KUWAIT CITY, Sept 17: MPs Muhannad Al-Sayer, Osama Al-Zaid and Muhammad Al- Regaib have called on Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Salem Al-Sabah to take the necessary action regarding the attack on a Kuwaiti by some Turkish man (group) in Trabzon City, Turkiye. Al-Zaid stressed the need for the Embassy of Kuwait in Turkiye to quickly take action against those behind the barbarian attack on a Kuwaiti tourist in front of his wife and children.

He emphasized the need to provide proper treatment for the Kuwaiti and protection for his family until they return home under the supervision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He asserted that legal measures must be taken against the attackers who should be punished for their crime. He affirmed that the dignity of Kuwaitis inside the country is protected by Kuwaiti laws, but their protection is the responsibility of the ministry whenever they are abroad.

Al-Sayer asked the Kuwaiti Embassy in Turkiye to exhaust all diplomatic means to protect the Kuwaiti and his family. “Diplomacy is useless if it cannot defend and protect the citizens. Sheikh Salem Al- Sabah should immediately issue a statement on the steps taken and reassure the people of Kuwait about the health condition of their compatriot,” he stated.

Tough
Al-Regaib urged the ministry to take tough measures to end the repeated crimes against Kuwaiti tourists in Turkiye. He appealed to the Kuwaiti Embassy in Turkiye to make an official announcement of the measures it has taken regarding the attack. Footages of the crime have gone viral on social media, showing the Kuwaiti tourist being hit on the head until he fell down with his head strongly hitting the ground. Screams were heard, believed to be that of the citizen’s wife and children.

Meanwhile, MP Dawoud Maarefi forwarded queries to HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al- Sabah about the vacant senior positions in ministries and public institutions. He wants to know the number of such vacancies, number of senior officials who are still in office despite the end of their term, and number of senior officials whose term will end in fiscal 2023/2024. He requested for a list of nominees to senior positions, reasons behind the delayed issuance of decrees to fill up vacancies, criteria for the appointment of senior officials, and target date for filling up all vacancies.

Moreover, MP Hamdan Al-Azmi said the Public Authority for Disabled Affairs (PADA) has committed financial and administrative violations, including illegal payments and contracting with certain companies. He asked Minister of Social, Family and Childhood Affairs Sheikh Firas Saud Al-Malek Al-Sabah to take action regarding such violations and the manipulation of public funds allocated for the disabled. On the other hand, the Government-Parliament Coordinative Committee on Sunday discussed the priorities for the upcoming parliamentary year.

MPs Hassan Jawhar, Osama Al-Shaheen, Fahd Al-Massoud, Abdullah Al- Anbai and Soud Al-Asfour represented the National Assembly in the meeting; while the government party included Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for National Assembly and Cabinet Affairs Essa Al- Kandari, and Minister of Justice and State Minister for Housing Affairs Faleh Al-Raqaba. During the meeting, they highlighted the importance of cooperation between the legislative and executive authorities. They also underscored the need to lay down the foundations for ensuring cooperation between the two authorities in the coming parliamentary year. They agreed on prioritizing bills aimed at raising the citizens’ standard of living, political and administrative reforms, and completion of development projects.

The committee will hold another series of meetings to discuss the suggestions of MPs. In another development, the coordinator of the Independent Students List at Kuwait University highlighted what he considers the worst timing for the decision of Minister of Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research Adel Al-Mane and the College of Law at Kuwait University to close the mixed-gender sections as per Segregation Law number 24/1996. He pointed out that the decision was taken just a few days before the new academic year, causing a lot of problems for the students and the professors. He said 90 percent of the College of Law professors have announced that there will be no classes in the first week of the new academic year due to the admission and registration problems, which surfaced after the issuance of the decision. He added some students might not be able to enrol this academic year due to this decision. He holds the acting university president, the Admission and Registration dean, and the College of Law dean responsible for the consequences of the decision. He indicated that the mixed-gender sections are opened only in case of necessity as per the Kuwait University Law.

He thinks the problem lies in the interference of some politicians in the affairs of the university, which are covered by the relevant executive regulations. The E’etelafiya Student Union also issued a statement, voicing objection to the decision. They urged the university administration to cancel the decision, taking into consideration the students’ interests.

Furthermore, Assembly Speaker Ahmed Al- Saadoun recently met with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Representative in Kuwait Nisreen Rubaian, External Relations Officer Loulwah Al- Turkait and Protection Officer Amal Al-Beedh. In addition, Al-Sa’adoun visited MP Hamad Al-Medlej at Al-Razi Hospital, wishing him a speedy recovery.