KUWAIT: Social Affairs and Labor and Planning Minister Hind Al-Subaih speaks to MP Khaleel Al-Saleh as MP Rawdan Al-Rawdan looks on during a parliament session at the Assembly yesterday. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KUWAIT: The National Assembly agreed yesterday to form a joint panel to study a request by the government for a special additional defense budget worth KD 6.2 billion over the next 10 years. The panel is comprised of members from the financial affairs, defense and interior, budgets and foreign affairs committees and will review whether to approve the government request or not. According to the government bill, the allocations will be divided over the next 10 years to purchase arms and equipment. The Assembly will debate the panel's report.

The Assembly also agreed to discuss today proposed amendments to the law of the Anti-Corruption Authority in anticipation of a crucial constitutional court ruling on the law today. The decree forming the Anti-Corruption Authority, established a year ago, was challenged as unconstitutional before the top court, amid expectations the court may annul the authority. Several MPs called for delaying the amendments until after the court ruling is issued and studied carefully.

The authority has already started functioning by taking up several suspected graft cases and demanding that top officials and politicians submit their wealth disclosures. The Assembly also debated a follow-up report on the government's annual development program, as several MPs strongly criticized the government's failure to diversify the economy and raise non-oil revenues in the face of the sharp decline in oil prices.

MP Jamal Al-Omar warned that if the current policies and withdrawals from state reserves continue, Kuwait's huge assets will vanish within the next three years, and demanded that the government adopt better economic policies. According to the International Sovereign Wealth Funds Institute, Kuwait has fiscal reserves worth $592 billion. The International Monetary Fund said that if Kuwait continues with current policies, the reserves are sufficient for over 20 years.

MP Khalil Abul said that the government has done almost nothing to boost revenues other than planning to lift or reduce subsidies. He called on all ministers to explain their programs of diversifying the sources of income away from oil. Several MPs criticized the government for delaying key development projects, with the head of the budgets committee MP Adnan Abdulsamad saying that financial allocations are made for dozens of projects but they still get delayed.

MP Saleh Ashour said that the private sector should not be allowed to dominate and control development programs in the country. He charged that influential people have a say on government policies and things go in favor of the private sector at the cost of public sector. MP Adel Al-Khorafi said that despite the clear delay in many projects, no official has ever been held to account.

A number of MPs also criticized the government for failing to deal with the demographic imbalance in the favor of the foreign population. Ashour said the percentage of citizens has dropped sharply instead of increasing.

Meanwhile, MP Saadoun Hammad said that former oil minister Ali Al-Omair was moved from the ministry and appointed as public works minister following a dispute with top oil executives. He asked acting minister of oil and minister of finance Anas Al-Saleh about why he has not yet changed the boards of oil companies. He claimed that some influential people are deliberately delaying projects to serve their own interests. The Assembly also decided to bring forward its two sessions on Dec 29 and 30 to Dec 22 and 23.

By B Izzak