Transform Kuwait into regional center: MP

KUWAIT CITY, July 6: MPs Hamad Al- Elyan, Soud Al-Asfour, Mehalhal Al-Mudhaf, Abdullah Al-Anbaei and Hamad Al- Medlej have submitted a bill on amending National Assembly Law number 12/1963. Article One of the bill states that the National Assembly is the only institution authorized to decide on the MP’s resignation. The resignation should be submitted in writing to the Speaker.

On the 10th day, the resignation is considered accepted unless the MP withdraws it before the 10-day period ends. Article Two states that if the MP is absent without excuse and leaves the session without the permission of the Speaker, his absence will be published in Kuwait Gazette and two daily newspapers at his own expense.

If the absence is repeated for five consecutive times or 10 times sporadically within one parliamentary year, his absence is published as per the abovementioned manner and the period of his absence is cut from his salary. He is notified about the decision before the session slated for imposing the penalties.

In case the absence of the MP is repeated again, he is considered resigned without the need to issue a decision on his resignation. If the MP is absent from parliamentary committee meetings for three consecutive times or five sporadically in one parliamentary year, he is considered resigned from the committee and his absence is published in Kuwait Gazette and two daily newspapers at his own expense. Article Three states that members of the National Assembly Office include the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Secretary, Observer, Financial and Economic Affairs Committee Chairman and the Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee Chairman.

They are elected through public voting (viva voce). In case two or more candidates obtain the same number of votes, a lottery is conducted to determine the winner. The session’s quorum is half of the total number of MPs — whether they include any of the ministers or all of them are elected MPs. Decisions are taken based on the voting results and they are ratified through the approval of the majority (half plus one), except the decisions which require a special majority. The bill stipulates that the committees’ meetings are broadcasted by audio and visual media within 48 hours, unless the chairpersons request for holding a meeting behind closed doors.

The Speaker has the right to prevent the broadcasting of such meetings without the need to discuss the issue. Any lawmaker has the right to attend any of the committees’ meetings, but he is not allowed to interfere in the meetings or be part of discussions unless he is a member. Parliamentary sessions are open; unless the Prime Minister, 10 MPs or Assembly Speaker request for a secret session. The sessions are broadcasted live by audio and visual media, unless the speaker decides otherwise. The Speaker informs the Prime Minister and the concerned minister about grilling motions as soon as he receives them. The grilling motions are discussed within eight days, unless there is a request to discuss them earlier. The Prime Minister or the concerned minister can request for postponement of the grilling motions for some weeks.

The Prime Minister or the concerned minister can request for another two weeks postponement and the Assembly can approve or reject the request. The Assembly can postpone the discussion of a grilling motion for two more weeks according to the voting results. Grilling motions can no longer be postponed after this. Related grilling motions can be merged with the approval of the concerned minister and the MPs who filed the motions. The Assembly has the right to reject the grilling motion if proven it has no merit for discussion.

Meanwhile, MPs Fares Al-Otaibi, Mubarak Al-Hajraf, Badr Nashmi Al-Anzi, Khalid Al-Otaibi and Majed Al-Mutairi have submitted a proposal to transform Kuwait into a regional center for cancer treatment. The MPs pointed out that due to the rising number of cancer patients, the Ministry of Health must expedite the completion of the second phase of the National Cancer Center project and increase its capacity. They said the ministry should hire doctors specialized in cancer treatment and ensure ample supply of medicines for this disease. MPs Dawoud Maarefi, Hassan Jawhar, Hamd Al-Medlej, Abdullah Al-Anbai and Abdulwahab Al-Essa submitted a bill on the establishment of the national fund for the compensation of the owners of small and medium enterprises for their operation expenses (rent and salaries) during the total lockdown at the height of the COVID-19 crisis. The budget for the compensation will be covered by the National Fund for Small and Medium Enterprises; while the maximum amount of compensation for each enterprise is KD500,000. The Council of Ministers will assign the concerned minister to chair the fund whose members are from all the concerned ministries. By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh Arab Times Staff