KUWAIT: Ten lawmakers yesterday signed a motion that calls to set up a three-member parliamentary committee that would assess the preparedness of the country’s various agencies and departments to face fast-paced security and political developments. The signatories represent various political trends in the National Assembly indicating a consensus on the objectives of the proposed panel which can be set up only after the new Cabinet is formed to allow the Assembly to resume meetings suspended after the Cabinet resignation.
The request says the proposed panel will evaluate if “the government and its establishments are prepared to counter domestic and external security challenges” the country is facing. The panel should submit its report to the National Assembly within two months. The lawmakers cited the stern warning made by HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah at the opening of the new Assembly term on Oct 24 that due attention must be paid to the security developments around the country.
It recalled that the Amir urged in his speech that “we should not close our eyes even for a moment at the fires raging around the country and the risks endangering us” and the “catastrophes knocking our doors”. According to the motion, the Amir also called for shielding the country against sectarian disputes and safeguarding its national unity. The motion said that the formation of the committee should be considered a priority by the Assembly.
The lawmakers who signed the motion include Mohammad Al-Dallal, Khaled Al-Shatti, Mubarak Al- Harees, Ali Al-Deqbasi, Adel Al-Damkhi, Osama Al- Shaheen, Yousef Al-Fadhalah, Rakan Al-Nasef, Jamaan Al-Harbash and Talal Al-Jallal. Dallal urged all lawmakers to translate the Amir’s directives by helping to strengthen the internal front and stand solidly behind the Amir in his mediation efforts to resolve the Gulf crisis over Qatar. The lawmaker said that the next government should be a government of “crisis management” to be able to deal with the developments around the country and should also include economic experts.
Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem has invited MPs for an informal meeting today to convey a message from the Amir over the delicate situation in the region, which he said require more unity. In another development, MP Majed Al-Mutairi yesterday called for forming an investigation committee to probe allegations that the assets of Kuwait dropped from $592 billion in 2016 to $524 billion this year. He said the probe should determine how the funds have been lost and who is responsible for this.