KUWAIT: Opposition MP Riyadh Al-Adasani yesterday threatened to grill two ministers and the prime minister if he does not get proper answers over alleged violations in the ports fund, in which the government holds a majority stake. Adasani said he sent questions over the issue to the minister of commerce, who supervises the fund, and the finance minister about the alleged violations which cost public funds millions of dollars in losses.

He said that he was surprised that he got the answers from the Kuwait Ports Authority directly without passing through the two ministers. Adasani said the authority's letter told him that it was illegal for him to interfere in the issue since it is being tackled by the judiciary. The lawmaker however said that even if the issue is being handled by the judiciary, it does not prevent him from exposing the violations, since public funds had been stolen. He said that he has got all the necessary documents to prove all the financial violations that have taken place since the fund was established over 10 years ago.

Meanwhile, head of the National Assembly's human rights committee MP Adel Al-Damkhi said the committee held a meeting with officials of the national human rights commission and discussed why the commission has not been set up yet. He said the panel found that the commission, the law of which was passed four years ago, was still ink on paper and nothing functional on the ground.

The commission has no premises or budget or even an internal charter, which were supposed to have been finalized six months after the law was issued. Damkhi also said that a draft law passed by the committee last month giving sweeping civil and social rights to thousands of stateless people (bedoons) will be debated in the Assembly after arrangements with the government. The bill grants bedoons the right to education, medical care, official marriage certificates and others.

MP Osama Al-Shaheen yesterday sent a series of questions to Minister of Public Works and Housing Jenan Bushehri about investigations launched into the damage caused by torrential rains in November last year. He asked the minister how many investigation committees have been formed by the ministry of public works or the roads authority or any other bodies and wanted to know the outcome of those investigations.

The lawmaker asked the minister about administrative and technical measures taken in the face of shortcomings exposed by the rains. He also asked if any public employee has been penalized over the problems associated with the rains.

By B Izzak