By B Izzak

KUWAIT: In a peaceful National Assembly session, MPs yesterday called on the government to resolve the housing problem, condemned failure to check corruption and warned of randomly naturalizing people. Unlike Tuesday’s session which was filled with tension, during which MPs traded harsh words and insults, yesterday’s session passed off without any problems.

Debating the Amiri Address, read at the opening session of the new term in October, the lawmakers reiterated full determination to prevent the imposition of taxes or raising costs of public services, and demanded a solution to the consumer debt problem.

MP Hassan Jowhar warned authorities to devise the necessary plans for the future growth of the Kuwaiti population, saying the 1.4 million citizens currently are expected to reach 5 million by 2050, warning that the government will face a major crisis if it does not prepare from now.

MP Abdullah Al-Turaiji praised former health minister Sheikh Dr Basel Al-Sabah for his efforts in facing the coronavirus pandemic and wished the new minister similar success. The lawmaker criticized a decision by the interior ministry to revoke the driving licenses of some expats, which was later withdrawn, saying this decision showed that the ministry staff lack experience.

He also called for resolving the population imbalance which is greatly tilted in favor of expats and warned against what he called random naturalization. Turaiji also expressed total rejection of any plan to impose taxes. MP Hisham Al-Saleh called to stop depending on oil as the only source of income, and stressed the need to diversify sources of income. He also called on the government to purchase the estimated KD 1.4 billion in consumer debts owed by 471,000 citizens. He said the best solution is to waive accumulated interest on the loans.

MP Marzouq Al-Khalifa said the Assembly will not allow the imposition of any taxes on Kuwaiti citizens, adding that taxes should be imposed on those who own chalets and plots in industrial areas. MP Bader Al-Humaidi called for “safeguarding national identity” by halting the policy of randomly granting citizenship, saying that Kuwaitis were just 62,000 in 1965, but reached over 1.3 million in 2018. He said the government should stop the policy of granting citizenship to scores of people. He also criticized the government’s failure to resolve the demographic imbalance, claiming that the decision-making process is in the hands of expats in many government departments.