KUWAIT CITY, July 1: The third round of the 13th legislative term ended on Wednesday with opposition lawmakers vowing to continue their campaign to oust His Highness the Prime Minister, Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah, and reform the government. The turbulent parliamentary season ended its sessions dramatically amidst shouts of condemnation and walkouts by the anti-Sheikh Nasser MPs to resume again on Oct 25. “Surviving no-confidence motions can hardly be called a victory for the government, according to the Constitution,” anti-government MPs lamented.

Tension between the legislative and executive authorities has always been high since the PM was appointed to his position in 2006.The term began with threats by MPs to grill various ministers, including the prime minister, for alleged corruption as well as sectarian tensions and political disagreements regarding the more than KD 30 billion state developmental plan.
The ‘Anything but the Constitution’ Bloc was formed but quickly disappeared after a seminar at veteran MP Ahmad Al-Saadoun’s diwaniya ended violently when a mass of gatherers brutally beat up a controversial media person, Mohammed Al-Juwaihal.
The two entities, however, came to full blows in December 2010 when Ministry of Interior (MoI) Special Forces attacked a number of MPs at a seminar pertaining to the protection of the Constitution as it was being held at Islamist MP Jamaan Al-Harbash’s diwaniya.

Occurrence
Various accounts were circulated about the exact occurrences of the clash on the night of Dec 8, but the attendees held the government solely responsible. The Special Forces were present at Al-Harbash’s diwaniya to ensure the smooth process of the rally, after His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, ordered MPs not to hold public gatherings outside the premises of diwaniyas.
Several MPs, including Islamist MPs Waleed Al-Tabtabaei and Falah Al-Sawwagh and Al-Seyassah journalist Mohammed Al-Sandan, were taken to the hospital to treat wounds and fractures.
Former Minister of Interior, Sheikh Jaber Al-Khalid, asserted that a number of gatherers and a couple of MPs were blatantly disobedient of His Highness the Amir’s orders. The ministry further said that the attendees verbally assaulted the officers with disrespectful remarks and threw shoes, bottles of water and ashtrays at them.

The lawmakers denied those accusations, calling them lies and public slander. Certain media have also been accused for distorting facts and failing to portray an objective picture on the event.
As a result, opposition MPs Musallam Al-Barrak, Jamaan Al-Harbash and Saleh Al-Mulla filed the first interpellation request against the PM within this legislative season. The grilling focused on the government’s violations of the Constitution and infringement of civil liberties. Each MP represents the Popular Labor Bloc (PAB), the Development and Reform Bloc (DRB) and the National Action Bloc (NAB). The blocs have been working continuously together for the removal of the PM ever since.
A number of parliamentary sessions were adjourned early before the controversial incident due to lack of quorum, which was blamed on the government as Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs, Dr. Mohammed Al-Busairi, was the only government official present. State ministers were accused of purposely being absent in order to avoid confrontation on critical issues.

Agenda
These sessions’ agenda also included voting rounds on opposition MP Faisal Al-Muslim’s parliamentary immunity. The public prosecution had requested the lifting of Al-Muslim’s immunity in order to interrogate him for revealing a Burgan Bank cheque issued by His Highness the Prime Minister during a parliamentary session. Al-Muslim’s immunity was subsequently lifted because the request was not rejected by the National Assembly.
His Highness the Amir, however, was adamant for the parliament to complete its full four year Constitutional term. The PM agreed to face his questioning and, after an extensive closed-door grilling session that took around six hours to complete, ten MPs submitted a no-confidence motion against him. It was the second time the prime minister has succumbed to an interpellation, after six earlier grilling submissions resulted in the dissolution of the parliament.
Meanwhile, political youth activist groups, such as Al-Soor Al-Khamis (the Fifth Fence) and Kafi (Enough), were formed with the support of opposition MPs and Al-Irada Square and Safat Square were continuously used to call for reforms, the PM’s resignation and asset their positions against the government.
The parliament renewed its confidence in Sheikh Nasser Al-Sabah, for the second time, on Jan 5 with the support of 25 MPs. In 2009, the PM survived the first non-cooperation motion against him after his questioning.

