KUWAIT CITY, Nov 22: Around 40,000 Kuwaitis, according to organizers, gathered Tuesday at the Erada square opposite the National Assembly building to express support for HH the Amir, Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, while condemning the attack on Parliament.

Some groups were also seen holding about a 10 meter long Kuwaiti flag with the picture of the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammed, chanting “Long live Nasser, Long live Nasser,” with some chanting “People want the Prime Minister,” “Crown, crown on the head of Nasser Al-Mohammed.”
This came a day after the opposition organized a public rally Monday at the same location to call for an elected government and the resignation of the Prime Minister. The participants denounced the opposition, calling its members “Trouble Makers.” They also stressed the need for everyone to respect the constitution and called for a strict application of the law of the land.

Organizers clarified the gathering was for all Kuwaitis, not for any sect or tribe. They said thousands of citizens responded to their invitation and they expected this number to swell further because people continued to pour in as the rally went on until midnight Tuesday.

Before the start of the rally, Head of the Police force, Major General Mahmoud Al-Dausari spelt out the rules of the event to the organizers, saying that there should be no marching on the street during and after the rally, which he said should end by midnight.

At the rally ground, a large crowd comprising, men, women and children were waving Kuwait flags, holding Amir’s portraits and singing national songs in a carnival fashion.
The crowd held placards some of which read “Allah, Amir, Kuwait,” “Allah Protect Kuwait,” “I hear and Obey HH the Amir.”

 The crowd chanted “People want application of the law.”
“All are against those offending the ruling family, all are against MPs who mess with the Constitution — yes with the Amir, yes with the Constitution, No with those messing with it.”
The chairman of the organizers of the rally, Dr. Hisham Saleh indicated that the rally was organized voluntary and willingly by the Kuwaiti youths, saying that “We are gathered here to send one message, which is Our support to HH the Amir, young and old, all support the Amir.” He pointed out that the huge number of Kuwaitis are united regardless of their sects — Sunni, Shiite, or tribal and that they were gathered here to denounce the storming of the parliament on the “Black Wednesday” by trouble-making MPs and the demonstrators, adding “Kuwaiti people denounced what you did; Kuwaiti people don’t like trouble-making MPs.”

He said the trouble-making MPs do not work for the interest of Kuwait and its citizens; rather they work for their personal interest and for electoral purposes.

One of the speakers, Suleiman Al-Rashidi condemned the storming of the parliament which he said is the home of Kuwaitis, pointing out that Abdullah Al-Salem Hall is the appropriate venue for discussing problems facing the  country and not for rallies, street marches and demonstrations. “We have stuck to our Constitution which is our pride, just like the United States and Britain” he added.
Ali Al-Fadala, a senior member of the organizing group of the event defined the purpose of the event as just a group of citizens coming together to express their solidarity with the Amir of Kuwait as well as express their disapproval of last Wednesday’s incident in which opposition protesters stormed the Parliament building. He declined to discuss anything about the Prime Minister, saying that whatever problems people have with him should be solved between him and them.

Mohammed Mahdi Al-Shoub, one of the organizers of the event, while saying   most people showing up at the event do not belong to any political organization or group, indicated that the reason for the pro-government rally is to express their solidarity with the Amir, Sheikh  Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah as well as show their disapproval of last Wednesday’s storming of the National Assembly by  opposition supporters, adding that the incident was a national embarrassment which was shown worldwide  for all to see. He said they were there at the same venue of the opposition protest to show to the world the real picture of Kuwait.
Asked about his opinion on the corruption allegations against the Prime Minister and some members of Parliament, the event organizer was quite coy on his answer, saying that if the opposition wants to have the PM fired, they should pass through Parliament, where there is a procedure in place for that to be done. He said the opposition knows they cannot get the required votes to oust the PM and want to achieve that objective through street protests.  On the corruption allegations, Al-Shoub said those allegations do not relate to his work in Parliament and should be tackled as personal issues. He added that some people tend to think the PM is the go-to person for everything that goes wrong in Kuwait. He cited an instance where there were issues with Kuwait Football and the first thing some opposition elements did was to organize people to the PM’s office instead of looking for the Minister responsible for sports.

On the opposition’s call for the PM to be fired by the Amir if he refuses to resign, Al-Shoub said steps to follow to have the PM removed, first of all begin on the floor of Parliament, and whether that succeeds or fails, the Amir stands as the final authority to have the PM fired, which he stated categorically a few days ago, he would not do, even if the PM tends in his resignation.

He indicated there are many examples of ministers who were members of the royal family being kicked out of their posts by the Parliament.

The rally finished peacefully with a group approaching the security forces guarding the National Assembly to present them with flowers, a token gesture of peace and an appreciation for their efforts in confronting the demonstrators who stormed the parliament building last Wednesday.

Agencies add:
Supporters and opponents of the Kuwaiti government staged separate rallies on Tuesday as the oil-rich Gulf state plunges into deep political crisis over a corruption scandal involving MPs.
Thousands of highly enthusiastic government supporters rallied opposite parliament in the capital Kuwait City to declaring their total backing and loyalty to the Amir and prime minister.
Liberal opposition groups, meanwhile, held another gathering in Kuwait City to demand a change of premier and dissolving parliament, holding the government responsible for widespread corruption.
At the liberal gathering, a number of MPs and activists insisted the only solution for Kuwait’s political dilemma is to sack the government, change the premier, dissolve parliament and hold early elections.
MP Saleh al-Mulla, a member of the National Action Bloc, said all five MPs in his group will vote against the prime minister in a grilling expected to be debated on Nov 29.
The announcement means that MPs opposed to the prime minister are now believed to have the support of the required votes to unseat him.
Kuwait’s public prosecutor last September opened an unprecedented probe into allegations that about 15 MPs of the 50-member house had received huge illegal deposits into their bank accounts estimated by the opposition at $350 million.