‘50,000 expatriates departure won’t solve the demographic imbalance’

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Reduce 50% expats within five years: MP

KUWAIT CITY, April 2: MP Saleh Ashour said the departure of 50,000 expatriates now will not solve the demographic imbalance. He demanded for a clear plan to reduce the number of expatriates, such that the population of Kuwait consists of 50 percent citizens and 50 percent expatriates within five years. He said this strategy must be enforced according to relevant laws in order to reduce the number of expatriates by two million.

Meanwhile, MP Riyad Al-Adasani explained that he threatened to grill HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah because he is keen on maintaining the credit rating of Kuwait in international scales, in addition to the urgent need for a comprehensive emergency economic plan to protect the assets and investments of the State.

Reassuring the citizens about the financial situation of Kuwait; Al- Adasani pointed out that although the credit rating of Kuwait was downgraded by S&P Global, the country’s rating remains the same for Fitch Ratings and Moody’s. He voiced objection to the suggestions and demands of some traders and businessmen for the government to compensate them for the alleged losses they incurred. He argued the crisis is still in the beginning phase, so he wondered when did they suffer such losses.

He warned that in case the government responds to such demands, it will be the first to declare bankruptcy as the State treasury and Public Reserve Fund will be depleted. He said the plan of the government merely consists of headings; hence, the need to refer it to the National Assembly for amendment. He asserted the executive authority should not dominate the entire scene, away from its legislative counterpart. He stressed that any decision allowing the government to obtain loans in order to finance such demands is outrightly rejected.

He added attempts to enforce tax or privatize public institutions are also rejected, as such measures will negatively affect the citizens’ economic conditions. In addition, MP Omar Al-Tabtabaei submitted a proposal to grant large farming plots to cooperative societies for them to cultivate crops in order to cover their need for agricultural productions under the supervision of the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR).

He criticized what he regards as random distribution of farms to citizens, in addition to the weak monitoring of PAAAFR as this resulted in the transformation of many farms into private resorts used for entertainment rather than agricultural production. He suggested allowing the shareholders of cooperatives to procure agricultural products directly from the affiliated farms.

On the other hand, MP Abdullah Al- Kandari submitted queries to Minister of Social Affairs Maryam Al-Aqeel about private companies involved in visa trafficking. He requested for a list of these companies, number of lawsuits filed against fake companies from 2017 till date, total amount of fines imposed on these companies, if these fines have been collected, and number of companies whose files were canceled for violating the Labor Law by employing workers who are not registered under them.

Furthermore, MP Askar Al-Anzi praised the decision taken by Deputy Prime Minister and Ministry of Interior Anas Al-Saleh to promote some officers. He called on the minister to also promote non-commissioned officers and securitymen since they share the responsibility of the promoted officers, especially in dealing with the current crisis. He affirmed all of them are contributing to ongoing efforts to protect the country against coronavirus.

By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh Arab Times Staff

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