KUWAIT CITY, May 7: Former lawmakers Ahmad Baqer and Ahmad Al-Mulaifi asserted that it is not the right time to make amendments to the Constitution as proposed by lawmaker Ali Al-Rashed and said it is a difficult process, reports Al-Watan Arabic daily. The duo made the comments during a seminar ‘Privatization and the Amendment of the Constitution,’ organized Wednesday at Sulaiman Al-Teraichi diwaniya in Faiha. The former lawmakers agreed on their stand regarding the amendment of the Constitution, but disagreed on privatization and its implementation process. Al-Mulaifi pointed out that although there is an economic crisis and there are many problems related to salaries and the lack of productivity, Kuwait is still not in need of privatization. He said privatization is not a magical wand that will save the economy as some people believe and it is not a suitable solution to our problems.

For his part, Ahmad Baqer said the Constitution will not be amended, because the amendment proposal should be submitted by at least three lawmakers and only one lawmaker is supporting this issue. He pointed out that the country’s Constitution is Arab and Islamic oriented and ‘static’. So, it is difficult to amend it, except by the will of two-thirds of lawmakers in the National Assembly and the will of HH the Amir.

Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Committee for Women and Family Affairs approved many amendments to the social security law and housing care law, reports Al-Seyassah daily. The amendments give additional privileges to women after retirement, contrary to the current law which states that women should retire after working for 15 years. After modifications, the law will allow women to retire at age 40. Also, she will be given the choice to work five more years, but the pension will accordingly decrease, said the rapporteur of the committee MP Aseel Al-Awadhi.

The committee also approved a suggestion to give divorced women a right in her father’s property irrespective of the number of times she gets divorced. Also, children of Kuwaiti women married to non-Kuwaitis will be given all facilities like those granted to Kuwaiti children in the fields of education and health, noted MP Maasouma Al-Mubarak.