KUWAIT CITY, May 3: National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim has confirmed receiving the grilling motions of MP Shuaib Al-Muwaizri against Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Muhammad, and Minister of Finance and Minister of State for Economic and Investment Affairs Khalifa Hamada. The two grilling motions are about the violation of Article 99 of the Constitution and Article 121 of the National Assembly Decree. Al-Ghanim added that he informed the concerned ministers about the grilling motions, which will be included in the agenda of the upcoming session. On the other hand, the Family and Women Affairs Committee discussed Sunday the causes and solutions to family violence, especially violence against women.

Committee Chairman MP Osama Al- Shaheen affirmed the attendance of the representatives of the Criminal Investigations General Department and Criminal Evidence General Department at the Ministry of Interior; Ministry of Social Affairs and Societal Development; Supreme Council for Family Affairs; and Family Consultations General Department in the Ministry of Justice. Al-Shaheen said the committee discovered during the meeting that there is an urgent need to break the circle of violence; which has many aspects like violence against children that prompts them adopt aggressive attitude towards society when they grow up, violent action of the State against some social classes, bullying in schools, and violent context of films and video games.

He added the committee stressed the need to issue the executive decree of the Family Protection Law, indicating the law was ratified in 2020 but the executive decree has yet to be complete although the deadline was on March 15, 2021. He disclosed the Supreme Council for Family Affairs officials informed the committee that the executive decree is in the final revision stage at the Fatwa and Legislation Department. He then called on his colleagues at the Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee to speed up the completion of the relevant bills that will be referred to the Family and Women Affairs for review. He said these bills include the proposed cancellation of Article 135 of the Penal Code, as well as imposing harsher penalties on those involved in sexual harassment and those who break into houses to commit sexual crimes. He revealed the committee urged the representatives of the Ministry of Justice to increase the number of centers allocated for divorced men to meet their children who are under the custody of the mother.

He pointed out only two centers have been allocated for this purpose; thereby, making it difficult to arrange such meetings due to traffic jam and this negatively affects the children. He went on to say that he received information about the third center, which will open by the end of June in Abu Fatera. He affirmed the Criminal Investigations General Department allocated a hotline to receive calls from individuals (men, women or children) who are afraid about their security and feel a potential attack.

The hotline number is 25623888. He also disclosed that out of 4,339 divorce and family dispute cases in 2020, 274 women complained about being exposed to violent attack, while 116 men claimed they were subjected to violence.

Meanwhile, MP Fayez Al-Jomhour forwarded queries to Minister of Defense Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali about the tenders floated by Incheon Korea for Airport Services (IKAS) which operates the passengers building (T4) at Kuwait International Airport. This came after he found out that the company floated 12 tenders with a total value of KD 44 million for occupying and utilizing areas and facilities in T4 without the approval of the State Audit Bureau (SAB). He pointed out that the approval of the Ministry of Finance to exempt the Korean company from the regulations stipulated in Circular No. 4/1997 and allow the company to float tenders necessitates the approval of SAB. He said SAB recorded the violations of the company, and then assigned the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to conduct investigations and interrogate the concerned employees including those who already retired. He asked if DGCA has conducted such investigation or not.

He demanded for copies of the contracts signed by IKAS including the names of investors who won the tenders. He wants to know if these investors obtained licenses from Kuwait Municipality and other concerned institutions. He demanded for a copy of the contract signed by DGCA and IKAS. He asked if IKAS is committed to the contract which obligates the company to ensure that Kuwaitis constitute 10 percent of its workforce, if the company paid the fine in case it violated this condition, and if the company met the condition on training 125 Kuwaiti employees per year to qualify for the technical works stipulated in the contract.

By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh Arab Times Staff