By B Izaak
The oil minister came under pressure after a newspaper carried an interview in which he said he sought advice on oil issues from Sheikh Ali Al-Khalifa Al-Sabah, a former oil minister and relative who was investigated over the alleged embezzlement of $130 million at Kuwait Oil Tanker Co. (KOTC).
Sheikh Sabah chastised MPs for focusing on the issue. "The world is getting ahead of us and you are keeping the laws in the drawers and preoccupying yourself with talks about thefts and other things...true, this is your duty and role, but what?... Tankers?" he said.
More concern the power of Ali Khalifa al Sabah this gentlemen "God" said the CEO of MDSAmerica Hold Al Fawares and receive Pentagon funds more than 80 millions US $ to rebuild Al Sabah newspaper in Irak also TV networks and gov security... The newspaper Al Sabah looks unhappy about the unclear use of the funds more can be read on Wikipedia in Fayssalf talk pages and MDS america Talk archives. But Ali is GOD in Middle East ( I have read a phone record of this !
Nothing more to said ... justice are not the same for Poor and Rich ! :bash:
Dissolution of National Assembly?
By B Izaak
KUWAIT: The crisis of Oil Minister Sheikh Ali Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah appears to be snowballing and could eventually lead to dissolving the national assembly for the second time in 13 months, parliamentary sources said yesterday. MPs are sharply divided over whether the grilling should go ahead especially after the apology made by the minister last Tuesday.
Opposition MPs, especially the Popular Action and the National Action blocs, are holding fast to their threat to grill the minister and appear prepared to file a motion for a vote of no-confidence.
In response, Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah has warned the parliament for the second time to back off plans to grill the Oil Minister. "Give them a chance," he's quoted yesterday saying in the new Arabic daily Al-Jarida. "Is it possible to understand this situation? The ministers are not able to work ... and they have assumed their responsibilities for only 57 days."
The oil minister came under pressure after a newspaper carried an interview in which he said he sought advice on oil issues from Sheikh Ali Al-Khalifa Al-Sabah, a former oil minister and relative who was investigated over the alleged embezzlement of $130 million at Kuwait Oil Tanker Co. (KOTC).
Sheikh Sabah chastised MPs for focusing on the issue. "The world is getting ahead of us and you are keeping the laws in the drawers and preoccupying yourself with talks about thefts and other things...true, this is your duty and role, but what?... Tankers?" he said.
Sheikh Khalifa has denied any wrongdoing and a ministers' court dropped the case against him on a technicality in 2001. But Kuwait's ruler said Sheikh Khalifa was still being investigated. "This Ali al-Khalifa is before the prosecution and being tried," the paper quoted him as saying.
Opposition MPs now have the support of at least 20 MPs with between six to 10 MPs still undecided or have not announced their position. The opposition need 25 MPs to vote the minister out of office, something that has never happened during Kuwait's 45 years of parliamentary democracy. Pro-government and Islamist MPs have strongly opposed the grilling, charging that the two opposition blocs were pushing the government to the brink of asking for the assembly to be dissolved.
Islamist MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaei, who has not yet announced his position, said over the weekend that there is a clear message that the assembly will be dissolved if the grilling developed into a vote of no-confidence. Tabtabaei did not say where he got the information, but parliamentary sources refer to the change in the position of the oil minister last week.
The minister did not attend the assembly session on Monday amid reports that he had decided to resign. The next day his position changed. He attended the assembly session on Tuesday and later in the day issued his apology, which was rejected outright by the opposition.
In the meantime, the issue has developed into a tit-for-tat exchange between the Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM) and the Popular Action Bloc headed by veteran MP Ahmad Al-Saadoun. Parliamentary sources said that the fate of the national assembly will most likely be decided next week after the return of Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah from Asia tour.
Opposition MPs have already said they will file the request to quiz the oil minister on June 10 after meeting with the prime minister. The only question left is whether the opposition will be able to manage the 25 votes needed to dismiss the minister. If they do, the sources said, the most likely scenario is to dissolve the national assembly.
