National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim seen during his speech at the Fourth session of the 14th legislative term

KUWAIT: Through unity and cooperation with the leadership, Kuwaitis have managed to defeat terrorism, said Speaker of the National Assembly Marzouq Al-Ghanim yesterday. In his speech to the Fourth Session of the 14th legislative term attended by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Al-Ghanim called on the people of Kuwait to band together to eliminate any chances for terrorism to undermine Kuwait's national security. Al-Ghanim touched on issues connected to the Imam Al-Saqed Mosque terrorist attack on June 26 and the discovery of a terrorist cell in Kuwait, saying that the way the leadership handled the situations had defused tension in the country.

Al-Ghanim lauded His Highness the Amir's immediate and spontaneous response to the attack on Imam Al-Sadeq Mosque, noting that his visit to the scene of the attack was a "historical" move on his part. The Speaker also commended the Kuwait people's reaction in denouncing all acts and attempts to spread fear in the country, affirming that the Kuwaiti people will come out triumphant against terrorism. Regarding the National Assembly's recent activities, Al-Ghanim said that the parliament had approved 49 public legislations, namely within the housing and audit domains.

The parliament's achievements could not have happened without the guidance of the country's leadership, said Al-Ghanim who also commended MPs for their cooperation with the cabinet on various issues. Despite the fact, said Al-Ghanim, there are still some issues that need to be addressed; therefore, the parliament will continue to monitor the cabinet's efforts to ensure that things would be accomplished. Change will come with patience and planning, affirmed Al-Ghanim who called on the executive and legislative authorities to work together for the sake of the people. He also called on citizens to respect the rule of law, adding that the concept of unity will enable Kuwait to overcome social, economic, political, and other sorts of challenges ahead.

Enlightened democracy

Meanwhile, Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah said Monday that responsible and enlightened democracy is an effective means of development of nations. "It's important to promote public awareness about the correct democratic practices and the need to maintain security and stability as a way to attain multi-faceted development including the political, economic and social aspects," he said.

Sheikh Salman made the comments tonight during his meeting with foreign press people who arrived here to cover the opening of the fourth legislative term of the National Assembly. "The Arab world is undergoing challenging conditions and mixed experiences; some of these experiences were constructive and others went in the wrong direction," the minister said. "The people of some Arab countries were seduced into believing in too idealistic slogans and far-fetched ideas that can hardly reflect reality; they are now unable to deal with reality as they are faced with fear for freedom versus fear for life and safety," Sheikh Salman argued.

"To the contrary, the Kuwaiti democratic experiment was the result and expression of realty, not imported from abroad; it has a unique feature derived from the intimate ruler-ruled relationship," he pointed out. He added that the Kuwaiti democratic experiment was able to overcome the numerous challenges through successful cooperation between the legislative and executive authorities, thus laying the groundwork for development and national action. - Agencies