A REPORT published by Al-Qabas daily several months ago on the alleged deposit of millions of dinars into the accounts of some members of the 2009 Parliament sparked chaos throughout the country.  Some individuals, who became members of the Majority Bloc in the nullified 2012 National Assembly, organized rallies and stormed the legislative building in full view of local and international media.  They also demanded for the ouster of former prime minister His Highness Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and the dissolution of the 2009 Parliament.

    Like many political analysts, I think the multi-million deposit scandal was not the only reason behind the incessant calls for the dissolution of the 2009 Parliament.  In my opinion, the main reason was the dissatisfaction of the so-called minority over the structure of the Parliament at the time.  I am not saying this to disregard the alleged involvement of some former MPs in bribery, although none of the accused has been proven to have received huge bribes until now.

We have to bear in mind that in case the accusation is proven true, many former lawmakers whose names have not been dragged into the scandal may have received huge amounts in exchange for making a stand in favor of the bribe-giver.  We know this is the order of things in politics as we have learned through our experience in political work.
    Businessmen who obtain projects worth millions of dinars usually take a large amount from the tender to give to the lawmaker who helped them win in the bidding.  In the same manner, some political parties ‘pay’ certain lawmakers to get their support in achieving demands or sometimes in creating trouble for some officials in the authority.

    According to a report published in London recently, the number of billionaires in the Chinese Parliament increased by 17 percent compared to last year.  The report was surprising because the billionaire lawmakers belong to the ruling Chinese Communist Party.
    The report, which was prepared by Horn Research Company whose headquarters is in Shanghai, said 83 Chinese MPs have a net worth of $3.35 billion; while the average annual income of Chinese civilian laborers is less than $7,000 and the average net worth of the rich members of the American Congress is only $56.4 million.
    Dear bribe-takers and their enemies, please bear in mind that you will always see lawmakers taking bribes all over the world because bribery is an international phenomenon!

Email: ali-albaghli@hotmail.com

By Ali Ahmad Al-Baghli
Former Oil Minister