KUWAIT: Opposition MP Shuaib Al-Muwaizri yesterday said he will file to grill the ministers of Oil and Social Affairs and Labor in the next term over a series of alleged violations. Muwaizri said the next term which opens in less than three weeks will be "extremely hot" claiming that the government violations continued. He called on the National Assembly to withdraw confidence against ministers who commit violations.

The lawmaker said he plans to file to grill the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Hind Al-Sabeeh over the issues of the handicapped, widows, cooperative societies and manpower. He provided no details over the alleged violations. Muwaizri said he will also file to grill Oil Minister Essam Al-Marzouk, joining a host of lawmakers who threatened to grill the minister. He said the minister does not cooperate with the National Assembly and he is not competent to remain in his post.

He said that an employee in the oil sector exposed thefts and violations in the Ministry and informed the CEO of Kuwait Petroleum Corp. But neither he nor the minister took any action and instead they fired the employee. Muwaizri also issued a warning to the Finance Minister over what he claimed are violations at Kuwait Investment Authority, the country's sovereign wealth fund.

In the meantime, 13 MPs yesterday signed a request calling to debate a crucial amendment to the Pensions Law in the first few sessions of the new parliamentary term starting around mid-October. The amendment calls for reducing the retirement age for women and men and lawmakers supporting the amendment believe that it is the best solution for unemployment.

Head of the National Assembly Bedoons Committee MP Nasser Al-Dossari said yesterday the panel will hold an important meeting on Thursday to study a proposal calling to accept children of a certain category of bedoons or stateless people at public schools. Dossari said that he and a number of MPs have submitted a proposal calling to admit (at public schools) children of bedoons who were included in the 1965 census. The meeting will be attended by Education Minister Mohammad Al-Fares to discuss with him why the Ministry is not admitting bedoon students of other categories near their residences.

In a related development, MP Majed Al-Mutairi submitted a draft law calling to grant bedoons all humanitarian and social rights. The draft law calls to describe bedoons as "stateless people" and not illegal residents as the government defines them. It also calls for granting them civil IDs valid for five years which guarantees that holders will get free medical services, free education, a driver's license and other basic rights.

By B Izzak