“To those who have a different opinion (about me), I tell them that I will always remain with the interests of Kuwait and its people. I assure you that the people’s dignity is one of the objectives we seek to maintain,” he said after the session.
Commenting on the event, pro-government MPs have stated that the grilling request and no-confidence motion would have been more effective if it targeted the Minister of Interior, Sheikh Jaber Al-Khaled. They spoke too soon as resentment and condemnation against the Interior Minister naturally increased when it was discovered that police officers brutally tortured and murdered a Kuwaiti citizen, Mohammed Al-Mutairi, while he was in their custody.
Sheikh Al-Khaled dug deeper into his political grave when he denied the torture of the victim in a statement during a parliamentary session and said that Al-Mutari was accused of smuggling alcohol and drugs but resisted arrest by fleeing, attacking and injuring officers.
Forensic reports found by MP Musallam Al-Barrak stated otherwise. The documents revealed that Al-Mutairi was bleeding from his hands, feet, thighs and stomach and a stick was inserted in a sensitive part of his body, indicating torture.

Responsibility
Sheikh Jaber Al-Khaled then submitted his resignation on Jan 13 fearing an interpellation request against him. “I have submitted my resignation, bearing my responsibilities and duties and implementing what I have previously stated in parliament. It does not honor me to remain in a ministry that tortures citizens,” he officially said. The resignation was ultimately accepted on Feb. 6 by His Highness the Amir and Sheikh Ahmed Al-Humoud Al-Sabah was a pointed as Deputy PM and Interior Minister.
Opposition MPs from the National Action Bloc then turned their attention to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Development and Housing Affairs, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah. A grilling motion was submitted against the Deputy PM by the bloc on misuse of public funds and property.
Further interpellations against other ministers were also in the making, one of which was against the Minister of Health, Dr. Hilal Al-Sayer and another against the PM by the PAB. Apart from Al-Sayer, all the grilling requests’ targets are members of the Al-Sabah ruling family. A grilling request was also submitted by MP Saleh Ashour against the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Mohammed Al-Sabah.

Resignation
Therefore, the Kuwaiti government officially submitted its resignation to His Highness the Amir for the sixth time on March 31. The resignation automatically dropped the grilling debates off the National Assembly’s agenda. Members of parliament welcomed the decision and said that it was overdue. For their part, political youth organizations collected signatures for a petition that called on the Amir to appoint a new prime minister with a new political approach for the country.
His Highness the Amir, however, reappointed Sheikh Nasser Al-Sabah as PM as expected on April 5 amidst promises by opposition MPs that they will maintain their grilling agendas. The new Cabinet, which was sworn in on May 10, was the PM’s seventh attempt at providing Kuwait with a stable government.
Fulfilling their promise, a new grilling request was submitted against the prime minister by MPs Ahmed Al-Saadoun and Abdulrahman Al-Anjari immediately after the new government was sworn in. A few days after, another interpellation request was also filed against Deputy PM Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad by NAB MPs Adel Al-Saraawy and Marzooq Al-Ghanim to be debated on May 31. The PM’s grilling, though, was referred to the Constitutional Court and postponed for a year, much to the dismay of opposition MPs. The Deputy PM’s grilling was also referred to the Legal and Legislative Committee for a review on its legality.

Meanwhile, sectarian tensions increased at the parliament on May 18 when Sunni and Shiite MPs exchanged verbal and physical blows during an argument regarding Kuwaiti detainees imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay.
The fight was mainly between Shiite MP Hussein Al-Qallaf, who called the prisoners “terrorists”, and Sunni MPs Jamaan Al-Harabash, Mohammed Hayef, Falah Al-Sawwagh and Salem Al-Namlan, Mubarak Al-Walaan, although Shiite MP Adnan Al-Mutawa was also injured during the incident.
The scuffle resulted in a couple of lawsuits filed against the involved MPs. Al-Mutawa registered a complaint at Al-Salihiya Police Station against five MPs and along with a medical report proving his injuries. In turn, MPs Falah Al-Sawagh and Salem Al-Namlan and Mubarak Al-Walaan registered the same against MPs Adnan Al-Mutawa and Hussein Al-Qallaf. After meeting with His Highness the Amir, all parties decided to drop the charges against one another.
Ultimately, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Development and Housing Affairs, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, submitted his resignation and it was formally accepted on June 13. The Legal and Legislative Committee members had decided that all the questioning’s proponents are constitutional after a two-week study.

Rift
It was said that Sheikh Al-Fahad had feared the interpellation but lawmakers and political analysts have also alleged a power rift within the ruling family and between the PM and his deputy after pro-government MPs voted against Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahad’s referral of his grilling to the parliamentary legal panel. However, according to news reports, the PM denied that he and his deputy were in disagreement.
Furthermore, another grilling request was submitted against Sheikh Nasser Al-Sabah by Islamist MPs Mohammed Hayef, Mubarak Al-Walaan and Waleed Al-Tabtabaei. The proponents included questions on allegations that he ruined relations between Kuwait and other GCC countries, jeopardized national security when he failed to deal with the Iranian threats appropriately and bias of the government’s foreign policy towards the Iranian regime.