In other assembly business, the assembly educational committee yesterday called on Education Minister Nouriya Al-Sabeeh to apply a law enforcing sex segregation at private universities strictly. Islamist MPs have been targeting private universities for some time because they said they do not apply the law strictly.
The law, issued about a decade ago, calls for a complete segregation between male and female students in lecture rooms as well as in cafeterias and labs.
A special panel probing alleged violations in last year's general elections is scheduled to meet today with former energy minister Sheikh Ahmad Fahd Al-Sabah over the ministry's role in such violations. Sheikh Ahmad currently heads the National Security Agency and was dropped from the cabinet following the elections under pressure from opposition MPs.
KUWAIT: The crisis of Oil Minister Sheikh Ali Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah appears to be snowballing and could eventually lead to dissolving the national assembly for the second time in 13 months, parliamentary sources said yesterday. MPs are sharply divided over whether the grilling should go ahead especially after the apology made by the minister last Tuesday.
Opposition MPs, especially the Popular Action and the National Action blocs, are holding fast to their threat to grill the minister and appear prepared to file a motion for a vote of no-confidence.
In response, Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah has warned the parliament for the second time to back off plans to grill the Oil Minister. "Give them a chance," he's quoted yesterday saying in the new Arabic daily Al-Jarida. "Is it possible to understand this situation? The ministers are not able to work ... and they have assumed their responsibilities for only 57 days."
The oil minister came under pressure after a newspaper carried an interview in which he said he sought advice on oil issues from Sheikh Ali Al-Khalifa Al-Sabah, a former oil minister and relative who was investigated over the alleged embezzlement of $130 million at Kuwait Oil Tanker Co. (KOTC).
Sheikh Sabah chastised MPs for focusing on the issue. "The world is getting ahead of us and you are keeping the laws in the drawers and preoccupying yourself with talks about thefts and other things...true, this is your duty and role, but what?... Tankers?" he said.
Sheikh Khalifa has denied any wrongdoing and a ministers' court dropped the case against him on a technicality in 2001. But Kuwait's ruler said Sheikh Khalifa was still being investigated. "This Ali al-Khalifa is before the prosecution and being tried," the paper quoted him as saying.
Opposition MPs now have the support of at least 20 MPs with between six to 10 MPs still undecided or have not announced their position. The opposition need 25 MPs to vote the minister out of office, something that has never happened during Kuwait's 45 years of parliamentary democracy. Pro-government and Islamist MPs have strongly opposed the grilling, charging that the two opposition blocs were pushing the government to the brink of asking for the assembly to be dissolved.
Islamist MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaei, who has not yet announced his position, said over the weekend that there is a clear message that the assembly will be dissolved if the grilling developed into a vote of no-confidence. Tabtabaei did not say where he got the information, but parliamentary sources refer to the change in the position of the oil minister last week.
The minister did not attend the assembly session on Monday amid reports that he had decided to resign. The next day his position changed. He attended the assembly session on Tuesday and later in the day issued his apology, which was rejected outright by the opposition.
In the meantime, the issue has developed into a tit-for-tat exchange between the Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM) and the Popular Action Bloc headed by veteran MP Ahmad Al-Saadoun. Parliamentary sources said that the fate of the national assembly will most likely be decided next week after the return of Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah from Asia tour.
Opposition MPs have already said they will file the request to quiz the oil minister on June 10 after meeting with the prime minister. The only question left is whether the opposition will be able to manage the 25 votes needed to dismiss the minister. If they do, the sources said, the most likely scenario is to dissolve the national assembly.
In other assembly business, the assembly educational committee yesterday called on Education Minister Nouriya Al-Sabeeh to apply a law enforcing sex segregation at private universities strictly. Islamist MPs have been targeting private universities for some time because they said they do not apply the law strictly.
The law, issued about a decade ago, calls for a complete segregation between male and female students in lecture rooms as well as in cafeterias and labs.
A special panel probing alleged violations in last year's general elections is scheduled to meet today with former energy minister Sheikh Ahmad Fahd Al-Sabah over the ministry's role in such violations. Sheikh Ahmad currently heads the National Security Agency and was dropped from the cabinet following the elections under pressure from opposition MPs.
