Minister Bushehri denies allegation by griller

KUWAIT: Various newly-elected national assembly panels yesterday elected their heads and rapporteurs as pro-government lawmakers consolidated their control over key committees. The legal and legislative committee, which must clear all draft laws before concerned panels could debate them, elected MP Khaled Al-Shatti as its chairman and MP Mohammad Al-Dallal as its rapporteur. Interior and Defense committee, which is expected to debate the crucial law on stateless or Bedoons, elected MP Askar Al-Enezi as its president while MP Abdullah Al-Kandari was elected rapporteur.

The Budgets Committee re-elected MPs Adnan Abdulsamad and Riyadh Al-Adasani as its chief and rapporteur while the educational committee elected MPs Awadah Al-Awdah and Khalil Abul as the chairman and rapporteur.

MP Ahmad Al-Fadhl was re-elected head of the Priorities Committee with Osama Al-Shaheen as its rapporteur while opposition MPs Abdulkarim Al-Kandari and Abdullah Fahhad were entrusted with the head and rapporteur of the foreign relations panel.

The financial and economic affairs committee was reported to have elected MP Safa Al-Hashem as its head and MP Saleh Ashour as a rapporteur. Assembly panels are crucial because they debate draft laws before they could be sent to the floor for debate and on many occasions are assigned to investigate certain sensitive issues.

Meanwhile, Minister of Public Works and Housing Jenan Bushehri yesterday denied accusations by her griller MP Omar Al-Tabtabai that she has "bribed" a number of lawmakers with appointments in ministries under her to win their support in the grilling. Tabtabai had filed to grill the minister over alleged violations and failure to repair roads affected by floods caused by heavy rains last year.

The minister said that she will prove with documents that these allegations are baseless, adding that she will also prove how she safeguards public funds at the two ministries under her. Tabtabai said that in his grilling he will show how public funds are squandered.
The debate of the grilling of Bushehri and another one against Finance Minister Nayef Al-Hajraf has been delayed until the assembly session on November 12. MP Hashem said that there will be lots of surprises during the debate of the two grillings and hinted that the government may abandon some ministers.

By B Izzak