KUWAIT CITY, Oct 27: Undersecretary of the National Assembly, MP Adnan Abdulsamad, assured teachers on Thursday that their salary increments will be approved on Nov 15, despite government reservations. He added the majority of MPs, more than 40, have already supported the law and will vote in that respect, therefore there is no need for protests and strikes.
The Kuwait Teachers Society (KTS) rallied in front of the Education Ministry in Shuwaikh on Thursday calling on Minister of Education, Ahmad Al-Mulaifi, to approve the teacher’s salary increment law next legislative session on Nov 15. Opposition MPs Musallam Al-Barrak, Jamaan Al-Harbash, Mubarak Al-Walaan, Khaled Al-Tahous and Falah Al-Sawagh were present at the rally in support. Chairman of KTS, Mitib Al-Otaibi, said that protests will continue and escalate until the demands of teachers and students are met.
The student unions of Kuwait University and Public Authority for Applied Education and Training as well as high school students joined the protest and, for their part, called for student bonuses which were also postponed to the upcoming session. MP Musallam Al-Barrak criticized Al-Mulaifi for “travelling abroad during every protest” and insisted that the government has failed teachers and students and ignored their rights and demands. Chanting for the ouster of the government and PM Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah, he urged the gathering to follow his lead. Al-Barrak further warned of dire consequences if the teacher and student laws are not approved on Nov 15.
For his part, Al-Harbash said that Al-Mulaifi has continuously postponed the laws since May and has not produced any developments in that regard during the summer. He added that the joint finance and education committee and the National Assembly have approved the law in its current form and only a final vote remains.
Meanwhile, MP Faisal Al-Duwaisan criticized opposition MPs for their continuous calls against the government. He said that it seems the MPs merely desire to disrupt the parliamentary process and it would have been more effective to their cause if they had joined parliamentary committees. Al-Duwaisan condemned the MPs who refused to greet Sheikh Nasser Al-Sabah in the presence of His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and urged them to correct their doings.
For her part, MP Salwa Al-Jassar wondered why lawmakers would abandon their parliamentary tools by refusing to join committees. She further condemned opposition MPs for failing to wear their Bisht (formal attire) during the opening session with His Highness the Amir, saying that the country is living through a moral crisis. Al-Jassar added that it would have been better if the opposition had submitted their resignation, as MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaei had promised to do so.
Moreover, MP Hassan Jowhar threatened to resign from parliamentary committees if they drop cases pertaining to Kuwait’s stateless residents (Bedoun). He said he was shocked that the National Assembly had dropped the Bedoun committee, preferring to include it with human rights. On another note, he said he will wait to see what the newly formed 7-member opposition committee mechanisms are before joining.