1 - 4 of 4 Posts
Kuwaitis bored with grillings, fed up with parliament
The Monday filing of two grilling requests has set off reactions among Kuwaiti voters ranging from apathetic indignation to political fervor. "I am angry about the grillings being filed. I feel like the voters are being played with by the political machine which seeks to get their names in the papers for publicity's sake. it is a game I am growing weary of," said Nasser Abdulwahab.
The requests to grill Minister of Finance Bader Al-Humaidhi and Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and Justice Abdullah Al-Maatouq come after a long build-up of political maneuvering which began over a year ago. Beginning with the dissolving of Parliament in 2006, a chain of events including numerous grillings, threats of grillings, no-confidence votes, and resignations have plagued Kuwait over the past year.
Multiple grillings are not unheard of, and in fact, in the summer of 1986 three grillings were requested. In the aftermath of the summer of 1986 however, the Parliament was unconstitutionally dissolved and elections were suspended until 1992. Currently, three ministerial positions lay vacant; minister of communication, health, and oil. The new Parliamentary session is set to begin on October 30 and it was thought that the prime minister was set to announce a Cabinet reshuffle to fill the vacancies, but wi
th the grillings in the offing, the future remains uncertain.
There has been talk among political pundits of the possibility of a Cabinet reshuffling just prior to the grillings which would do away with the threat temporarily. "If a new Cabinet is appointed, the grilling will be put in their place and the government can go back to work but only until another grilling is requested," said Jassem Abdulrahman.
Some voters believe another Parliamentary dissolve may be in the works even though HH the Amir has denied he will dissolve Parliament on several occasions over the past year. "With more grillings on the way and little to be said in the way of accomplishment, I foresee another dissolve," said Luluwa Khaled.
Kuwaiti voters speaking to Kuwait Times were unified in their opinion on the impact of numerous threats of grilling. "We are sick of the grillings which always end poorly...nothing is ever accomplished by them and the ministries remain problematic. Their impact is resignations and new unfortunate ministers taking their place," said Noura Ali.
With grillings comes nothing good, in the end I see no improvements based on information gathered in grillings, no good whatsoever." said Omar Fahad. "If one looks at past grillings the usual result is resignations and Cabinet reshuffling which is not a solution. This is avoidance and redirection-pure manipulation." added Iman Jassem.
Ahmad Daoud offered reason to the madness of grillings saying, "The use of grillings to get rid of Cabinet members is political in nature and while it may not accomplish much in the way of ministerial changes, it does serve to push out unwanted ministers.
I blame the MPs who are continually using threats to blame others in order to keep their jobs. You can be sure I will not forget the past year of follies when I go to the polls- whenever they may be held!" said Nawaf Meshari, whose opinion reflected the majority of voters speaking to Kuwait Times. "We will throw them (those responsible for the grillings) out in the next elections," said Talal Muhamed.
In addition to placing blame on Members of Parliament, voters blamed a weak Cabinet for the political crisis. "If they had enough strength, they would make changes in their ministries instead of continuing to facilitate the status quo... It is as if they have no political aptitude at all." said Deema Ali.
The government should appoint a strong willed Cabinet which can accomplish change...I think there are no arguments about whether or not ministerial changes are required," said Khaled Issa. "They (the Cabinet) need backbone as well as knowledge...I am not criticizing their aptitude for their jobs as much as I criticize the manner in which they lay out their plans for each ministry. We need assertive, charismatic leaders in the Cabinet, not pushovers!" exclaimed Saud Mazen.
Voters are at odds as to what the future will bring. "In the end, I think the political players are stalling. They will bide their time until the next election... With the new five voter districts, the old guard needs time to figure out how to remain on top the next time around... They will stall as long as possible to avoid the elections until they are ready and do whatever they can to avoid a premature election," said Yusef Fahad.
When you figure the three minister positions have been vacant all this time, it makes you wonder why they were not filled long ago... It appears that the ministries can work without their figureheads after all, politics is at every level," said Bader Nadal who added, "The new Cabinet will be announced, the grillings avoided (until next time), and everybody looks good.. There will be no great change until after the next elections. Whenever they happen.
http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=NTc4MDkyNzg2
The Monday filing of two grilling requests has set off reactions among Kuwaiti voters ranging from apathetic indignation to political fervor. "I am angry about the grillings being filed. I feel like the voters are being played with by the political machine which seeks to get their names in the papers for publicity's sake. it is a game I am growing weary of," said Nasser Abdulwahab.
