Democracy key to stability and development: Kharafi

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Addressing the final sitting of the third session of the 13th legislative term, Al-Kharafi said "Democracy is the best possible solution to formulate social and intellectual diversity into a framework of unity, and to convert political diversity into a form of harmony and integration." "It is our national option to achieve stability, progress and development. The national interest requires all of us to ensure that our democratic practice is going on within this framework," he added.

"Thus, we can settle our differences as per the constitutional institutional framework and democratic procedures and on the basis of mutual respect. We, further, should be keen on establishing constructive democratic future traditions and norms," he continued.

During the third ordinary session of the 13th legislative term, which winds up on Wednesday, the National Assembly (parliament) discussed a total of 117 proposed laws submitted by members of parliament and 42 draft laws referred by the government.

Out of this figure, 27 bills were passed by the assembly, thus contributing to resolving several issues, he said.

The assembly, further, debated a total of 662 parliamentary queries, 385 of which were answered by cabinet ministers, he said.

It also created 22 probe committees, and considered nine interpellations, including four against His Highness the Prime Minister, while the remaining motions were made against the deputy prime minister for economic affairs and minister of state for development and housing, deputy prime minister and foreign minister, minister of oil and minister of information, Al-Kharafi added.

This showed a quantum shift in the use of this supervisory tool, which is a means for reform and remedy, rather than a political agenda that could disrupt the relationship between the assembly and the government, he said.

But, he regretted that the government had failed to respond to parliamentary questions within the set time or even completely, hoping that this would not recur in the future.

He also urged the government to be tolerant with the use of parliamentary supervisory tools provided that this take place as per constitution.

Although Al-Kharafi was proud of his country’s democracy, he regretted that there were some unacceptable exercises and supervisory tools were abused.

In this context, he quoted His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as having expressed, in his recent speech, much concern about this situation and its risks to the country’s democratic march.

He concluded by wishing that during the next parliamentary session there would be better democratic practices so as to regain the Kuwaiti people’s confidence in the national democratic experiment

 

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