expansion of Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital.
MP Khalid Al-Tahous underlined the need to strictly implement the Public Authority for Industry (PAI) law and punish the owners of factories found to have violated the environment safety regulations.
He also asked the government to review the salaries of employees in ministries and other public institutions to ensure justice for all.

MP Salah Al-Mullah believes the national unity issue is very important and it can be addressed if the MPs unite, instead of identifying themselves as Shiites, Sunnis, Bedouns or tribesmen.  He argued it is difficult to implement the KD37 billion development plan of the government if political wrangling continues.
In the meantime, lawmaker Faisal Al-Duwaisan and some of his colleagues had requested formation of an investigative committee to probe administrative and financial violations in the Ministry of Information.
Minister of Information and Oil Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah barely survived a no-confidence vote last week as supporters of the motion fell two lawmakers short from succeeding in ousting the minister. 
Sheikh Abdullah, who was questioned by opposition lawmaker Ali Al-Deqbasi a week earlier, has been accused of failing to implement the press and audio-visual laws, as well as disparaging the constitutional and legislative practices.
    Al-Duwaisan urged the minister to cooperate with the committee to identify the violations, in addition to taking appropriate steps to stop these irregularities.