The requests to grill Minister of Finance Bader Al-Humaidhi and Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and Justice Abdullah Al-Maatouq come after a long build-up of political maneuvering which began over a year ago. Beginning with the dissolving of Parliament in 2006, a chain of events including numerous grillings, threats of grillings, no-confidence votes, and resignations have plagued Kuwait over the past year.
Multiple grillings are not unheard of, and in fact, in the summer of 1986 three grillings were requested. In the aftermath of the summer of 1986 however, the Parliament was unconstitutionally dissolved and elections were suspended until 1992. Currently, three ministerial positions lay vacant; minister of communication, health, and oil. The new Parliamentary session is set to begin on October 30 and it was thought that the prime minister was set to announce a Cabinet reshuffle to fill the vacancies, but wi
th the grillings in the offing, the future remains uncertain.
There has been talk among political pundits of the possibility of a Cabinet reshuffling just prior to the grillings which would do away with the threat temporarily. "If a new Cabinet is appointed, the grilling will be put in their place and the government can go back to work but only until another grilling is requested," said Jassem Abdulrahman.
Some voters believe another Parliamentary dissolve may be in the works even though HH the Amir has denied he will dissolve Parliament on several occasions over the past year. "With more grillings on the way and little to be said in the way of accomplishment, I foresee another dissolve," said Luluwa Khaled.
Kuwaiti voters speaking to Kuwait Times were unified in their opinion on the impact of numerous threats of grilling. "We are sick of the grillings which always end poorly...nothing is ever accomplished by them and the ministries remain problematic. Their impact is resignations and new unfortunate ministers taking their place," said Noura Ali.
With grillings comes nothing good, in the end I see no improvements based on information gathered in grillings, no good whatsoever." said Omar Fahad. "If one looks at past grillings the usual result is resignations and Cabinet reshuffling which is not a solution. This is avoidance and redirection-pure manipulation." added Iman Jassem.
Ahmad Daoud offered reason to the madness of grillings saying, "The use of grillings to get rid of Cabinet members is political in nature and while it may not accomplish much in the way of ministerial changes, it does serve to push out unwanted ministers.
I blame the MPs who are continually using threats to blame others in order to keep their jobs. You can be sure I will not forget the past year of follies when I go to the polls- whenever they may be held!" said Nawaf Meshari, whose opinion reflected the majority of voters speaking to Kuwait Times. "We will throw them (those responsible for the grillings) out in the next elections," said Talal Muhamed.
In addition to placing blame on Members of Parliament, voters blamed a weak Cabinet for the political crisis. "If they had enough strength, they would make changes in their ministries instead of continuing to facilitate the status quo... It is as if they have no political aptitude at all." said Deema Ali.
The government should appoint a strong willed Cabinet which can accomplish change...I think there are no arguments about whether or not ministerial changes are required," said Khaled Issa. "They (the Cabinet) need backbone as well as knowledge...I am not criticizing their aptitude for their jobs as much as I criticize the manner in which they lay out their plans for each ministry. We need assertive, charismatic leaders in the Cabinet, not pushovers!" exclaimed Saud Mazen.
Voters are at odds as to what the future will bring. "In the end, I think the political players are stalling. They will bide their time until the next election... With the new five voter districts, the old guard needs time to figure out how to remain on top the next time around... They will stall as long as possible to avoid the elections until they are ready and do whatever they can to avoid a premature election," said Yusef Fahad.
When you figure the three minister positions have been vacant all this time, it makes you wonder why they were not filled long ago... It appears that the ministries can work without their figureheads after all, politics is at every level," said Bader Nadal who added, "The new Cabinet will be announced, the grillings avoided (until next time), and everybody looks good.. There will be no great change until after the next elections. Whenever they happen.
http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=NTc4MDkyNzg2
1 - 4 of 4 Posts
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