Grilling request submitted – MP SEEKS ‘MANPOWER’ REFORM

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 13: MP Mohammad Tana Tuesday officially submitted an interpellation request against the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor and State Minister for Planning and Development Affairs Hind Al- Sabeeh. It is based on four main issues — which are — administrative and financial irregularities in the Public Authority for the Handicapped, administrative irregularities in the Public Authority for Manpowver, irregularities in cooperative societies and irregularities in Social Welfare Home.

This interpellation request will be discussed first in the upcoming legislative term in accordance with the parliamentary bylaw. After presenting it, MP Tana stressed that the aim of the interpellation is to ensure reform in the ministry, affirming that MPs will not hesitate to grill any minister at fault. Meanwhile, National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim confirmed that MP Tana presented a grilling request against Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Hind Al-Sabeeh and that it consists of four points.

Al-Ghanem said, “According to Article 135 of the parliamentary bylaw, the interpellation request has been included in the agenda of the first parliamentary session following the opening session of the coming legislative term in order to set a date for its discussion”. He explained that discussions regarding such matters cannot be held during the opening session, which will take place on Oct 27, 2015, without completing the process of electing the secretary, observer and parliamentary committees. Following the completion of these elections, the Parliament will determine whether to discuss the interpellation request on the same day or another day.

The Parliament has to take such a decision because the situation is unprecedented, as it is for the first time that an interpellation request is being presented between legislative terms. Al-Ghanim affirmed that interpellation is the constitutional right of every MP. They must follow the procedure and ensure the interpellation will be of high standard between the two parties. When asked about the constitutionality of presenting the interpellation request between legislative terms and during parliamentary holidays, he indicated that there is nothing in the regulations that prevent the presentation of interpellation requests during parliamentary holidays, even though this is an unprecedented situation and the first time that an interpellation request is being presented during parliamentary recess.

Regarding this issue, Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Hind Al-Sabeeh affirmed her willingness and readiness to stand on the podium and tackle the four issues on which the interpellation presented by MP Mohammed Tana is based. She said she welcomes the interpellation because it is one of the constitutional tools for MPs to activate their role of supervision on the government and to reveal facts, fix faults and apply the law on everyone without exception.

Al-Sabeeh revealed that she will respond to and refute all the points in the interpellation, stressing that she considers this as an opportunity for everyone to know the volume of her efforts and achievements realized from the time she took up the responsibility entrusted to her, in cooperation with the employees and officials of the institutions that she oversees. In another development, MP Yousef Al-Zalzalah has urged Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr Bader Al-Essa to put an end to the socalled ‘mockeries of private schools’ phenomenon. He lamented that the situation in private schools is worsening because they have been transformed into commercial sites that are not working in the interest of education as they employ teachers with poor performance for low salaries. Al-Zalzalah said, “In the absence of the supervision role of Ministry of Education over the private schools, it is obvious that the standard of students will worsen”, stressing that the education minister is responsible for the decline in education in private schools because “Your supervision departments are incompetent”.

By Abubakar A. Ibrahim Arab Times Staff