Kuwait Times

Published Date: December 01, 2009

KUWAIT: Many MPs have urged the Cabinet to face the grilling motions scheduled to be presented against them during the December 8 parliamentary session.
MP Khaled Al-Adwah rejected attempts made by the Cabinet to delay or stall the discussion of a grilling motion. He indicated that cabinet members should resign from their positions if they are unable to live up to their constitutional duties.

Also in support of the motion, MP Dr Rola Dashti urged the Cabinet to face each grilling in order to try and fend off their contents. She recognized that the right to grill and the right to face a grilling should be supported alike. She acknowledged the importance of resolving this issue soon in order to shift focus toward more pressing problems like legislative, economic and environmental issues that the country faces.

MPs are expected to discuss the availability of parliamentary support for the issue concerning the debt write-off. MP Saadoun Al-Otaibi announced that the group will discuss finalizing a technical report by Dec.22. He added that based on the amendments made by the Parliament, about 35 MPs support buying the loans, reported Al-Watan.

In support of the issue, MP Dr. Mohammad Al-Huwaila suggested that the Financial Committee of the National Assembly should pass a relevant decision including canceling interest. He added that the problem is mostly related to the Cabinet's insistence on solving the issue by setting up an insolvency fund. He indicated that writing off loans do not necessarily mean canceling them and advised that a method be developed to reschedule citizens' debt.

Assured on the importance of reaching a settlement, MP Saleh Ashour and MP Saad Al-Khanfour called on the Cabinet to cooperate in finalizing this three-year-long issue. The Finance Minister, Mustafa Al-Shamali, said that all adopted amendments on the insolvency fund will be made based on the best interest of Kuwait's citizens.

He added that the Cabinet will be referring the Unemployment Insurance draft law to the Parliament next week for further deliberation. The Interior Minister is expected to meet on Wednesday with the team designated to follow up with the interpellation motions. He is expected to address the results that they arrived at in order to determine the constitutional legitimacy of the grilling.

MPs Saleh Ashour, Hussein Al-Qallaf, Faisal Al-Duwaisan and the Popular Action Bloc(PAB) are expected to remain neutral on the grilling motion initiated against the Minister of Public Works and Municipality Affairs Fadhel Ali Safar.

MP Adnan Al-Mutawwa, in support for the grilling motion session against HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah, suggested that it be discussed during a confidential session. A previous report claimed that Al-Mutawwa had said that the Shiite MPs agreed to do so. He has since rejected the report indicating that each MP has the right to a different opinion on this matter.