Kuwait Times, Monday, Dec 28, 2020 | Jamadi Al Awwal 13, 1442
MPs discuss general amnesty law in meeting with premier
Kuwait:
HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah yesterday met
around 10 MPs and discussed with them the government’s position towards a
proposed general amnesty law to pardon political activists. MP Ahmad Al-Azemi
said the meeting also tackled other issues like cooperation between the Assembly
and the government and popular issues including housing, education, health and
others.
The lawmaker said the meeting focused on the need to pardon a group of former
opposition MPs and activists who have been living in exile in Turkey for more
than two years. The Assembly’s legal and legislative committee yesterday
discussed the general amnesty law and invited authorities to send their views on
the legislation within two weeks, head of the committee MP Khaled Al-Enezi said.
He said the committee also discussed draft laws for amending the election law
and for Kuwaitization of government jobs. The government was given two years to
send its views on these bills, after which the committee will invite the
concerned minister for discussion, Enezi said. The Kuwaitization law aims at
replacing a majority of expats in government jobs with Kuwaitis.
The move comes after new Commerce and Industry Minister Faisal Al-Medlej
dismissed all foreign consultants at the ministry and banned the appointment of
non-Kuwaitis in such positions. Employees working in the following government
agencies will be affected: Supreme Council for Planning and Development, Civil
Service Commission, Public Authority for Manpower, Environmental Public
Authority, Central Statistical Bureau and Kuwait Authority for Privatization.
MP Hasan Jowhar meanwhile sent a series of questions to the prime minister and
the ministers of finance and health about the number of expatriate employees in
government bodies under their authority. In his question to the prime minister,
Jowhar demanded to know the number of non-Kuwaiti consultants employed in bodies
under the Cabinet, the terms of their appointment and their qualifications and
pay. He also asked about the reasons of not appointing Kuwaitis in their jobs.
In his questions to Finance Minister Khalifa Hamada, the lawmaker asked about
the number of non-Kuwaiti employees, their salaries, qualifications and
experience, who are employed at a number of state-owned companies like the
Industrial Bank, Kuwait Cement Co, Kuwait Airways and others.
He also demanded the same information about companies in which the government
owns 25 percent or more of their capital. Jowhar also demanded to know the size
of public deposits at all local banks and the interest rates on them. He asked
the minister for the number of Kuwaitis employed at local banks and their
percentage of the workforce.
The lawmaker asked Health Minister Sheikh Dr Basel Al-Sabah to provide him with
the number of expat employees at the ministry of health, their qualifications
and salaries.