'We would grill 15 ministers a week if we have to'

MP Shuaib Al-Muwaizri

KUWAIT: MP Shuaib Al-Muwaizri, who already has filed an interpellation against Housing Minister Yasser Abul, said that he plans to file another grilling motion today against another minister, and a further one the following week or the week. He did not mention the minister he plans to quiz next, but media reports hinted yesterday that it could be Minister of Oil, Minister of Electricity and Water Essam Al-Marzouq. "We have no other tool but to get those people to the podium," he underlined, referring to the ministers.

Speaking during an open forum at the diwaniya of the Municipal Council's former deputy chairman Jassar Al-Jassar, Muwaizri said that he would never back off even if he had to grill 15 ministers a week. "This is lawmakers' right to exercise and does not mean creating tensions," he stressed, noting that if he fails to provide enough documents to prove that his motions are worthy, then voters themselves would be the ones who would hold him accountable and decide whether he should remain in parliament or not.  "We have tried warning members of the executive authority and warned them to stop corruption, and now we arrived to interpellation and want to handle things without showing off," he explained.

Further, Muwaizri said that the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Anas Al-Saleh had expressed concern over Kuwait's long-term sustainability, saying that such a statement matches those made by a former US ambassador to Kuwait who predicted that the country would not last past 2020. "Well, it will not as long as conflicts remain amongst influential people," he stressed, pointing out that corruption was prevailing everywhere.

Muwaizri added that the executive authority had failed on social, political and financial levels. In addition, he indicated that over 20,000 citizens remain lined up in the unemployment line. He also noted that he learned how things worked within the housing ministry thanks to his time as minister of housing affairs a few years ago; which lasted for four months only before he resigned from office.

Airport project

Undersecretary of the Ministry of Public Works (MPW) Awatef Al-Ghunaim said that the ministry was currently preparing a huge ceremony to be held on the occasion of laying the cornerstone for new airport's project. The ceremony is scheduled to be held on May 9, 2017, and to be attended by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Speaking during a press conference, Ghunaim added that road 75 projects were currently in progress and that they were expected to be concluded within the coming five years.

Meanwhile, Assistant Undersecretary for Roads Engineering Ahmad Al-Hassan said that a total of KD one billion had been spent on road projects over the past five years, and that this figure was expected to reach KD 1.5 billion by the end of the fiscal year 2017-2018. He added that spending on MPW projects, namely roads projects, had increased by 90-98 percent over the past few years, which indicates the state's keenness on executing infrastructure projects in various areas.

Further, Hassan said that the Finance Ministry allocated KD 458 million for the roads' sector this year, but there is still need for more as KD 352 million were already spent during the previous fiscal year 2016-2017; that is 98 percent of the budget.

Responding to a question about developing the fourth ring road, Hassan said that a consultancy agreement would be signed soon to set temporary solutions on developing the road to be executed until the project is finally finished. He added that it is difficult to set  a date for solving traffic problems in Kuwait though the projects executed by MPW would greatly contribute to limiting its effects.

EPA board

A decree was recently published in the state's official gazette Kuwait Al-Youm that includes representatives of the ministries of defense, education and higher education in board of directors of the Environment Public Authority (EPA). The representatives are required to be assistant undersecretaries who are promoted by their respective ministries to join the board.

MSAL expat staff

Minister of Social Affairs and Labor and Minister of State for Economic Affairs Hind Al-Sabeeh announced that the total number of non-Kuwaiti employees at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MSAL) reached 893 including 608 subcontracted staff members, 57 in medical and assisting medical jobs, 36 in law-related jobs, 43 in finance and accounting, eight as engineers, eight in teaching position, four translators, 67 in social care, 372 as nurses, seven in computer-related jobs and six in varied positions. She added that their annual salaries are KD 856,415.

Speaking in response to a parliamentary inquiry, Sabeeh added that the total number of non-Kuwaiti employees working for limited monthly payment was 103 including drivers, porters, office boys, couriers, electricity and maintenance technicians and barbers receiving the total of KD 287,242 as annual salaries.

Sabeeh added that non-Kuwaiti employees working in assisting jobs reached 182, receiving the total of KD 641,580 as annual salaries. Furthermore, she indicated that only 25 non-Kuwaiti employees worked for the Public Authority for Manpower, while 52 non-Kuwaiti employees worked for the Public Authority for the Disabled.

By Meshaal Al-Enezi