KUWAIT CITY, Jan 31: MP Nawaf Al-Fuzaie will submit a grilling request against Finance Minister Mustafa Al-Shamali on the loan interest write-off proposal by mid-February.

Al-Fuzaie had earlier threatened to grill the minister for rejecting the proposal of some lawmakers to cancel the payment of accrued interests on consumer loans. He asserted, “The grilling has become necessary because Al-Shamali keeps on ignoring our demand to address the loans issue and hold the banks accountable for their grave violations”.

He warned he will not be lenient in handling issue since many citizens have been cheated, adding that he will coordinate with other lawmakers who might be interested in the interpellation.

Objection
On the other hand, MP Salah Al-Ateeqi has voiced objection to the proposal, claiming the threat to grill the minister is based on past disputes between him and the lawmaker. He said the loan interest issue is not a crisis that requires the lawmakers to call for cancellation of payment, indicating the Defaulters Fund is enough to address the problem. He argued the proposal may have a negative impact on the society as it will only encourage the people not to pay their debts or bills.

Moreover, parliamentary sources disclosed that majority of the lawmakers have informed the government about their plan to reject the proposal as they agree on using the money, which will be allocated for this purpose, to implement development projects that will be beneficial to the citizens.

Sources added most lawmakers, who support the directive of HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to ensure equality amongst citizens, have admitted they are afraid of the possibility that the approval of the proposed loan interest cancellation and financial grants will lead to inflation.

In another development, MP Yakoub Al-Sanei has asked Minister of Education and High Education Nayef Al-Hajraf to clarify reports on the alleged discovery of 6,422 forged engineering certificates. He said he has been informed that the concerned committee in the ministry conducted a study during the tenure of former Education Minister Dr Moudi Al-Hammoud and the results showed the certificates obtained by more than 6,000 engineers from abroad had been forged.

Al-Sanei wants to know if the reports are true and if yes, what measures have been taken to address the issue. He also instructed the minister to provide him with the names of those involved in the forgery and their nationalities. He inquired about the steps taken by the ministry after the tenure of Al-Hammoud. Did the ministry re-evaluate or cancel the certificates? Did it refer the holders of these certificates to the legal bodies to determine how they obtained the documents? In case the allegation is false, what measures have been taken against the media and websites which published the erroneous report?

Furthermore, a new parliamentary group has been formed and named ‘Independents Bloc’. Its members include MPs Nasser Al-Murri, Bader Al-Bathali, Hamad Al-Harshani, Saad Al-Bous, Adel Al-Kharafi, Faisal Al-Kandari and Mishari Al-Husseini.

Al-Murri confirmed the door is still open to other lawmakers who want to join the bloc, adding “we will cooperate with the government, play our supervisory role effectively and ensure equality among the people”. He said the bloc intends to hold regular meetings with the media to explain its agenda and timetable. He affirmed the bloc will work with other lawmakers to serve the interests of the nation and its people.