No-shows cancel session
Assembly adjourned
KUWAIT CITY, May 13: National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim adjourned the legislative session on Wednesday due to the absence of the government – lack of quorum – as per Article 116 of the Constitution.
Al-Ghanim previously announced that a session will be held on Wednesday according to Article 72 of the National Assembly Decree.
Before adjourning the session, AlGhanim disclosed that he received a message Tuesday evening from HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid who informed him about the warning of health authorities on the danger of attending the session.
He then invited the MPs to a meeting in his office to discuss important issues and suggestions.
Items in the agenda of the adjourned session include voting on the report of the Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee (report No. 111) about the proposal to amend Civil and Commercial Trials Law No. 38/1980 which was approved in its first reading on Feb 19, 2020.
This is in addition to the budget, alternative sources of funds, contracts signed by the government during the coronavirus crisis, and Minister of Finance Barrak AlShitan’s presentation on the financial status of the State.
Meanwhile, MP Yousef Al-Fadalah disclosed that the meeting in the speaker’s office focused on important issues and recommendations, such as the problems of citizens who are not receiving salaries and the proposed amendment of the Assembly Decree to allow online meetings.
He said those present at the meeting conveyed a clear message to HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah AlKhalid and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Ahmed Nasser Al-Muhammad on the need to address the issue of Residency Law violators whose countries refused to receive them. He revealed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been asked to take action against these countries, which keep on deceiving Kuwait as they failed to fulfill their promise to receive their citizens. He added Kuwait must reconsider its relations with countries which do not respect their nationals.
On the other hand, MP Dr Bader AlMullah said the government’s absence in the session scheduled for Wednesday is a clear manifestation of its unwillingness to cooperate with the Assembly, although
the latter is keen on cooperating with its executive counterpart. He expects the government to continue with this attitude in terms of the sessions which will be held after Eid Al-Fitr.
He is afraid of the possibility that the government intends to maintain this attitude throughout the remaining period of this parliamentary term in order to push for the issuance of a decree of necessity to ratify the Public Loan Bill without the Parliament.