MP Waleed Al-Tabtabae, Mohammad Hayef Al-Mutairi and Abdullah Al-Bargash said in a joint statement that the Amir has the absolute constitutional right to select the prime minister. "But we think that it is important at this juncture to appoint a new prime minister capable of running the affairs of the country and taking it out of its continued crises," the three MPs said in their statement. They also called for a fundamental change in the methodology of forming cabinets in the country in a bid to avert future crises.
MP Ahmad Al-Mulaifi, a well-known opponent of the prime minister, supported the call for a new prime minister, saying the selection of the next prime minister is a key turning point in the country’s history. Mulaifi said the appointment of the prime minister should be taken for the sake of Kuwait’s interests away from political and personal considerations. Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah submitted his Cabinet’s resignation last month after a dispute with the National Assembly after
the three MPs asked to grill him. The resignation was formally accepted by the Amir on Sunday. Other MPs focused in their statements about the selection of the next Cabinet’s members, insisting that the country now urgently needs strong statesmen to lift Kuwait out of its problems.
But the country appears to be bracing for yet another crisis even before the new prime minister is appointed and the Cabinet is formed. The controversy over the $ 7.5-billion deal with US’ Dow Chemical took center stage yesterday amid demands by MPs to launch a probe into the deal that was signed on December 1. Oil Minister Mohammad Al-Olaim defended the deal describing it strategic and important for Kuwait, but he said he was ready to meet with the Assembly’s financial and economic affairs committee to exp
lain the details.
Olaim said that any objection or criticism of the deal should be based on "accurate information" and that he was prepared to supply the information to MPs. The minister also stressed that the decision to sign the deal was taken after thorough studies that lasted about two years. Liberal MP Mohammad Al-Abduljader said that a number of MPs will demand the formation of a committee to investigate the deal to see if any violations were committed.
Islamist MP Jamaan Al-Harbash said that information supplied by the oil minister on the deal was lacking and that the minister should be forthcoming and transparent in explaining the details of the deal. Harbash warned that the deal could become another major crisis in the country if not enough information were given to lawmakers.
