Regional challenges require unity, joint action: Prime Minister

KUWAIT: Parliament Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem speaks during the opening ceremony and His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah speaks during the opening ceremony

KUWAIT: People in the region should focus on efforts to bring upon an end to the Gulf crisis as a step to safeguard regional welfare and security, said the National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem yesterday. In his speech to the second session of the 15th legislative term, Speaker Ghanem said that people living in the GCC countries should unite and work together for their own interest and good, affirming that the current status quo will bring upon grave consequences for the region.

He further reflected on the crisis, saying that it was a mere misunderstanding amongst brothers and expressed his confidence that the problem will be resolved soon. Speaker of the National Assembly lauded His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah's efforts in this regard, adding that the Kuwaiti leader always took the initiative in trying to find a solution for any problems that might face the GCC countries.

His Highness the Amir went from capital to capital and country to country trying to bring viewpoints together, said Speaker Ghanem who affirmed that this was in the pure nature of His Highness the Amir, a man known for his endless desire to find solutions for any conflicts facing the GCC.

Rohingya's plight

Speaker Ghanem hoped that the efforts by His Highness the Amir would be fruitful. Meanwhile, the National Assembly Speaker commended His Highness the Amir's directives concerning issues connected with the plight of Myanmar's Rohingya and the crises in Syria and Iraq.

His Highness the Amir took the necessary political steps to highlight the humanitarian problems in these respective regional and international issues, calling for global efforts to help those in need, affirmed the speaker. He added that the National Assembly took notice of His Highness the Amir's efforts and put on the forefront the recent plight of the Rohingya as a minority abused by the Buddhist majority of Myanmar.

The world should stand in opposition to the atrocities committed against the Rohinyas, said Ghanem who indicated that the National Assembly had focused upon this issue during regional and international participations.

Economic reforms

Returning to the local scene, Speaker of the National Assembly Marzouq Ghanem stressed the importance of embarking on economic reforms. Reforms will ensure the existence of a reliable infrastructure, multiple services, an attractive investment and business atmospheres, as well as many other aspects that will bring on welfare to Kuwait, said the speaker. He noted that the responsibility of economic reforms was in the hands of the people's representatives of the National Assembly and the leaders of the cabinet who should cooperate to realize the country's dreams.

Members of the Parliament should focus on serving the people and not bicker on issues that would waste time and energy, said Ghanem, adding that the government had an equal responsibility in cooperating with the National Assembly to ensure that plans for development run smoothly.

Regarding the responsibilities of the people, Ghanem affirmed that people living in Kuwait should focus on bolstering national unity and avoid the promotion of hatred and bigotry in all of their shapes and forms.

The speaker ended his speech welcoming His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah and His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to the opening of the parliament's current legislative term, hoping that National Assembly would be up to the task of achieving the people's dreams and desires.

Freedoms and democracy

Meanwhile, His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah highlighted the need of concerted efforts to protect the gains made in the areas of promotion of freedoms and democracy, security, stability and economic development.

In his address to the opening session, he said the democratic atmospheres in Kuwait are a source of price for all citizens that materializes the cultural values of the people. His Highness the Prime Minister extolled His Highness the Amir for his keenness on the efforts to realize the aspirations of the people for a bright future.

"The recent developments in the Arab region and rampant chaos have negative impacts on the security of Kuwait which require us to stand united and work together in order to protect out national unity and ward off the risks of sedition," he stated. "The Arab region undergoes a challenging period and numerous threats in the security, political, economic, social and cultural areas. Kuwait is at the core of this region. "Therefore, we are required to have wise, responsible and practical vision for protecting our homeland and overcoming this delicate stage," His Highness the Prime Minister stressed.

Addressing the lawmakers, he said, "As the second term of your honorable Assembly opens, we hope for continued cooperation between the Assembly and the government based on mutual trust and respect to protect the security, stability and prosperity of the country."

"All of us, as government and parliament, share formidable tasks and responsibilities for honoring our undertakings in the framework of the constitution. "We have no choice other than working together and maintaining our complementary relationship as per the provisions of the constitution and the parliamentary regulations and responsible practices," he made clear.

