KUWAIT: Islamist opposition MP Mohammad Al-Mutair yesterday sent a series of questions targeting the Social Cultural Society after he claimed some of its members were convicted in the pro-Iran terror cell. The society, with predominantly Shiite members, was established several decades ago. It was closed since the mid-1980s, until it was reopened several years ago.

 

Mutair said in his questions that the court of cassation ruling convicted some members of the society in the pro-Iran terror cell locally known as the "Abdaly cell". Since the society is registered with the ministry of social affairs and labor, the lawmaker asked for the names of the board of directors of the society and names of its active members.

 

He asked for a copy of the decision establishing the society, the decision ordering its closure and the decision for reopening it. He also asked for the amount of funds of the society and funds spent by the society in the past five years. Mutair asked if the ministry ever cautioned the society and if its premises is rented or given by the state.

 

The lawmaker inquired if the society had any joint activities with the Iranian cultural mission and demanded the administrative and financial reports of the society. He also asked if the ministry provides the society with annual aid. The fact that a number of those convicted in the Abdaly cell are members of the society has promoted a number of MPs to demand action against it.

 

Meanwhile, MP Nasser Al-Dossari yesterday called on the prime minister to carry out a Cabinet reshuffle to exclude a number of ministers whose performances were below expectation, who have not been cooperating with MPs and have failed to reply to questions posted by lawmakers. The lawmaker expected that at least three grillings will be filed at the start of the forthcoming term of the Assembly in October if these ministers were not dropped by the premier.

 

Dossari stressed the importance of passing the law stipulating to naturalize between 2,000 and 4,000 people in an attempt to resolve the chronic crisis of bedoons, or stateless people. The lawmaker expected that the Assembly will debate at the start of the next term a draft law calling to abolish the central agency for bedoons in order to prevent the government from renewing the agency for a fresh term.

 

Dossari said that between 1996 and 2010, as many as 18,000 people were naturalized, many of them bedoons, but since 2010 when the bedoon agency was established, no bedoon was naturalized.

 

By B Izzak, Staff Cloumnist