In between, opposition MPs along with youth activists held rallies every Friday to call for the PM’s ouster. They also announced a petition demanding the resignation of His Highness the Prime Minister and Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahad. Pro-government MPs called the move as unconstitutional. Earlier this year, MP Faisal Al-Muslim expressed his disapproval of the move to collect signatures for a petition in support of the prime minister that was initiated by MP Rola Al-Dashti, who is a known supporter of the prime minister.
On June 14, the prime minister was questioned by opposition MPs for the third time in a closed-door session and a non-cooperation motion was submitted against him.
“Long live democracy and the Constitution,” said Sheikh Nasser Al-Sabah as he was leaving the National Assembly after his grilling session.

Pro-government MPs and state ministers were confident that the PM will survive the no-confidence motion and that turned out to be the case on June 23. Twenty-six MPs were required to approve the motion for it to pass; however, only 18 MPs have asserted their support of the motion. Meanwhile, twenty-five MPs voted in support of the prime minister and six lawmakers abstained in the 50-member house.
“This support strengthened my faith, determination and commitment to double efforts in the interest of the nation and its citizens. I took it upon myself to press ahead with the discussion of the interpellation motion despite its unconstitutionality, so I can present the facts to the representatives of the nation,” said Sheikh Nasser Al-Sabah.
Immediately following the June 23 session, opposition MPs Musallam Al-Barrak, Khaled Al-Tahous and Faisal Al-Muslim submitted the eleventh grilling request against His Highness the Prime Minister since he took office in 2006. The anti-government MPs stated that they are determined to prove the rampant violations and corruption within state institutions under the PM’s rule.

Motion
The grilling motion on Audit Bureau reports and unfulfilled court sentences, however, will be debated during the following legislative term in October 2011. Speaker of Parliament, Jassem Al-Khorafi, announced that the grilling will be on the agenda of the first regular session of the next legislative round. He said that the prime minister has been informed of the interpellation.
The current 86-page grilling motion contains five proponents, the first of which is on the government’s responsibilities on the import of spoiled food and rotten meat to the country. The second grilling proponent is on the neglect of state assets and funds pertaining to the Abdulaziz Al-Babtain Cultural Waqf Tower Project to protect the interests of the owner as well as the Cabinet’s failure to implement decisions that sought to correct the project’s status.
Furthermore, opposition MPs want to question the prime minister on the government’s failure to fulfill court sentences pertaining to violations in Al-Seif Hospital as well as the government’s failure to protect state assets pertaining to the Metals and Recycling Company (MRC). The company is believed to be unlawfully retaining government land. Finally, the Popular Action Bloc (PAB) and the Development and Reform Bloc (DRB) interpellation’s fifth proponent is on undisclosed budgets allocated by the government.

Approved
The third season of the 13th Legislative term, nevertheless, has approved a number of vital laws. According to Speaker of Parliament, Jassem Al-Khorafi, the assembly has created 22 investigative committees and received nine grilling requests, four of which were against His Highness the Prime Minister; however, the parliament has approved 27 vital laws that have contributed to solving a number of issues during this legislative round.
Al-Khorafi added that members of parliament have presented 117 proposed laws and the government has drafted 42 laws all of which were discussed in the parliament. Kuwaiti women were granted significant amendments to the Housing Care Law and Civil Services Law, awarding them long-awaited rights previously only granted to men.

Other less serious bills were proposed by lawmakers, such as the suggestion by Islamist MPs to add an article to the Penal Code that prohibits women beachgoers from wearing inappropriate swimsuits, nudity, revealing the chest area and immodest behavior.
Islamist MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaei also requested private sector companies to grant all non-Kuwaitis under their employment a donation amounting to one month’s salary on the occasion of the national and liberation day anniversaries. He wanted the donations to coincide with His Highness the Amir’s grant of KD 1,000 to all Kuwaiti nationals.
Al-Khorafi further stated that the assembly debated a total of 662 parliamentary queries, 385 of which were answered by cabinet ministers. He urged the government not to deal with the parliament using political tactics, but support the use of parliamentary supervisory tools provided that they are practiced as per the Constitution.