Lawmakers oppose involuntary retirement of Kuwaitis

KUWAIT: Opposition MP Riyadh Al-Adasani said yesterday he will file to grill Interior Minister Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah over alleged administrative, security and financial violations. Adasani said on his Twitter account that his decision is final and the grilling will be filed at the start of the next assembly term late October. He said the grilling will be filed over "serious security, financial, administrative violations," in addition to flagrant breaches in contracts and projects and the double standard policy.

The lawmaker also accused the minister of playing favoritism in the transfer and promotion of personnel. Adasani has also threatened to file to grill the prime minister and the minister of finance over similar allegations. Several lawmakers have already threatened to grill various ministers over several allegations which makes the next Assembly term which is the final term before elections, very explosive and tense.
In the meantime, lawmakers continued to criticize the government for forcing Kuwaiti employees to go into retirement before time based on a law approved by the National Assembly just before the last Assembly term closed. MP Saleh Ashour called on lawmakers to ensure justice for Kuwaiti employees who were forced by the government to retire based on the newly approved early retirement law.

Ashour said the government forced Kuwaiti employees to retire in defiance of a pledge it made during the debate on the early retirement law, adding that this was the reason for opposing and rejecting the law. He said that the law gives ministers the right to force employees to retire against their desire, adding this will add financial burdens on those employees.

MP Humoud Al-Khudhair said that lawmakers will not accept the government measures based on the early retirement law, saying this involves rights of Kuwaiti employees which will be protected. He said that if the law includes some legal errors, it must be rectified within the legal framework to safeguard the rights of Kuwaitis. MP Awdah Al-Awdah insisted that lawmakers will not allow the rights of Kuwaitis to be undermined and will take the necessary legal measures to rectify any error.

By B Izzak