KUWAIT CITY, Jan 22: MP Osama Al-Shaheen has submitted a proposal on allowing sponsors of domestic workers to hire a substitute for a period of two months every time their domestic workers go on vacation. He explained that he took this step in view of reports about domestic workers who go on vacation and then refuse to return to the country.

According to regulations set by the Ministry of Interior, sponsors can cancel the domestic workers’ residence permits six months after the latter left the country. Some sponsors, who decided to hire domestic workers six months after the previous workers left the country, were shocked to find that the ministry banned them from obtaining visas for the new workers as the previous workers entered the country without their knowledge, he added.

The bill also stipulates that a returning domestic worker is forbidden from entering the country unless the sponsor is present to receive them. On agreements between Kuwait and labor exporting countries, Al-Shaheen suggested adding a clause stating that the plane ticket of a deported worker should be shouldered by the concerned embassy.

Meanwhile, in a bid to ease the financial burdens of citizens, MP Thamer Al-Suwait submitted a proposal to increase the children’s allowance to KD 75 which will be taken from the general financial reserve of the country. Considering the rising prices of commodities, Kuwaitis are facing difficulties in providing for their children, especially since the value of the Kuwaiti dinar is not the same as it was in 1992; hence, the need to increase the allowance, he pointed out.

Furthermore, prompted by the recent statement of Finance Minister Naif Al-Hajraf on the budget deficit, MP Riyadh Al-Adsani said he will submit an interpellation against the minister as it is unacceptable to cause frustration among the Kuwaiti public by talking about the deficit.

In a press conference held at the National Assembly media center, the MP affirmed the country has surplus amounting to billions so there is no deficit. “We need a wise and perceptive management that complies with regulations on the State budget,’’ asserted the MP.

The MP refuted news on the deficit while affirming the continuous deterioration of budget management in every ministerial body, warning that an interpellation against the minister will be underway by March if no action is taken in this regard.

By Ahmed Al-Naqeeb Arab Times Staff