Liberal MP Ali Al-Rashed floated the idea of delaying the grilling for between one and two years and renewed calls for a meeting with HH the Amir in an apparent bid to prevent the Assembly from being dissolved. Rashed however admitted that the three MPs who filed the grilling "have effectively closed the doors for any negotiated settlement", referring to their press conference on Saturday in which they refused to back down on the interpellation.
But Rashed’s moves were strongly criticized by his own group, the National Democratic Alliance, which described moves to stall the grilling for a long period as "an attempt to undermine the constitution". It said in a statement that "manipulating the Assembly’s internal charter to delay the grilling for a long period hinders the right of lawmakers guaranteed by the constitution".
The Alliance called for following the correct legal procedures to deal with the crisis. The statement claimed that the current crisis is a reflection of the ongoing dispute between members of the ruling family and "without forcing them to stop infighting, more crises are bound to happen". "The best solution for this and other crises should start by settling the dispute among members of the ruling family with regard to high-ranking posts," the statement said.
One of the three MPs who filed the grilling, Waleed Al-Tabtabae. meanwhile ridiculed accusations that he was acting on behalf of former energy minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahd Al-Sabah and his brother Athbi. Tabtabae insisted that he was not aware of any member of the ruling family involved in the grilling. The lawmaker refused calls to delay the grilling for a long time, saying that this will encourage ministers to escape without accountability. He also rejected a proposal to refer the issue to the legal and legislative committee because its members are opposed to the grilling.
MP Adnan Abdulsamad meanwhile expected a solution "within the framework" of the laws and the constitution amid some agreement between MPs to delay the debate of the grilling for some time. Abdulsamad said that a special majority (two-thirds) in the Assembly has the right to vote to delay the debate of the grilling for a long time.
The government’s first comment on the grilling is however expected to come in today’s weekly meeting of the Cabinet. If the government does not make any move, then the National Assembly will discuss the issue tomorrow when it holds its regular session.
