Al-Mudaf queries on expat KPA employees pay hike

KUWAIT CITY, April 1: MP Shuaib Al-Muwaizri has launched a scathing attack against National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim and His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid. In a press statement after the legislative session on Tuesday, the lawmaker accused the Speaker of supporting every disaster in the country. He criticized what he described as violations against the Constitution and laws, such as preventing former MP Badr Al-Dahoum from entering the Assembly building and declaring the latter’s parliamentary seat vacant.

Al-Muwaizri pointed out that Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid violated the National Assembly Decree when he asked for postponing the grilling motions, which were submitted or will be submitted, for almost one and half year. He said HH the Prime Minister previously promised to face four grilling motions which would be filed against him, and that he is against the following: postponing these motions, referring them to the parliamentary Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee or Constitutional Court, and requesting for a closed door session to discuss the motions. He explained HH the Prime Minister’s request to postpone the grilling motions until the end of the second round of this parliamentary term requires a special majority -- at least 33 MPs. He claimed only 29 MPs voted on the request during Tuesday’s session, so he asked Al-Ghanim to prove that 33 MPs were in the session hall at the time.

He added Al-Ghanim also violated Article 110 of the National Assembly Decree stating that voting on special cases, such a request to postpone grilling motions, require public voting by calling the names of MPs. He went on to say that the National Assembly Decree does not give HH the Prime Minister the right to ask for postponing the grilling motions which have yet to be submitted. He asserted that whoever defends Shuaib Al-Muwaizri Al-Ghanim is either a coward or mean, claiming the Speaker is leading the country towards a dark tunnel and the abyss. He said he is verifying the involvement of Al-Ghanim in issues like the Euro Fighter deal, Kuwait Army Fund and others.

In another development, MP Abdullah Al-Mudaf asked Minister of Commerce and Industry and State Minister for Housing Affairs Abdullah Al-Salman if the salaries of expatriate employees at Kuwait Ports Authority (KPA) have increased since 2018 and if they have been granted allowances. He requested for details if the answer is ‘yes’. He wants to know the number of employees whose service has been terminated since January 1, 2020 till date, reasons for termination, number of employees who were referred for retirement and those whose contracts were renewed.

He requested for the list of employees who met the conditions for retirement but they were not referred for retirement. He asked about the number of sterilization trucks used in spraying almost five million liters of sterilizers in the facilities of KPA and the streets, cost of these trucks, if the deal with Viroclean Company was approved by monitoring institutions, procedures adopted in receiving and granting donations, and amount of received and granted donations in 2020.

By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh Arab Times Staff