Grillings aplenty in 16th term; Ex-PM faced six out of 17 interpellations

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KUWAIT CITY, Aug 17: A total of 16 MPs submitted 17 grilling motions during the 16th parliamentary term — 11 in the first year and six in the second year. The first year of the 16th parliamentary term recorded the highest number of grilling motions in the legislative life of the country and none of these grilling motions were discussed, which is unprecedented in the history of the Assembly. In the second year, six grilling motions were filed and four of which were discussed; resulting in the submission of three no-confidence motions and one non-cooperation motion.

The Parliament did not discuss these motions and two other interpellations due to the resignation of the government. Six of the 17 grilling motions were against His Highness the former Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al- Khalid — 35 percent of the total; two against former Minister of Foreign Affairs and State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Muhammad, former Minister of Defense Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali and former Minister of Health Dr Basel Al-Sabah; one against former Minister of Finance and State Minister for Financial and Investment Affairs Khalifa Hamada, former Minister of Interior Sheikh Thamer Al-Sabah, former Minister of State for Municipal, Housing and Urban Development Affairs Shaya Al-Shaya, former Minister of Commerce and Industry Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salman and former Minister of Public Works and State Minister for Youth Affairs Ali Al-Mousa. T

he Assembly did not deliberate on 13 grilling motions because of the resignation of the government, while one was withdrawn; four grilling motions were discussed, resulting in the submission three no-confidence motions against ministers and one non-cooperation motion against Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid. The government resigned one day before the voting on the non-cooperation motion. Former MPs Shuaib Al-Muwaizri and Hamdan Al-Azmi submitted the highest number of grilling motions — four each; followed by former MP Khalid Al-Otaibi with three; former MPs Thamer Al-Suwait, Hassan Jawhar and Muhannad Al- Sayer with two; and former MPs Muhammad Al- Mutair, Mehalhal Al-Mudaf, Ahmed Mutei Al- Azmi, Musaed Al-Ardi, Saled Zeib Al-Mutairi, Fayez Al-Jomhour, Hesham Al-Saleh, Soud Bu Sleeb and Abdullah Al-Mudaf with one. On Jan 5, 2021; former MPs Khalid Al-Otaibi and Thamer Al-Suwait filed the first grilling motion against Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid for violating Article 98 of the Constitution and the executive authority’s control over the formation of parliamentary committees.

On March 8, 2021; former MPs Muhammad Al-Mutair and Hamdan Al-Azmi filed the second grilling motion against Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid about the selective implementation of laws.

On March 29, 2021; former MPs Hassan Jawhar, Mehalhal Al-Mudaf and Muhannad Al- Sayer filed the third grilling motion against the former premier about the government’s failure to abide by Article 98 of the Constitution, systematic stealing of public funds and manipulating the citizens’ wealth.

On March 30, 2021; former MP Musaed Al-Ar-di filed the fourth grilling motion against Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid about the ministers’ deliberate disruption of parliamentary work, but Al-Ardi withdrew the motion later. On the same day, former MPs Ahmed Mutei Al-Azmi and Soud Bu Sleeb filed a grilling motion against former Health Minister Dr Basel Al- Sabah about the following issues — failure of the ministry to combat Covid-19, lack of cooperation with the legislative authority, and financial and administrative corruption.

Grilling
On May 2, 2021; former MP Shuaib Al-Muwaizri filed a grilling motion against former Minister of Finance and State Minister for Economic Affairs and Investment Khalida Hamada for failure to adhere to Article 99 of the Constitution and Article 121 of the Assembly Decree. On the same day; Al Muwaizri filed a grilling motion against former Minister of Foreign Affairs and State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Muhammad for the alleged violation of Article 99 of the Constitution.

On May 23, 2021; former MPs Shuaib Al-Muwaizri and Saleh Zeib Al-Mutairi filed a grilling motion against Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid for violating Article 100 of the Constitution; Kuwait Anti- Corruption Authority Law number 2/2016 due to the concerned officials’ failure to submit their fi- nancial statements within 60 days of appointment; non-adherence to articles 7, 8, 16, 20, 25 and 127 of the Constitution; and refusal to coordinate with public institutions to collect the accumulated gains.

On May 26, 2021; former MPs Thamer Al-Suwait, Khalid Al-Otaibi and Abdulkareem Al-Kandari filed a grilling motion against former Minister of Interior Sheikh Thamer Al-Sabah for preventing citizens from holding meetings — a violation of Article 44 of the Constitution, selective enforcement of laws, abusive attitude of security authorities in dealing with Bedouns, failure to address the traffic issue and lopsided demographic structure.

On Sept 1, 2021; former MP Fayez Al-Jomhour filed a grilling motion against former Minister of State for Municipal and Housing Affairs Shaya Al-Shaya for neglecting the duty of the Public Authority for Housing Welfare to implement housing projects in Mutlaa and South Saad Al Abdulla, as well as complicity with the Finance Ministry and Kuwait Credit Bank to impose mortgage as the only alternative to real estate loan.

On Oct 22, 2021; former MP Hesham Al-Saleh filed a grilling motion against former Health Minister Dr Basel Al-Sabah about the squandering of public funds, failure to deal with the Covid-19 crisis and financial violations estimated at millions of Kuwaiti dinars.

On Nov 1, 2021; former MP Hamdan Al-Azmi filed a grilling motion against former Minister of Commerce and Industry Sheikh Abdullah Al- Salman for allegedly threatening senior officials and damaging the reputation of Kuwait globally. He also filed a grilling motion against former Minister of Defense Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali for allowing women to render military service, favoritism in the promotion of officers, and administrative and financial violations. All of the abovementioned grilling motions were taken out of the legislature’s agenda due to the resignation of the government.

Al-Azmi filed the grilling motion against Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali again on Jan 1, 2022; adding more points such as disregarding the recommendations of the State Audit Bureau on the Eurofighter armament deal, abandoning State properties, and violating the Cabinet’s decision to replace expatriate workers with nationals.

On Jan 18, 2022; the Assembly discussed the grilling motion and then 10 MPs signed the noconfidence motion, which was approved by 23 out of 41 lawmakers while 18 voted against it.

On Feb 1, 2022; Al Muwaizri filed a grilling motion against former Minister of Foreign Affairs and State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Muhammad. The Assembly discussed the motion on Feb 18, 2022 resulting in the submission of a no-confidence motion with 23 out of 44 MPs voting against it and 21 in favor. By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh Arab Times Staff

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