MP voices fear public sector expatriates hold unauthenticated credentials

This is a file photo of By winning her seat, Al Hashem became the ninth woman to be elected to Kuwait’s National Assembly since women gained the right to vote. (AFP)

KUWAIT CITY, July 22: MP Safaa Al-Hashem revealed that the parliamentary Replacement and Job Crisis Committee will meet next week with the concerned governmental bodies to discuss the termination of all expatriates working in the public sector.She claimed most expatriates employed in the public sector hold unauthenticated credentials. She pointed out the incompetent individuals, who got higher positions by presenting fake credentials, are hiring employees similar to them; hence, the deteriorating situation in many governmental bodies or departments. “What if some of these individuals are engineers or doctors?”she wondered; pointing out this will negatively affect lives and infrastructure. Meanwhile, the fraudulent credentials issue gains momentum as days go by, with parliamentarians submitting draft legislation and proposals in this regard while governmental authorities are keen on addressing the issue.More and more MPs are adding their voices to the cause; as the majority, including Parliament Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim, calls for disclosure of the names of those proven guilty. Al-Ghanim stressed, “This is a dangerous case and we should not bow to pressure.” Al-Ghanim said that he stands by Education Minister Dr Hamid Al-Azmi in the wake of the academic fraud case in which a number of forged college degrees has been uncovered. “I would like to thank Dr Al-Azmi and the entire staff of the education ministry for their efforts to get to the bottom of this issue,” Al-Ghanim said in a statement.He demanded that those involved in this “highly sensitive matter should be publicly identified”, saying that he is confident that the concerned bodies would take appropriate action over the scandal. Kuwait’s education ministry had uncovered last week some 40 fake college diplomas issued in an unnamed Arab country and a foreign man has been arrested in connection with the case.Meanwhile, Kuwait’s Civil Service Commission (CSC) has also joined investigations into academic fraud, saying that it would do everything in its power to root out such chicanery. The Head of CSC, Ahmad Al-Jassar announced Sunday that the Commission has taken several measures against suspects forging educational certificates and diplomas.The action was taken after the CSC received a document from the Ministry of Higher Education containing the names of several suspects. Al-Jassar told KUNA these measures included withdrawing administrative decisions issued based on the forged documents. He also pointed out that some of the procedures also insisted on “the recovery of all the finances that were spent unjustly on the suspects.” Al- Jassar affirmed that CSC operated according to the law and will not tolerate or hide those named in the list by the Ministry of Higher Education.The decisions taken by Civil Service Commission came within the framework of the fight against corruption and applying the law on everyone equally, Al-Jassar added. CSC, under the supervision of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Anas Al-Saleh and the Leaders of CSC, conducted the necessary research with utmost accuracy and speed to cooperate with the Ministry of Higher Education on this matter of grave importance, he stated.On the other hand, Al- Ghanim confirmed receiving a letter from the head of the High Judicial Council regarding the sentence imposed on MPs Waleed Al-Tabtabaei and Jam’an Al-Harbash for their involvement in the Parliament building storming case. He said he will take the necessary action in accordance with the internal regulations of the Parliament. In response to parliamentary calls for an emergency session to tackle the verdict, the Speaker asserted no emergency sesion will be held during the summer recess. In another development, due to the residential developments in Jahra Governorate in recent years, like the establishment of Sa’ad Al-Abdullah and Jaber Al-Ahmed areas and addition of blocks three and four to Naseem area, the number of residents has increased remarkably, thereby, increasing pressure on governmental utilities and services.This has prompted MP Thamer Al- Suwait to submit a proposal for the Ministry of Defense to relocate its camps to desert areas. He pointed out that after relocating these camps, the vacated areas can be used for establishing branches of governmental utilities and services to reduce pressure on the existing ones. Al-Suwait submitted another proposal to establish summer camps in schools for youths aged six to 18. He said the youths are regarded as the country’s most valuable resource, so investing in them and ensuring their development will be beneficial for the country in the future.Moreover, MP Abdullah Fahaad submitted a proposal to establish a clinic for infrastructure workers in Mutla Residential City. He explained there are no hospitals or clinics nearby, indicating the concerned authorities should coordinate with the Ministry of Health to establish the clinic to guarantee the safety of workers and to prevent delays that might be caused by lack of medical amenities. By Ahmed Al-Naqeeb Arab Times Staff and Agencies