KUWAIT CITY, April 19: Opposition MPs attacked the government on Tuesday for failing to fully implement the Handicap Law and said that they will include the issue within a grilling motion scheduled for submission against the prime minister by the Popular Action Bloc (PAB).

Chairman of the Handicapped Affairs Committee MP Ali Al-Deqbasi, committee member MP Musallam Al-Barrak as well as MPs Khaled Tahous among others spoke out against His Highness the Prime Minister, Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah, in a parliamentary conference that was attended by civil societies that cater to special needs.

A number of MPs, however, as well as parents of children with special needs condemned Al-Barrak and his supporters for taking advantage of and using the issue to help their campaign against the prime minister. They praised His Highness the Prime Minister and said that he did not neglect the issues of citizens with disabilities. 

General Manager of the Public Authority for Handicapped Affairs also issued a statement denying any government neglect on the issue and said that the authority is working vigilantly on addressing the population’s needs.

Speaking to the audience, Al-Barrak said that a year has passed since the law was issued and the government has done little to fully implement the law and establish organizations concerning citizens with special needs, merely appointing general manager Jassem Al-Tamar for the public authority. He added that the law has only been allocated KD 10,000 so far and there are individuals who mistreat the handicapped under government supervision.

Al-Barrak announced that the Handicapped Affairs Committee will begin meetings on Wednesday with representatives of citizens with special needs to discuss the articles of the law which have yet to be implemented. He said that the prime minister will be questioned on those issues by the PAB. Al-Barrak added that handicapped individuals are forced to pay tremendous fees for government services, even though the law stipulates the cancellation of all fees for the handicapped.

On his part, MP Ali Al-Deqbasi said that the Public Authority for Handicapped Affairs is useless and is incapable of solving the problems that are faced by citizens with disabilities. Furthermore, MP Khaled Al-Tahous added that only four articles of the 74 article law were implemented.