Court drops challenges against by-poll
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KUWAIT CITY, April 24: The Constitutional Court on Wednesday rejected challenges lodged against Parliament by-elections held on March 16. The court received the challenges against the results of by-elections in the second and third constituencies on March 17.
Bader Al-Mulla and Abdullah Al-Kandari won parliamentary seats in recent by-elections in the second and third constituencies respectively, which came after the membership of Waleed Al- Tabtabie and Jamaan Al-Harbash was dropped. Meanwhile, the parliamentary committee tasked to investigate the fraudulent passports of Bedouns laid down its work plan and objectives during its first meeting, hoping this initiative will kick start solid steps to solve the issue.
In a press conference after the meeting, Human Rights Committee Rapporteur MP Thamer Al-Suwait pointed out this is a sensitive issue which has been neglected for a long time. He said the issue has become more complicated, causing social, financial and mental problems for the concerned Bedouns.
He disclosed the committee has been instructed to investigate the issue thoroughly and present plausible solutions to end this phenomenon. He affirmed that the road map has been in place, indicating the committee will meet the affected individuals and concerned officials every Monday until a comprehensive report is presented to the National Assembly.
Endangering
On the other hand, MP Omar Al-Tabtabaei has warned the government about the dangerous aspects of the fake nationality issue. He asserted the issue is endangering the future of the country and the national identity of its people.
If the government fails to address the problem, the prime minister will be held accountable, he warned. He said the country has been facing this issue country since the 1970s, asserting it all started with some people’s desire to gain loyalty and hinder democracy. He blames the previous governments and legislatures for turning a blind eye on the issue, wondering why only eight MPs voted for thorough investigation of the issue in the last parliamentary session. He went on to say that if the government is really keen on addressing the issue, it could easily do so considering it has the majority vote of the Assembly.
He wondered why the nation complains about demographic imbalance and problems in the educational and housing sectors, while news articles have been talking about 50,000 fake nationalities since 1995 and population surveys state that the number of Kuwaitis has increased eight times since 1965.
Furthermore, MPs Mohammed Al-Dallaal, Osama Al-Shaheen, Ahmed Al-Fadel, Adel Al-Damkhi and Omar Al-Tabtabaei have submitted another request to form an investigative committee. The Assembly will vote on this request in the upcoming session.
MP Rakaan Al-Nusuf explained he was not able to vote on the last motion because he was busy outside the Assembly hall, affirming that he fully supports the new request in order to reveal what he describes as “invaders of Kuwaiti society.”
MP Safaa Al-Hashem confirmed her commitment to join the fight against fake nationality, claiming some parties want to mix the fake Bedoun passports issue with the fake nationality issue in order to prolong and further complicate the problem. She stressed that she will neither relent nor remain silent as “Kuwait is for Kuwaitis.” She also commended First Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense Sheikh Nasser Al-Sabah for dismissing the board of trustees of the Silk City project, stating that this action is a manifestation of the minister’s honesty and willingness to cooperate with the Assembly. She acknowledged the importance of this financial district, but making it a reality entails removing corrupt officials from the governmental structure and solving the fake nationality — the main cause of demographic imbalance in the country.
By Ahmed Al-Naqeeb Arab Times Staff and Agencies
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