Confusion, frustration mar govt’s plan to return life back to normal
Free monthly food for frontliners queried
KUWAIT CITY, May 31: With the announcement made by the Cabinet about the first stages of the plan for the gradual return to normalcy from Saturday evening, and regardless of the fact that this plan was prepared by experts and specialists who took all aspects into account, it seems there are points marred by confusion and frustration, particularly the prioritization of sectors to open in the first stage, reports Aljarida daily.
A quick look at the stages of return, as stated in the government plan, will clearly reveal that there are sectors and activities excluded from opening in the first stage even though they provide vital services. They are more important than some of the entities included in the list, and include banks and some important government sectors. It is noteworthy that the banking sector performed smoothly during the previous partial curfew, with necessary mechanisms and capacity that enable banks to operate in such conditions.
In addition, the imbalance in the mechanism of dealing with the government plan for the isolated areas – where most of the agencies that are allowed to return in the first stage are located – is evident. How then is it logical to allow activities of its workers to be isolated? Will they be allowed to leave or enter their areas? What is the mechanism that security operatives will use for their movement, especially since they did not allow anyone to leave those areas since Saturday despite holding necessary permits to prevent denial?!
Decision queried: The decision taken by the Cabinet to disburse free monthly food supply for a period of six months to all workers of Ministry of Health, Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Interior who have been on the front-lines to fight the spread of COVID-19 has ignited a major financial and organizational challenge with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, reports Al-Rai daily.
According to informed sources, Ministry of Commerce and Industry is preparing to inform the government about the impossibility of implementing the decision in the form that it was formulated.
They explained that the decision did not allocate a specific budget to cover the targeted extension in the aid disbursement, which entails additional budget on top of the budget allocated for the ministry in this regard, rendering the decision impossible to achieve without a supplementary budget of the same in this regard.
The decision neither specified the party that will finance the targeted supply expansion, nor did the decision come with a specific database of beneficiaries, either in terms of their numbers or their names, and whether the beneficiary of the decision will only receive individual supply or family pack.
The sources said, “In all cases, the decision will entail a large cost that the Ministry of Commerce and Industry cannot cover from its budget. The cost of government support for an individual on the ration card amounts to about KD 5.300, and KD 35 per month for milk and child nutrition. Granting free of charge supply will double the cost by a huge margin.”
They said the challenges facing the ministry in implementing the decision according to its issued form include the fact that the decision opened the door for all workers in the front-line belonging to the “first category” to confront the spread of COVID-19.
This means both Kuwaitis and expatriates would obtain free supplies, which requires granting supplies to beneficiaries who have ration cards, something that expatriates do not have.
Fishing still on hold: The Environment Public Authority (EPA) affirms no decision has yet been issued to allow fishing in Kuwait Bay, reports Al-Rai daily.
In a press statement, it stressed that the requirements for permitting fishing in the bay have been discussed with the Public Authority of Agricultural Affairs And Fish Resources (PAAAFR) in a bid to take necessary implementation steps.
EPA explained that a meeting took place between EPA and PAAAFR on February 19 to discuss the opening of Kuwait Bay. Considering the conditions of the country due to the outbreak of coronavirus COVID-19, an appropriate mechanism has not yet been identified to open the bay, which is still under lockdown.
The authority stressed the need for adherence to the provisions of Environmental Protection Law and the executive regulations and decisions issued to ban fishing in Kuwait Bay, adding that any violations in this regard will lead to legal accountability and repercussions.
‘Can’t vacate schools’: Many government agencies are currently using approximately 370 schools in various parts of the country as accommodation for their workers and it is very difficult to vacate these schools and return them to the Ministry of Education before July, reports Al-Anba daily quoting informed sources from the educational sector.
Sources revealed the Council of Ministers asked some government agencies to allocate accommodation for their workers, but the partial curfew and isolation of some areas hampered efforts to find housing for the workers.
Sources said any delay in returning the schools to the ministry will affect its work plan, taking into consideration the damages in most schools and the time needed to repair them.
Bid to mar reputation: The amount linked to Kuwait in the case of money laundering involving North Korea is believed to be very ‘small’ about 108,000 dinars distributed over two accounts – 100,000 and 8,000 respectively, reports Al-Qabas daily.
The daily added, the amount is not significant. The sources confirmed that a bank informed the Financial Investigation Unit about a transaction worth 100,000 dinars in 2018, while all the relevant accounts were closed.
The sources pointed out that there are parties seeking to undermine the reputation of Kuwait by instigating to pursue the case. Nonetheless, the guilty will be punished.