Confidence vote, budgets agendized

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KUWAIT CITY, Sept 6: National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim has invited MPs to the special sessions scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. In a press conference Sunday, Al-Ghanim disclosed that items on the agenda of the sessions include the budgets of independent institutions such as Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) and its subsidiaries; as well as the financial condition of the State and the State budget.

If needed, the discussion will continue on Thursday after the Assembly votes on the no-confidence motions against Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr Saud Al Harbi and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anas Al-Saleh, Al-Ghanim added. Meanwhile, on the occasion of the sixth anniversary of naming His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as International Humanitarian Leader by former United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-Moon; Al- Ghanim pointed out this title was not randomly bestowed on HH the Amir as it was due to the attitude of His Highness the Amir in a specific situation. He asserted His Highness the Amir was honored for all of his works, indicating the title is just an icing on the cake of the Amir’s distinguished career and accumulated positions for more than 60 years – starting from the early 1960s. He mentioned in an interview on Kuwait TV that the title granted to His Highness the Amir represented not only Ban Ki-Moon but also the latter’s predecessors including KofiAnnan, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Javier Perez de Cuellar and Kurt Waldheim. He disclosed the aspects of the strategy adopted by His Highness the Amir include political moderation, willingness to solve issues through roundtable negotiations away from wars and devastating disputes, not interfering in the internal affairs of other countries while keen on gaining more friends based on the fundamental moral positions, and relying on international legitimacy.

He affirmed that everyone in Kuwait has adopted such a strategy with the aim of creating spaces for agreement among the disputing parties and making Kuwait as a venue for the peaceful settlement of disputes. He said he has been working closely with His Highness the Amir, so he noticed how the Amir puts humanitarian consideration on top of his priorities. He added this is the reason why His Highness the Amir hates regional wars and disputes, and he prefers solving issues through peaceful discussions and negotiations.

He concluded by praying to Allah to bless His Highness the Amir with speedy recovery and safe return to the country soon.

On the other hand, MP Abdulkareem Al-Kandari asked the government to take action against the banks which terminated several Kuwaiti employees. He urged the government to withdraw its deposits from these banks in order to force them to adhere to the policy of protecting national workers. He said it is unacceptable that these banks receive subsidy from the government and then dismiss Kuwaiti employees. In another development, Al-Kandari called on the government to send a strongly worded letter to a French magazine to voice objection against the republication of cartoons deemed offensive to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

He added France must respect the beliefs of others, particularly Islam; especially since France always urges others to respect the freedom of speech of those who attack Islam and offend the Messenger of Islam (PBUH). MP Muhammad Haif, who recently submitted a grilling motion against Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anas Al-Saleh, commented on the statement of National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim regarding the leaked recordings. Haif affirmed watching the contents of the flash memory, disclosing it does not contain footages of the conversation between the head of the State Security General Department and the son of former prime minister Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Mubarak.

He also confirmed the presence of the technical support team when he watched the recordings, adding the technicians played the recordings for him. He pointed out the recordings were handed over to the Assembly on Aug 5, indicating Speaker and his deputy would have heard the recordings then. He said Al-Ghanim told him during the break in the grilling session last week that the Speaker did not watch the recordings; and that if something is missing, the Speaker would ask Al-Saleh to submit it. He asserted the mysterious attitude of Al-Saleh and Al- Ghanim entails that we live in a big comic play aimed at misleading the people. He said Al-Ghanim should have searched for the truth upon hearing him say that some footages are missing instead of waiting for about 48 hours to announce nothing is missing

By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh Arab Times Staff

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