Regarding the foreign policy of the country, he said Kuwait has always been committed to the principles of respect for the sovereignty and independence of, and non-interference in the domestic affairs of, other countries. Kuwait maintains neighborly ties with the countries in the Gulf region and supports the fairs issues of the Arab nation as well as the causes of freedom, justice, peace and human rights around the globe.

Kuwait's recent selection as non-permanent member of the UN Security Council reflects the confidence of the international community in its constructive role worldwide under the wise leadership of His Highness the Amir, he pointed out. In this regard, His Highness the Prime Minister commended the efforts made by His Highness the Amir to contain the Gulf row and protect the stature of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Development projects

Dealing with the domestic affairs, His Highness the Prime Minister said the government is determined to pursue its drive to implement the vital development projects, upgrade its performance, end the bureaucratic complexities and assert the rule of law.

The government will thoroughly pursue the economic reforms and help the private sector assume a leading role in the economic activities, His Highness the Prime Minister pledged. The national economic development plan envisages turning the state role into a supervisory one through alleviation the tasks of operating the development projects and overhauling the labor market.

The government plans to build the capacity of the national workforce through comprehensive educational reforms, which will reflect positively on the country's international ratings, he revealed. The plans aim to secure sustainable finances of the state, introduce new methods of developing the state budget, setting specific ceilings for the funding for the state projects, maximize benefit from the state's financial resources and highlight the role of private investment in the mega projects.

To do so the government launched the "New Kuwait" campaign with a view to attracting investors from inside and outside the country to invest in these projects, he went on. "The government is also working to leverage the policy of knowledge economy as shown in the draft bill on economic activities, which will be tabled to your honorable Assembly in the near future.

"It plans to launch the knowledge chair, an initiative meant to promote the role of human resources in the knowledge economy, in addition to the launching in next February of the knowledge economy index at the state institutions under the kind patronage of His Highness the Amir," he disclosed.

His Highness the Prime Minister noted that the Kuwait Expo 2018, to be held between February 6 and 10, will give a quantum leap to the transfer of technology and knowledge to the small and medium enterprises.

Recalling the policy statement presented in last January by his government to the first legislative term of the 15th National Assembly (2016-2020), he said it included 14 development projects of high priority that are in keeping with the national development plan and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The policy statement sets forth the plans for efforts to engage actively in the implementation of the UN-sponsored Agenda for Sustainable Development in collaboration with the civil society institutions, the private sector and international monitors, he said. "The structural imbalances in the national economy had negative impacts on the state's financial position, thus necessitating innovative approaches and responses. The new policies are set forth in the national program for economic and financial sustainability that was developed in collaboration with our partners in the National Assembly and economists in non-profit organizations," His Highness the Prime Minister said.

He noted that these efforts eventually bore fruit in adjusting the public spending and curbing extravagant practices without affecting funding for investment projects. "These efforts helped spare up to KD 1 billion, created more job opportunities, improved the business atmospheres, and promoted the country's sovereign credit rating," he said, citing Fitch Ratings.

The decision, made by the Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE) Russel late last month to promote Boursa Kuwait to an emerging market, boosted the investor confidence in the Kuwaiti stock market; it culminated enormous efforts by the competent bodies, he stated.

Food security

On food security, His Highness the Prime Minister said Kuwait was rated as the first Arab country and the world's 26th on the Global Food Security Index. The State of Kuwait was also rated as the best Arab country in terms of access to safe water, adequate sanitation and proper hygiene education, according to the WHO-UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (JMP). The oil sector made headway in the eco-friendly fuel initiative which will encourage Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) to unveil this achievement next year, His Highness the Prime Minister disclosed. KNPC, acting to realize the vision of His Highness the Amir to replace 15 percent of the country's consumption of conventional energy by renewable energy, started building and operation a solar-power station.

A remarkable progress has been made in the development of infrastructure projects, including road building. Sheikh Jaber Causeway project is 80 percent complete and will open for traffic in late 2018, His Highness the Prime Minister said, expecting the new Kuwait airport to open next year too according to the set timeframe. He expressed hope that the lawmakers, while exercising their constitutional right to legislate and supervise the performance of the executive authority, will work with the government to overcome the challenges and materialize a fruitful and constructive partnership for the sake of the country. - KUNA