Pushback on Al-Arabiya ‘loss’ report

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KUWAIT CITY, Oct 4: Ministry of Information spokesman, Anwar Murad, said the ministry has addressed the director of the office of Al-Arabiya satellite TV channel for violating the Kuwaiti media laws, reports Al-Rai daily. He said this in response to a question by the daily, explaining that the ministry “confirmed that the report presented by the channel contained false information, and contradicted Ministerial Resolution No. 134 of 2013, stressing that it contradicts what was approved during the Gulf summits, the Ministerial Council and the Gulf Information Ministers Council regarding the nature of media dealings between the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.”

Al-Arabiya had published a report in which it said the National Assembly incurred losses in billions and disrupted investment and development projects that would have generated millions of dollars in profits for the state, which provoked parliamentary reactions from a number of members of the National Assembly.

The Board of Directors of Kuwait Journalists Association has voiced objection to the report of Al-Arabia TV that the National Assembly is responsible for the suspension of development projects and losses estimated at billions of Kuwaiti dinars. The association considers the report a violation of the principle on professionalism, decisions of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and agreements of GCC ministers of information. It also affirmed that it is proud of Kuwaiti democracy and the legislative authority which represents the Kuwaiti nation.

Claimed
In another development, former MP and Third Constituency candidate Saadoun Hammad Al- Otaibi claimed that he won in the Sept 29 election; but there were errors in the counting of votes because his name — Saadoun — is the same as the family name of another candidate Ahmad Al-Saadoun. He disclosed that during the counting of votes, the judge recorded the votes as that of Ahmad Al-Saadoun every time his assistant said ‘Saadoun’.

He also reviewed the ballots at the Ministry of Interior to make sure he is among the top 10 candidates, urging the ministry to coordinate with the Judicial Authority in order to take the appropriate decision before the inaugural session scheduled for Oct 11 so he can participate in the speaker election and formation of parliamentary committees. On the other hand, the ministry refuted the claim of Saadoun Hammad Al-Otaibi, stressing the latter did not review the ballots.

Al-Otaibi commented on the statement, saying he expects the ministry to announce that it will conduct investigation and refer the case to the court. He wondered why the ministry immediately responded to him, while ignoring the inquiries of citizens about the actual number of votes. In a relevant development, former MP and candidate Ahmed Mutei Al-Azmi unveiled his plan to file a petition against the election results; indicating he recounted the votes with his assistants and it turned out he ranked 10th in his constituency.

By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh Arab Times Staff and Agencies

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