It can be recalled that the team which supported the deal was headed by the then Minister of Oil and Minister of Electricity and Water Eng Mohammad Al-Aleem and MP Dr Jamaan Al-Harbash, while those who were against included the Popular Action Bloc members, such as Speaker Ahmad Al-Saadoon and MP Musallam Al-Barrak, among other lawmakers whose positions were clear after the then government cancelled the deal – a move described by the bloc as a “courageous step”.
Sources said the Cabinet at that time worked for more than two weeks looking into the deal, while on the other hand, pressure from various political factions intensified, forcing former Prime Minister HH Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad to choose between interpellation and the cancellation of the deal.
On Dec 28, 2008, the government cancelled the deal, making the parliamentary circles jubilant, prompting Al-Barrak to call the move historic as the government supposedly took a stand to protect public funds. However, this step did not bode well among the Islamic Constitutional Bloc members, who demanded for explanations behind the decision to take up the deal only to cancel it later, sources added.
Al-Saadoun, who was still an MP at the time, asserted ‘’no one will accept a partnership with Dow Chemical due to the deteriorating market value of its shares’’. He even gave the ex-premier two options – to cancel the deal or face interpellation.
MP Faisal Al-Muslim was quoted as saying, “Thanks to Allah, we managed to save billions”, while MP Ahmad Lari pointed out Kuwait saved more than 10 billion due to the cancellation of the fourth refinery project and Dow deal.
Among those disappointed by the decision was MP Saleh Ashour who said, “We hope cancellation decision was borne out of the government’s conviction that it was the right move, not due to pressure from MPs”
Meanwhile, Al-Aleem wondered, “Does it make sense for someone to call for the cancellation of the project based on erroneous claims? When asked where he obtained the information, one of the politicians who opposed the deal said he got the facts from newspapers and those around him urged him to fear God.”