Legislators propose review of arms deals
Suspension of Future Fund contribution urged
KUWAIT CITY, April 15: Chairman of the parliamentary Budgets and Final Accounts Committee MP Adnan Abdulsamad denied the rumor that the committee refused to meet Minister of Finance Barrak AlShitan, clarifying the meeting held on Tuesday was for the committee to listen to the opinions of financial experts as a prelude to the upcoming meeting with Al-Shitan and other concerned ministers.
Abdulsamad stressed the committee rejected the bill submitted by the government to obtain KD 20 billion loan, pointing out the committee had earlier presented recommendations to fortify the Public Reserve Fund.
He disclosed these recommendations include suspending the deduction of 10 percent from the State’s revenues for the Future Generations Fund, adding that KD 12 billion have been transferred to the fund over the last five years.
He said the committee also suggested putting a portion of the gains of independent public institutions into the Public Reserve Fund, instead of investing the money.
Other suggestions include asking the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) to grant loans to the government in order to fortify the Public Reserve Fund and reviewing the armament contracts or postponing them because many other items must be prioritized in light of the current conditions, he revealed.
He also urged the government to look into the cost of oil extraction being refunded to Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC).
In addition, MP Sa’ad AlKhanfour denounced calls to grill the minister of finance, stressing that this is not the right time for political escalation. He confirmed support for his colleagues who intend to use their monitoring tools, but he asked them to consider the current situation before taking such a step.
He asserted everybody knows that Al-Shitan is an honest man and his career is full of achievements, pointing out the minister is taking the necessary procedures to lay down a feasible financial strategy. He then appealed to his colleagues to be objective and refrain from considering personal opinions in assessing the performance of any minister.
On the other hand, MP Osama Al-Shaheen criticized the decision to vacate Khiran Resort which had earlier been allocated as a quarantine center. He considers this step very suspicious as it was taken concurrently with the government’s signing of hotel contracts for the same purpose.
He argued this attitude of the government raises a number of question marks, taking into consideration the rising need for quarantine centers due to the big number of citizens who are expected to return from abroad as per the evacuation plan announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He added Khiran Resort was prepared as a quarantine center for a long period and public money was used to cover the cost since the resort is the property of a public sector company.
He affirmed support for the efforts being exerted by the government to confront coronavirus, but he clarified this does not entail the absence of monitoring. “Absolute power is absolute corruption,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, MP Abdullah AlKandari addressed Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Ahmed AlNasser on the evacuation plan. He requested for extending the deadline (May 7, 2020) for the implementation of the plan in order to include the graduating students who need to take their final exams in the countries where they studied. He added the residency permits of some students are already expired and their return within the specified period might negatively affect their academic future.