KUWAIT CITY, Feb 24: MP Essam Al- Dabbous said the decision of the Parliament to postpone the grilling requests to the next legislative round does not mean abandoning or doing away with this important tool of holding the government accountable, rather it is to establish evidence on the government. It can be recalled the Parliament during last Tuesday’s session had agreed to postpone the grilling motions against the Minister of Interior and Minister of Communications to the next legislative round in October upon request of the Cabinet. Both interpellations were presented by MPs Faisal Al-Duwaisan and Hussein Al-Qallaf respectively.

It has been reported the Parliament Speaker Ali Al-Rashed held a closeddoor meeting with a majority of the lawmakers Monday evening, prior to the session, to discuss the grilling motions. The lawmakers reportedly decided not to withdraw the motions but postpone them and allow ministers what it called ‘a period to make progress’.

During the session, 37 MPs approved the request to postpone the grilling of the Communications Minister, 23 rejected and two abstained, while the postponement on the interpellation of the Minister of Interior was approved by 39 MPs, 21 rejected, and one abstained.

Al-Dabbous explained all previous governments are hiding behind an excuse that the subsequent interpellations are impeding them from making progress and not giving them a chance to work. These interpellations are even disrupting the development of the country, they said. Al-Dabbous added the postponement of the grilling requests came to translate the wishes of HH the Amir for this Parliament to ensure good performance and make achievements to meet the aspirations of the citizens, getting rid of their grievances and removing the burdens from their shoulders. Meanwhile, a group calling itself ‘the Group of 62’ has stressed the postponement of the grilling requests was a wise step to rescue the two authorities — the Executive and the Legislature — from falling into ‘a quagmire of crisis’, its commitment and compliance with the Constitution and the law to achieve the objectives and the values for which it is established.

In a statement after the meeting which was held to discuss the consequences caused by the Parliament decision to postpone the interpellations to the next legislative round, the group commended the role of the Parliament Speaker Ali Al- Rashed “to avoid a crisis that might have damaged the relationship between the two authorities.” In another development, parliamentary sources disclosed the MPs who voted last Tuesday for the postponement of the grilling request to the next round will also agree to postpone the grilling motions which have been filed by MPs Nawaf Al- Fuzai and Saadoun Hamad Al-Otaibi against Minister of Finance Mustafa Al- Shamali and Minister of Oil Hani Hussein respectively. They added the agreement to postpone the oil minister’s grilling is assured with the government, but that of the finance minister’s on the issue of loan interests cannot be guaranteed because the majority of lawmakers who demand writing off the interests on loans have expressed their resentment since the minister insists on resolving the issue through the socalled ‘fund of defaulters’.

The sources added the promise which these MPs have received from the government to resolve this issue will lead to a meeting between the finance minister and the parliamentary Finance and Economic Affairs Committee next week which will also make these lawmakers to incline to accept on postponement of finance minister’s grilling by voting with the government in this regard. They added the government doesn’t have a majority of MPs to vote on the postponement of Al-Shamali’s grilling request “because the loan issue is an embarrassment to the lawmakers.” On another issue, Chairman of Human Rights and Bedoun Committee in the Parliament MP Khaled Al-Adwa has stated a big number of deserving bedoun and children of Kuwaiti widows and divorcees will be naturalized within this year. He attributes this to “the indications of cooperation that we see in front of us.” He added, “We are waiting a government initiative to speed up the bedoun issue by naturalizing those who deserved to be naturalized. Al-Adwa said he has been assured by the head of Central Agency for Remedying the Status of Illegal Residents (bedoun) in Kuwait, Saleh Al- Fadhalah that the agency opts to resolve the bedoun issue once and for all through the ‘diligent’ work they do and preparation of names of those deserving the Kuwaiti citizenship as per the laws and regulations set by the country’s policy. He pointed out a majority of MPs support the right to naturalize bedoun and improve their living conditions.