KUWAIT CITY, Nov 5: The Ministry of Social Affairs has disclosed to Al-Seyassah that the Ministry is committed to ensuring that every cooperative society has the opportunity to appoint citizens to supervisory positions. The sources clarified that for those cooperatives with limited budgets that cannot readily accommodate citizen appointments; they will be encouraged to merge two or more of their departments. After the merger, suitable citizens will be appointed to these positions as a means to streamline their budgets. These cooperatives will be required to communicate with the Ministry, assessing their financial situation before any decisions are made. The Ministry will then determine the appropriate course of action for associations facing budget constraints.

Furthermore, the Ministry, in collaboration with the Federation of Cooperative Societies, has issued a directive to all cooperatives to standardize their organizational structure, comprising ten departments in addition to the Director-General, Deputy Director-General for Commercial Affairs, and Deputy Director- General for Financial and Administrative Affairs. The Ministry has made it clear that its decision to appoint citizens to supervisory roles is non-negotiable, and it will enforce this policy rigorously.

Cooperatives that fail to announce or report vacant supervisory positions to the Ministry will face legal consequences, including judicial investigations and potential suspension of their financial accreditation. The Ministry has already initiated 14 legal actions against non-compliant coops. In the interest of transparency, the Ministry is currently contemplating the scheduling of interviews for citizens applying for these positions, with interviews to be conducted over two days each week. As a testament to the level of interest, the Ministry received 24 applications for the Deputy Director-General position at the Nuzha Cooperative last Wednesday. Interviews for other applicants from different associations are also scheduled for this week.

By Fares Al-Abdan
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff