MP queries conscription; New amnesty bill framed

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KUWAIT CITY, Nov 17: MP Abdullah Al-Turaiji asked Minister of Defense Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali about the budget allocated for the enforcement of Conscription Law No. 20/ 2015. He wants to know how much has so far been spent on conscription, pros and cons of conscription recorded by the relevant institutions, reason behind the insistence on imposing conscription despite the fact that 94 percent of countries around the world do not enforce it including the United States of America, United Kingdom and a number of Gulf countries.

He inquired about the benefit of imposing conscription, considering nationals are allowed to volunteer in Kuwait Army. He also submitted a bill on nullifying the law, pointing out that most of the armies around the world tend to reduce the number of individuals owing to the advanced technology. He highlighted the negative consequences of conscription, especially on the career and social life of graduates. He added that one year conscription is useless, because one year is too short to train an individual to be a professional fighter.

MP Marzouq Al-Khalifa submitted a bill on granting general amnesty to those convicted of committing certain crimes on Nov 16- 17, 2011. Article One of the bill stipulates granting amnesty to those convicted of engaging in acts criminalized in Articles 134, 135 and 137 of Law No. 16/1960; first paragraphs in Articles 26 and 34 of Law No. 31/1970; and Articles 16 and 20 of Law No. 65/1979. The lawsuits filed by individuals are not covered by this bill, while the covered crimes will be nullified and the consequent procedures.

These crimes will not he mentioned in the disclosure statements of the benificiaries. MP Osama Al-Shaheen submitted a proposal for the banks to pay interest to their clients semiannually or quarterly. He pointed out that such a system will have a positive impact on the shares of the banks and increase their value which will in turn boost the national economy. Meanwhile, MP Abdullah Al- Mudaf forwarded queries to Minister of Oil and Higher Education Dr Muhammad Al-Fares about the criteria adopted by Kuwait National Petroleum Corporation (KNPC) and its subsidiaries concerning promotions. He requested for a list of officials who applied for promotion and copies of their annual performance evaluation. By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh Arab Times Staff

This news has been read 11079 times!