Kuwait girds for ‘tough decisions’

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Parliamentary sources expected the government to send a letter to the Amir expressing its inability to work with the National Assembly like it did in November after three Islamist MPs filed to quiz the prime minister. The sources insisted that a decision to dissolve the National Assembly is expected to be issued either late today or tomorrow with a call for fresh elections within 60 days, most likely in the first week of May.

The sources described the dissolution of the Assembly as the most likely scenario, especially after Hayef decided to quiz the prime minister. Hayef’s anger was focused on the government committee entrusted to remove all violations on government land headed by Mohammad Al-Bader after it demolished an old mosque in Funaitees area.

The committee had planned to demolish a few other similar mosques in other areas but Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah ordered the committee to halt its actions. Hayef said the committee had committed many violations since it started its operations almost a year ago, and that he had spoken with the government about its violations but no action was taken.

The lawmaker, a Salafist MP, said the demolishing of the mosque has hurt the feelings of all Muslims and that Bader had ordered the demolishing without taking the approval of other government agencies. "We are not asking for the impossible. We just want that Bader be referred to the public prosecution for violating the law," Hayef said. Hayef said the quiz will be filed at noon today unless the government decides to refer Bader to the public prosecution.

Meanwhile, liberal MP Ali Al-Rashed described Hayef’s grilling as "totally unconstitutional". Rashed said what is happening in the country is very strange. "We are really concerned for this country. Where are we heading and until when this confrontation wil continue?" he wondered. MP Ahmad Al-Mulaifi said developments in the country are accelerating at a very high pace and criticized those ruling family members who called for suspending the Assembly.

Some members of the ruling family called for the suspension of the Assembly and some of them are ministers," Mulaifi told reporters. He said that Oil Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah called him to deny that he supported the suspension of the Assembly. Mulaifi said that the meeting of the ruling family proves that "there is a hidden government running this country other than the Cabinet we know".

He also warned that "those who call for the suspension of the Assembly will be responsible for any bloodshed or any confrontation that may take place after the suspension if it happens". Mulaifi charged that the interior and defense ministers were among those who called for the suspension of the Assembly and urged them to either deny this or make an apology and threatened to grill both of them.

 

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