KUWAIT CITY, Sept 6: The ‘influential’ parliamentary blocs have started coordinating with one another to win membership in important parliamentary committees, particularly the Interior and Defense Affairs Committee to pass a law for amending the elections law, adopting a single electoral constituency system and vote using Civil IDs, reports Al-Rai daily. The Popular Labor Bloc and Development and Reform Bloc held a meeting recently to coordinate and work out details, say sources, adding the Popular Labor Bloc is trying to get a bill on single electoral constituency system passed in the next parliamentary term. More meetings will be held after Eid holiday to discuss steps on how to win membership in the committee and to ensure that majority can pass the bill and it gets listed on the Parliament’s agenda. Sources close to the Popular Labor Bloc said the bloc is working within the constitutional framework to pass the bill and will cooperate and discuss details with all political blocs.

Meanwhile, former lawmaker Duaij Al-Shimmari criticized the government for allegedly supporting the call of some lawmakers to dissolve the incumbent National Assembly, reports Al-Rai daily. Al-Shimmari derided the government for purportedly asking HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah to dissolve the current Parliament, considering a majority of the lawmakers have always been supportive of the executive authority in bad and good times. While admitting that he is proud to be the first lawmaker to present the civil and social rights draft bill for women in the 2006 National Assembly, Al-Shimmari believes this is not the right time to push for the amendment of the Constitution. He stressed the need for political stability and healthy environment to reach an agreement on the proposed changes.

Gratitude
In the meantime, lawmaker Musallam Al-Barrak expressed his deep gratitude to his cousin, Ahmad Mubarak Al-Barrak, for accepting his request for the latter to resign from the board of directors of the Public Authority for Handicapped Affairs, reports Al-Seyassah daily. Al-Barrak clarified there is nothing wrong in the appointment of his cousin as board member of the authority, since he won the elections. However, he had no choice but to ask his cousin to resign immediately after the elections, since the lawmaker currently heads the Handicapped Affairs Committee at the Parliament. He disclosed he saw a decision issued by a deputy premier, in his capacity as head of the Disabled Committee, to hold the board of directors election for the authority in line with Article 52 of the Handicapped Law.

“I was surprised when I found out that one of those who won the election is my cousin. Although I respect his right to be elected to this post and his membership in the board is legal, I had to take the responsibility to ask him to resign even before he starts his actual work in the board. While I deeply appreciate my cousin’s immediate acceptance of my request, I had to apologize to him in case my request caused him embarrassment or injustice,” the lawmaker concluded.