KUWAIT: MP Safa Al-Hashem said yesterday that "importing" expatriates and employing them in administrative jobs in the government is one of the main causes for the high unemployment rate among Kuwaitis. The lawmaker claimed that an unwise recruitment policy by the government has led to a "horrifying" imbalance in the demographic structure in favor of expats. She said that policy has resulted in depriving Kuwaiti from their legitimate right of getting an adequate job.
Hashem had in the past few years called for imposing taxes on expat remittances, forcing them to pay higher charges for medical services and even asked them to pay for walking on roads and breathing Kuwait's air. The lawmaker asked Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Anas Al-Saleh about the number of expats who have been appointed in the council of ministers and in all sectors from the beginning of 2017 until now.

Hashem said the answer should include the name and nationality of those employed, their education level, wages and the name of the sector where they are employed, demanding an explanation why those expatriates were appointed while Kuwaitis were rejected. She also asked for the number of Kuwaitis who applied for those jobs, an explanation of the policy of the council of ministers on replacing expats with nationals and what measures the council has taken to implement this policy to reduce the percentage of expat employees. She asked the minister about the measures it intends to take to reduce the number of expatriate employees having low educational qualifications.

Hashem also asked the education minister about paying a Canadian who was appointed dean of the pharmacy college in 2014 a special allowance of KD 1,500 monthly, which she claimed was never paid to Kuwaitis. She demanded a copy of his appointment decision and the reasons for paying the special allowance. She also claimed the dean's wife was also appointed in the college at the same time without meeting the requirements of the appointment committees in the college.

By B Izzak