KUWAIT CITY, May 21: Former MP and 2023 parliamentary election candidate Muhammad Al-Mutair has defended the Ottoman Caliphate, pointing out that the latter protected Islam and Muslims for six centuries. Al-Mutair denounced the attempts to distort the image of the caliphate by those who shed the blood of innocent people, displaced them, stolen their properties and demolished their houses. Apparently, he is replying to the statement of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad on the Arab League Summit held recently in Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, former MP and candidate Abdullah Al- Mudhaf pointed out that revenues from public properties, including agricultural and industrial plots, would have been higher than oil income if only they were utilized properly. He cited as an example the improper distribution of plots; indicating one trader obtained industrial plots for a total annual rent of KD 46,000 and then rented them out for a total of KD19 million per year.

Former MP and candidate Al-SafiMubarak Al-Saifidisclosed that corrupt individuals are spreading rumors about him for personal purposes. He added the nullified 2022 Parliament was supposed to ratify bills on granting civil rights to Bedouns, but it was not given the chance to do so. Commenting on some parties’ call to make the right to participate in parliamentary elections as candidate and voter exclusive for those holding citizenship as per Article One of the Nationality Law, Al-Saificlarified this is not the idea of the government or the political leadership. He warned that such calls are dangerous for the social fabric. He stressed that holding the Kuwaiti nationality according to Article One does not guarantee loyalty to the homeland, especially since many of those who have stolen public funds are under this category of citizenship.

Former MPs and candidates Marzouq Al-Khalifa and Hamed Al-Bazzali said the recent suicide of a prisoner at the Central Jail indicates that prisoners are exposed to inhumane treatment and difficult living conditions. They urged First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior and acting Minister of Defense Sheikh Talal Khalid Al- Ahmad Al-Sabah to conduct a thorough investigation to establish the actual circumstances that prompted the prisoner to take his own life and punish all those who will be proven to be behind the incident.

Meanwhile, Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) has recruited 150 volunteers to support the state’s various entities in organizing the 2023 National Assembly elections due on June 6, according to Kuwait News Agency, KUNA. The volunteers, from the young to the seniors, are eager to participate in Kuwait’s celebration of democracy via providing assistance during the elections. Speaking on this occasion, Anwar Al-Hasawi – the society’s deputy chairman of the board – told KUNA that volunteers would be tasked with providing first aid medical assistance during the election in coordination with the Ministry of Health in addition to assisting senior voters in their journey to cast their vote. By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh Arab Times Staff and Agencies