Kuwait Times, Monday, Apr 19, 2021 | Ramadan 7, 1442
Opposition plans another motion to remove Speaker
Kuwait: Opposition MPs yesterday began another attempt aimed
at the removal of Assembly Speaker Marzouk Al-Ghanem for calling guards into the
chamber as several lawmakers called on HH the Premier to resign. Leading
opposition MP Shuaib Al-Muwaizri said yesterday that he began collecting
signatures of MPs on a motion calling for sacking the speaker for allowing the
guards into the hall and for breaching the constitution. A previous attempt
signed by 23 MPs failed last week when a majority of the house combining
government ministers and pro-government MPs rejected to even debate the motion.
Muwaizri said the action by the speaker was unprecedented in the history of
democracy in Kuwait, adding that this represented a flagrant attack on the
constitution and democracy. He said the motion will be submitted after
collecting the signatures of lawmakers on it.
The speaker called the assembly guards after he claimed opposition MPs assaulted
the secretary general who was taking the vote on a decision to delay the
grillings of the prime minister for over 18 months, which the opposition insists
is not in line with the constitution.
Several opposition MPs yesterday called on His Highness the Prime Minister
Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah to either face the grilling or resign to save
the country a major political crisis. MP Bader Al-Humaidi said the Prime
Minister should either face the grilling or resign because the decision taken to
delay his grillings is a breach of the constitution.
MP Osama Al-Munawer insisted that the only way out of the ongoing crisis for the
premier is to face the grilling or retake the voting without the participation
of the cabinet ministers. MP Hasan Jowhar said the events in the last few
assembly sessions clearly show that there is an organized attempt to abort this
assembly, adding that postponing grillings is null and void.
In the meantime, Kuwait Society for Human Rights called on the government
yesterday to scrap a decision by the manpower authority to stop the renewal of
work permits for expats over 60 years of age and who only have higher secondary
certificates or lower. The Society also called for scrapping the existing Kafeel
or sponsorship law and replacing with another system that complies with
international humanitarian laws.
The Society said in a statement that many expats who are over 60 years old were
born in the country and lived most of their lives here and their relation to
their home countries is the passport only. The Society also criticized decisions
by the government raising fees for renewal of residency for this category.