KUWAIT: Preparations for the 2020 parliamentary elections seem to have started early in the fourth and fifth constituencies, which are dominated by tribes. In this regard, informed sources said tribes have already started preparing for the elections due from mid-October to mid-December 2020. The sources said the Mutair tribe - the largest in the fourth constituency - has started coordination to avoid splitting of its votes like what happened in the previous elections, when 27 candidates from the tribe ran and only Mohammed Hayef won.

The sources added that the Ajmi tribe, Dahmash clan of Eneza tribe and Thafieri tribe agreed to hold by-elections, while Shammar tribe candidates are still arguing about holding by-elections, which also happened in the previous elections when three tribesmen ran and all lost. The sources said the Rasheedi tribe, which is currently represented by four MPs, will not hold any by-elections. In addition, the sources explained that the Azmi tribe controls the fifth constituency and it agreed to field a limited number of candidates for the elections to make sure at least four of them win.

Unpaid allowances
A number of supervisors of social and psychological services, technological services and activities yesterday demonstrated demanding demoting them to go back and work in schools as librarians and social workers so they can get the allowances the Civil Service Commission (CSC) only approved for school staff members.

In a meeting with MoE assistant undersecretary for activities and educational development Faisal Maqseed, the demonstrating supervisors said their peers in other assistant educational jobs get allowances while they had even been deprived of excellent performance bonuses. "We cannot carry on working under such unfair circumstances," they stressed, requesting to go back to work in schools.

Maqseed stressed his full support to the demonstrators' demands and pointed out that Minister Hamed Al-Azmi and Undersecretary Saud Al-Harbi are looking into the matter and exerting utmost efforts to help them get the allowances like their peers. Maqseed also rejected the demonstrators' decision to stop working as supervisors and go back to schools, and asked them to wait for a while.

By A Saleh