By B Izzak

KUWAIT: MP Muhalhal Al-Mudhaf said on Thursday that he will file a grilling motion against His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Nawaf Al-Sabah next week for refusing to answer questions and also over public policy of the government.

The lawmaker said in a statement that he has sent a question to the prime minister over the implementation of the policies outlined in the historical address delivered by His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah in June last year on behalf of His Highness the Amir. Mudhaf said that he received a message from the Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs stating that the question is unconstitutional and accordingly will not be answered. The lawmaker said that he asked the Prime Minister about the policies he will adopt in implementing the content of the address.

Mudhaf accused HH the Prime Minister of abandoning the policies included in the address, adding that those policies would have transformed Kuwaiti politics in a very big way. The lawmaker said that despite massive parliamentary support, HH the Prime Minister formed a very weak Cabinet following the June elections. This shows that HH the Prime Minister cannot run the affairs of the country.

MP Mudhaf also charged that HH the Prime Minister did not live up to expectations regarding foreign policy, especially regarding the Iraqi court ruling on the Khor Abdullah waterway and the dispute with Iran over the Dorra gas field.

In the meantime, head of the financial and economic affairs committee MP Shuaib Al-Muwaizri said on Thursday that the government was positive regarding draft laws to raise pensions and the cost of living. The committee meeting was attended by Finance Minister Fahad Al-Jarallah who “almost agreed to raise the minimum pension for thousands of retired Kuwaitis to at least KD 1,000 monthly”.

Muwaizri also said that the Finance Minister was very positive towards raising the cost of living for Kuwaiti citizens, adding that the issue will be left to the National Assembly to debate next Tuesday.