Legislative back-and-forth on impounds – Panels prep draft laws

This news has been read 7263 times!

KUWAIT CITY, Nov 20: The parliamentary Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee on Monday discussed two proposals on amending the Audio Visual Law, says committee member MP Ahmad Al-Fadel.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Al-Fadel pointed out that the current law contradicts constitutional stipulations on freedom and it was approved at a time the country was experiencing unusual circumstances.

Commenting on the Interior Ministry’s decision to impound a vehicle if the driver uses mobile phone by hand while driving or if the driver and front seat passenger are not wearing seat belts, Al-Fadel said he supports the decision, adding that everyone has seen the effect of this move on the behavior of road users. He cited recent reports stating that 94 percent of accidents are caused by the driver’s lack of focus on the road, especially when using mobile phone while driving. He said the driver’s lack of focus on the road caused 1,282 deaths and the average in Kuwait is five deaths per day.

He asserted the Interior Ministry is not under pressure to cancel the decision — affirming that the lawmakers who are pressuring the ministry to take such a step will not succeed. On the other hand, MP Riyadh Al-Adsani said the government was not happy with the issue on vegetables and onions, so it came up with the idea of impounding the vehicles of those who use mobile phone while driving and those who do not wear seat belts.

He alleged the laws are not applied on some children of Sheikhs and MPs. He reiterated that if the acting interior ministry will return to the Cabinet, it will be an opportunity to correct mistakes in contracting with some companies.

He said he mentioned all these issues in the interpellation motion presented against HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah in a secret session earlier. He added the government intends to impose value added tax (VAT) due to the budget deficit despite the surplus in the State’s treasury.

On another issue, MP Adel Al- Damkhi affirmed that lawmakers have not disregarded important draft laws which serve the homeland and citizens, asserting the MPs will continue working through the parliamentary committees in order to prepare bills for deliberation and voting in the National Assembly.

He added the MPs are waiting for formation of the new government before presenting draft laws to the Assembly. He clarified that delays in legislative work due to the long wait for the new government formation remain the responsibility of the government and the MPs have nothing to do with this disruption.

By Abubakar A. Ibrahim Arab Times Staff

This news has been read 7263 times!