New Parliament urged to work on reducing flat rent – Rollback eyed on petrol prices
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KUWAIT CITY, Dec 14: In this week’s Arab Times online poll, readers weighed in on the issues they would like the newly elected Members of Kuwait’s National Assembly to tackle. Half of the respondents would like to see apartment rents regulated.
Kuwaiti voters cast their ballots to elect 50 lawmakers on Nov 26. 50 percent of voters would like for more controls on apartment rent according to considerations of size and locality. “I think most people are concerned with what hits their wallets the hardest. For many families, housing in Kuwait is the biggest expenditure and the costs seem to exorbitant. I think it would benefit us greatly if apartments were regulated according to the size, locality and features offered”, a reader commented. “We’ve been reading news reports of committees being formed to look at this issue. But so far nothing has been done. Apartments keep shrinking in size while taking a larger chunk of my salary. I think the Parliament has the authority to bring about fast change in this regard, I hope this new Parliament looks into it”, another respondent shared.
12 percent of poll voters called for a roll back on increased petrol prices. “I was very unhappy with the government’s decisions to increase the price of petrol. I hope the new Parliament reinstates the subsidy and does not increase prices for water, electricity and other resources as well”, a reader told the Arab Times. “The austerity measures adopted by the old Parliament is the cause many of them have lost their seats in this election. A lot of the new members campaigned against these fiscal measures and won. People in Kuwait have been enjoying subsidies for so long now, they do not want any cut backs. Plus there is a general view that the funds sourced through this measure will be mismanaged”, a young Kuwaiti professional shared.
25 percent of respondents felt that the Parliament should work towards ending the ‘Wasta’ system in Kuwait. “I think most of Kuwait’s endemic problems will be solved if wasta and corruption are targeted. The government should implement strict laws against the practice and automate government services for greater transparency”, another reader remarked.
6 percent of voters felt that the lawmakers should prioritise control and better medical facilities. “The hospitals in some governorates are in a very bad state. I hope the government will prioritise health and invest more in this sector which seems to be getting neglected of late”, a reader pointed out. Only 4 percent hoped that the new Parliament would scrap the DNA law. “I think the DNA law is the most dangerous law that is not getting enough media attention. It is a threat to everyone’s privacy and the new Parliament needs to reverse the decision”, a concerned voter stated. 3 percent of voters felt that all new traffic laws should go through Parliament’s approval.
“The recent action taken by the MoI of removing license plates would have been met with resistance if it had come up in Parliament and it could have been better thought out and fine-tuned. Another positive aspect of traffic policies passing through the Parliament will be that the public will be aware of it rather than being surprised by the cops.”
By Cinatra Fernandes Arab Times Staff
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