MP says ‘patriotism’ must captain government action

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PM urged to prioritize fight against corruption

KUWAIT CITY, Nov 26: MP Thamer Al-Suwait has called on HH the newly appointed Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah to be guided by patriotism in planning the government’s course of action.

He pointed out the road ahead is littered with issues which cannot be addressed in a traditional manner; hence, the formation of the new Cabinet should be based on factors derived from these issues.

He suggested that prioritizing cooperation and public reconciliation should be the first steps for the new government, which must address the citizenship revocation issue as he believes it is a racist and sectarian decision. “I am not against combating fraudulent citizenship,” asserted the MP while explaining that this a fight for national identity and security.

To this end, he affirmed support for the Bedoun resolution drafted by Kuwait Society of Lawyers because he considers the issue a humanitarian catastrophe. He condemned the suffering of about 100,000 Bedouns in a country which has adopted a humanitarian attitude.

He pointed out there are two steps in solving the issue: one is to grant Kuwaiti citizenship to deserving Bedouns and the other is approval of the bill on civil and social rights. He said these steps should be followed by discussion of the law on ensuring justice for Bedouns.

He also stressed the importance of granting general amnesty in order to put an end to the suffering of Kuwaiti families whose children are living in exile just because they expressed their opinions.

He criticized objections to raising the public amnesty issue as if it should not be discussed since it is the absolute right of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al- Jaber Al-Sabah. He cited Article 75 of the Constitution, which states HH the Amir has the right to issue a decree on personal amnesty while the issuance of public amnesty is the right of the people represented by the MPs.

He went on to say that public amnesty necessitates the ratification of a law in this regard. In a development related to the article published last Wednesday in Al-Seyassah daily about the existence of “early parliamentary target” of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al- Khaled, the latter was subjected to threats coated with political messages, classified by political sources as “electoral gain” to cover up the inability of some MPs to tackle and accomplish various files.

Regarding consultations on the formation of the new government, a ministerial source explained, “Things are complicated and not clear yet concerning the selection of the new ministers. The process might delay. One of the reasons that is likely to delay the announcement of the new government formation is the Prime Minister’s effort to choose strong and capable elements to combat corruption and follow up urgent issues — a task that will make the new ministers face the line of fire of corrupt individuals and their conspirators. Corruption has spread even among school students”.

The source accused some MPs of “crippling the development of the nation and blackmailing ministers and insisting on passing transactions that do not meet the necessary requirements; otherwise, the sword of interpellation will be brandished.” “I have seen hell from some of them and I saw them infringing the interests of the country and its people. May Almighty Allah assist Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled! There are MPs who are sharpening their knives, not for reform purposes, but for personal and electoral interests. Such actions impede the course of the new prime minister. The success of Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled will be based on the selection of his ministers. There are some elements that have a wonderful resume, but are not capable of running things on the ground. All that they are good at is to only ‘conceptualize’ without realizing any real achievement on the ground”.

Meanwhile, MP Adel Al-Damkhi urged Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled to prioritize combating corruption as per the instruction of HH the Amir. He said such a directive starts with the appointment of ministers based on their track records, not political interests and pleasantries.

He added the premier must choose honest and efficient ministers who believe in his vision for them to accomplish it. He stressed that the success or failure of the incoming government will be measured by the ability to choose the right ministers, follow up efforts in combating corruption, and lay down a practical and genuine development plan. He also underscored the importance of enforcing the law on everyone, without discrimination.

In another development, MP Majed Al- Mutairi has confirmed that all movies lined up for the Film Week in the College of Social Sciences at Kuwait University were subjected to moral screening in order to ensure no immoral content is exhibited. He made the statement after his dialogue with interim Minister of Education and Higher Education Hamed Al-Azmi regarding controversies surrounding the film festival, as there were talks that some films have immoral and socially unacceptable contents.

The minister affirmed no such content will be shown during the festival. The minister clarified this festival has been going on for three years now; through which the Social Sciences students tackle subjects within this area such as communication disabilities, nutrition, foods and impact of information technology. He reiterated all submitted films undergo thorough screening to make sure they do not violate moral or social standards.

By Ahmed Al-Naqeeb and Saeed Mahmoud Saleh Arab Times Staff

This news has been read 8870 times!