The National Assembly

By B Izzak

KUWAIT: National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem said yesterday that the Assembly office has decided to take "all legal actions" regarding the events during the sessions this week in an attempt to prevent such events from happening again. The speaker did not reveal the nature of actions but launched a scathing attack against some opposition MPs for allegedly hurling "immoral" insults against him and others.

The Assembly sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday were marred with chaos and heated arguments that led the speaker to adjourn both sessions before time as things went out of control. Opposition MPs claimed the speaker breached the constitution and the internal charter in a bid to protect the prime minister against grillings, and insisted that he must be questioned.

Ghanem also denied allegations by opposition MP Mohammad Al-Mutair that he had ordered employees in the Assembly to assault opposition MPs following Wednesday's session. Some altercations happened between some opposition MPs and a number of employees, who filed a case at the police station.

Opposition MP Muhalhal Al-Mudhaf meanwhile yesterday advised HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah to avoid being the cause of stirring serious problems in the country and called on him to resign. Mudhaf described what happened during the Assembly session on March 30 as a "political crime", and charged that all who took part in the session as participants in the crime.

During that session boycotted by the opposition, the Assembly approved a decision delaying grillings against the prime minister for 18 months. Opposition MPs claim the decision did not secure the required votes and is thus null and void. Mudhaf questioned how the Assembly can protect the prime minister against current and future grillings, adding that this does not happen even in autocratic states.

Mudhaf also charged that some Assembly employees verbally and physically assaulted a number of opposition MPs, adding that what happened during the session on Wednesday was preplanned by some to "distort" the image of democracy in Kuwait. Opposition MP Abdulaziz Al-Saqabi said MPs will not allow the Assembly to be used as a vehicle to protect the prime minister. He also complained that the speaker deleted his comments made during the session.