KUWAIT CITY, June 20: The National Action Bloc officially announced Sunday its decision to postpone the submission of a request to grill Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Dr Mohammad Al-Afasi over the sports issue to give the government enough time to implement the law properly.
The bloc decided to postpone the grilling after the government and Al-Afasi promised to take the necessary steps to ensure proper implementation of the law. The bloc said it will continue to monitor the performance of the government, urging the latter to apply the law on everybody, without giving preferential treatment to anyone. The bloc also agreed to give the government another chance to rectify its mistakes and restore the confidence of citizens in state institutions.

“The government must prove that Kuwait is a nation of laws. If anyone thinks he is above the law, certain measures should be taken to correct such misconceptions. We also want to emphasize the need for the government to be wary of suspicious movements that might attempt to halt sports activities and harm Kuwait’s image in the international community,” the bloc asserted.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the bloc MP Marzouq Al-Ghanem confirmed the group has postponed the grilling of Al-Afasi until the next legislative round, since the government has extended a cooperative hand and promised to implement the law. He admitted some parties connected to the government have been pushing for the grilling so they can meddle with the sports activities in the country.
Al-Ghanem thanked all those who exerted tremendous efforts to ensure the strict implementation of the law, especially HH the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Speaker of the Parliament Jassem Al-Khorafi, and members of various parliamentary blocs.
Member of the bloc MP Abdulrahman Al-Anjari argued that “grilling is a means, not an end. The government has vowed to apply the law, so there is no use to keep on putting pressure on it. The bloc has agreed to give the executive a chance to implement the law.”

Amend
In the meantime, the parliamentary Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee has agreed to amend Law Number 21/1964 on boycotting Israel.
Speaking to reporters after the panel meeting Sunday, Committee Chairman MP Hussein Al-Huraiti said the panel deliberated on the proposal of MP Dr Waleed Al-Tabtabaei on banning any form of dealing with Israel and agreed to amend an existing law in this regard. He confirmed the representatives of the government from the ministries of Interior and Justice, as well as the Fatwa and Legislation Department, expressed their full support to the proposal.
Al-Huraiti explained Law Number 21/1964 prohibits travel to Israel and meeting Israeli officials, stressing that the amendment approved Sunday by the committee includes the strict implementation of the law. He added the Parliament has the final say on whether to approve Al-Tabtabaei’s draft bill and the proposed amendment to the existing law in the current legislative round or the next.
In another development, sources revealed the committee also approved a request to lift the immunity of MP Saadoun Hammad Al-Otaibi to allow the Public Prosecution to interrogate him in a case filed against him by MP Dr Rola Dashti, as he had earlier accused her of involvement in the calcified coal issue.