KUWAIT: Several angry reactions responded to a government decision to retroactively increase rent allowance for female expatriate teachers from KD 60 to KD 150.
A number of lawmakers slammed the government for taking such measure without increasing rent allowance for Kuwaitis.
Meanwhile, MP Yousef Al-Zalzelah said that he had contacted Education Minister Badr Al-Essa, who explained that the decision was based on a ruling by the constitutional court.
He added that the minister said: “We can only respect court orders and rulings.” Al-Anbaa reported yesterday Deputy Premier and Finance Minister Anas Al-Salem issued a decision to amend the residence allowance of expatriate teachers to become KD 150 instead of KD 60, and pay them retroactively starting from April 1, 2011. The decision is an implementation of the constitutional court’s ruling which renders the disparity of allowance pay between male and female teachers unconstitutional. Implementing the decision retroactively means each female teacher would get KD 6,310 in total.
Paradox
Rapporteur of the parliament’s women and family committee MP Mohammed Tana Al-Enezi criticized the decision and stressed that this has to stop, because Kuwaiti women married to non-Kuwaitis were deprived of rent allowances. “This paradox will be discussed by the committee even though it was made by court order,” he added, calling for doing Kuwaiti women married to non-Kuwaitis some justice because the government has been ignoring their problems and showing more concern for expatriates.
Treatment overseas
MP Talal Al-Jallal slammed Finance Minister Anas Al-Saleh’s decision to approve such increases at a time when the government seeks to lift subsidies and reduce allowances allocated for treatment overseas with the excuse of a deficit. “How was the expats’ increase approved retroactively?” he wondered, noting that in view of Saleh’s statements about financial reform, the government increases expats’ incentives despite the extra burden this would pose on the state budget in view of the deficit. Jallal urged Saleh not to take reform measures at the expense of citizens while expats are paid KD 150 in rent allowances and the government is talking about cutting expenditure.
Mental state
In other news, the criminal court yesterday referred an Egyptian blogger accused of slandering HH the Amir to the psychiatric diseases hospital to examine his mental state. Notably, speaking before the court, the defendant asked the judge: “My punishment is deportation, isn’t it?”. Separately, the court of appeals yesterday sentenced a police officer to one-year imprisonment for second degree murder as he had killed a female citizen by shooting her during a pursuit from Salmiya all the way to Ghouss street in Mubarak Al-Kabeer.
Project’s delay
Kuwait Municipality explained that the delay in the Hawally traffic directorate project happened due to adjustments made to the project by the Municipal Council. Responding to a parliamentary inquiry by MP Ahmed Al-Fadhalah, the municipality stressed that the municipal council had made some amendments to the project and that all remarks had to be dealt with, which delayed the project’s execution. In another concern, the municipality stressed that it has nothing to do with sand accumulating along Salmi and Wafra highways and its role is restricted to providing the machinery needed to remove the sand in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Works (MPW).
By A Saleh
