Scandal Rocks Subsidized Items

The parliamentary Business Environment Improvement Committee on Thursday voted on several bills and proposals which were discussed in previous meetings, says Committee Chairman MP Khalid Al Fadalah. He disclosed the committee voted against the bill amending National Fund for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Law No. 98/2013, because the law was amended in the second half of the current parliamentary term.

He affirmed completion of all the bills in the agenda of the committee, stressing the achievement rate of the committee is one hundred percent contrary to the claim of a local daily claiming that its achievement is zero percent. He added the committee is working on its final report and it will be submitted to the National Assembly Secretariat General upon completion. Meanwhile, the Handicapped Affairs Committee discussed the proposal to give a physically handicapped individual with normal mental faculty a chance to decide his custodian (father or mother). The second bill is on assigning two persons to take care of those with severe disabilities such as quadriplegia. The suggested amendments are in line with the international criteria.

On the other hand, MP Khalil Abul recently discussed with Deputy Prime Minister, State Minister for Cabinet Affairs and Minister of Interior Anas Al-Saleh the incidents in the Central Jail including the prison guards who assaulted inmates. He said the minister promised to form a fact-finding committee to determine the factors leading to the incidents and ways to prevent their recurrence.

In another development, several MPs commented on the smuggling of large quantities of subsidized foodstuff to some Arab countries. MP Nasser Al Doussari stressed the importance of toughening the monitoring process in order to control the distribution of subsidized commodities. He called on the concerned institutions to replace expatriate employees assigned in the warehouses for subsidized items with citizens.

MP Safa Al-Hashem said that she previously warned Minister of Commerce and Industry Khalid Al-Rawdan about the smuggling of subsidized commodities, adding the time has come to Kuwaitize jobs in this field. She asserted the distribution of subsidized foodstuff must be organized to ensure they are given only to deserving citizens – those with low salaries. She stressed it is unacceptable that citizens with high salaries are getting subsidized commodities.

Furthermore, Chairman of Youth and Sport Committee MP Ahmed Al-Fadl said the committee held its last meeting for this term to complete important reports. He explained the achievement rate of the committee is not determined through the number of accomplished bills, but the quality of these bills.

On the coronavirus issue, he urged the health authorities to double check the protocol on sterilization, especially in the intensive care units of some hospitals. He said several patients were confined in intensive care units due to coronavirus, but they suffered from other serious diseases like blood poisoning. He supported his claim with the statements of the relatives of these patients. He clarified the relatives of these patients are not demanding for compensation, as they rather want to prevent the recurrence of such errors.

Moreover, MP Adel Al-Damkhi revealed he forwarded a letter to the Assembly calling for the withdrawal of the bill on amending the Election Law; but the concerned committee ignored it, even if it was first submitted on Jan 15, 2017. He pointed out the bill stipulates that each voter is allowed to vote for two candidates in the constituency where he lives.

He also expressed disappointment over the refusal of the National Assembly Office to schedule a special session to discuss proposals related to the Election Law. In addition, Al-Damkhi expressed satisfaction over the recent decisions concerning the Judicial Authority; stressing the Executive Authority is in need of reform as well. He asserted whoever was part of the era of corruption cannot be part of the era of reform.

 

Source: Arabtimes kuwait

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