KUWAIT: The Cabinet, during its weekly meeting at Seif Palace on Monday, adopted a number of decisions to set the stage for the parliamentary elections slated for Sept 29. The meeting, chaired by HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, recalled the speech of HH the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah expressing a sincere desire to empower the people of Kuwait to have a final say on the correction of the political course.

The Amiri address, delivered on behalf of HH the Amir by HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on June 22, charted a roadmap for realizing the aspirations of the people to choose their true representatives, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Mohammad Abdullatif Al-Fares said in a press release following the meeting.

Acting on the Amiri address, the instructions of HH the Prime Minister, and Cabinet decree 147 of 2022 on parliamentary elections, the Cabinet decided to suspend work at all government bodies on Thursday, Sept 29, declaring it a day off. The Cabinet accepted the resignation of Minister of State for Housing Affairs and Urban Development and Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs Essa Ahmad Al-Kandari over his desire to stand for elections. It assigned Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Oil and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Mohammad Al-Fares as Acting Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs. The Cabinet also assigned Minister of State for Municipal Affairs and Minister of State for Communications and IT Affairs Rana Al-Fares as Acting Minister of State for Housing Affairs and Urban Development.

On development projects, the Cabinet reviewed the recommendations of the ministerial committee overseeing the mega projects, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Acting Minister of Interior Sheikh Talal Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. The recommendations deal with the vision of the Public Authority for Industry (PAI) for utilizing the industrial plots of land in a way that could best serve the national interests and the national economy. The Cabinet asked the committee to pursue its effort and report to the Cabinet within six months on the progress of the process.

The committee also presented recommendations on the project to establish a heritage village on Abdullah Al-Ahmad St, and the Cabinet tasked the ministry of finance, the ministry of public works and Kuwait Municipality to work together on this project. Regarding Kuwait Offset Program, the Cabinet members reviewed the recommendations of the committee on economic affairs, chaired by Mohammad Al-Fares. They were also briefed on the report of Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA) in this regard and tasked the government bodies to work out technical specifications that could serve as points of reference in gauging their performance under the Offset Program.

The Cabinet was briefed on the youth, health and educational committee's recommendation on the report submitted by the National Bureau for Academic Accreditation & Education Quality Assurance (NBAQ) on setting a common vision amongst government bodies interested in varying education outputs within the formwork of labor market needs. The Cabinet decided to form a ministerial committee headed by Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Ali Fahad Al-Mudhaf to look into all topics related to education outputs, supervise efforts of the government bodies to make a connection between these outputs and labor market as well as other issues.

The Cabinet discussed the committee's recommendation on developing school management of general education phases. In this regard, the Cabinet was briefed on the presentation submitted by Mudhaf on a project aiming to develop a new interactive educational system, curricula and educational methods approved globally. The project also seeks to expand benefit from the capabilities provided by the STEM program, under the umbrella of the ministry. This system will gradually begin according to the educational stages of boys' and girls' schools for the kindergarten and primary stages.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Talal informed the Cabinet about the details of the fire at a Mina Abdullah store. The Cabinet lauded the efficiency and efforts of the firefighters who dealt with and controlled the blaze, stressing the necessity of taking all required measures to implement safety and security to avoid repeating such incidents again.

The Cabinet approved a decree appointing adviser Saad Abdul Karim Al-Safran as Public Prosecutor and referred the decree to HH the Amir. Furthermore, the Cabinet discussed the latest developments in international and Arab arenas, following, with great sorrow, the flash floods that engulfed some sisterly and friendly countries. It offered condolences to the governments of Somalia, Pakistan and Sudan over those killed by the floods.

The Cabinet voiced worry about the recent armed clashes that erupted in Libya's capital Tripoli that threaten safety and security of Libyans and undermine the country's stability. It affirmed Kuwait's firm stance supporting Libya, the political path and relevant UN Security Council in a way that maintains the country's stability, security and sovereignty. The Cabinet finally called on all parties to cease clashes to stop escalation and bloodshed. - KUNA