Court upholds ban on Dashti candidacy – Al-Hashem appealed

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KUWAIT CITY, Nov 14: The Court of Cassation on Monday upheld the decision of the Appeals Court to cancel the candidacy of former MP Abdul Hammed Dashti for the upcoming National Assembly election.

This is in response to Dashti’s petition to rescind the decision of the Appeals Court to cancel his candidacy which was filed by his son, Talal, on his behalf.

The higher court declared that Dashti is now officially out of the roster of candidates, considering it is not allowed to suspend the ruling of the Court of Appeals. Meanwhile, the government submitted a petition to the Court of Cassation against the ruling of the Court of Appeals which reinstated the candidacies of Safa Al-Hashem and Khalid Al-Naif Al-Mutairi.

Also, Sheikh Malik Hamoud Al- Sabah filed a petition at the Court of Cassation against the decision of the Appeals Court to uphold his disqualification. In another development, Fifth Constituency candidate Badi Hasyan Al- Dowsari has stressed the need to treat Kuwaiti women married to non-Kuwaitis fairly and allow them to pass on their citizenship to their children. He called for granting Kuwaiti women – unmarried, widows, divorcees and those married to non-Kuwaitis – all their rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

He pointed out that women have proven their abilities in various fields as essential partners in the development of the country. He also demanded for modification of the status of working women and reduction of the number of employment years required for them to opt for retirement. He said women should receive their full rights like residential care, social security and financial entitlements, among others.

He added the developed world remains committed in granting benefits to non-working women because they are in charge of raising and educating the workforce that the society needs. He cited Article 29 of the Constitution which states: “All people are equal in human dignity and in public rights and duties before the law, without distinction based on gender, race, origin, language or religion.”

However, the opposite is happening because some laws discriminate between men and women such as Article Two of Nationality Law number 15/ 1959 which stipulates, “A Kuwaiti is any person born to a Kuwaiti father in or outside Kuwait.” Under this law, Kuwaiti women married to non-Kuwaitis are not allowed to pass on their citizenship to their children while their male counterparts can do so, he added.

Furthermore, Fourth Constituency candidate Saud Bu-Sulaib described the financial and economic reform document approved by the dissolved Parliament as “a cover up” to lift subsidies on goods and services. He claimed the document comes with additional burdens for citizens – a manifestation of the government’s failure to manage the financial affairs of the State. He said the document has no timetable while it focused on the privatization of key sectors, alleging it is just a replica of methods used in the first and second development plans which proved to be a failure. He underscored the need for a new governmental vision and HH the Prime Minister will be responsible for the implementation of this vision in front of Parliament. He asserted this is possible only with a government team consisting of qualified ministers keen on realizing the dreams of the people.

By Abubakar A. Ibrahim Arab Times Staff

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