This explanation was given by the minister himself in his first public statement to a local daily following the debate last Thursday which ended with a request for a vote of confidence, and reports about his resignation. “The tyranny of the majority coalition in the parliament has reached the constitution before it moved to affect individuals”, said Al-Shamali, who is also a deputy for Kuwait’s Prime Minister HH Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah. He further warned during an interview with Al-Qabas of “confusion of principles and loss of rights because we are almost losing Kuwait”.
“My approach did not go in line with theirs, which is exactly what bothered them”, Al-Shamali said, adding that each of the articles mentioned in his grilling “had a known agenda behind it”. On why he chose to go ahead with the debate despite claiming that his grilling is driven by hidden agendas, Al-Shamali explained that he wanted to “expose [the majority MPs] in front of the Kuwaiti people”, insisting that that his position in the cabinet is no longer a priority as long as he could achieve that goal.
The ‘Majority Bloc’ entered the debate session with more than 30 lawmakers in hand to secure the 25 minimum votes in order to pass a no-confidence motion against the minister, thus ending his 5-year term in the cabinet. On that regard, Al-Shamali said during the interview that submitting his resignation was a decision to take a step ahead of the majority, further criticizing the bloc for “making their judgment before hearing my argument”.
Expressing no regrets of the way he handled his grilling debate, Al-Shamali indicated that the Kuwaiti people “cannot be summed in [the actions of] 50 lawmakers”, which is why he chose to “reveal the truth for all to see”. The cabinet is reportedly “dissatisfied” with the way by which the Majority Bloc is dealing with them, which is prompting discussions to study mechanisms through which they can avoid confrontation as much as possible. According to sources with knowledge of the cabinet’s thinking, the possibility of “appointing more ministers from the Majority Bloc” is on the table in order to reduce the effect of the bloc’s voting power.
The Majority Bloc, who were set to hold a coordination meeting last night at MP Mohammad Al-Khalifa’s dewaniya, agreed during a meeting Thursday to “focus on seeking more cooperation with the cabinet for the benefit of the public good”, said MP Ammar Al-Anjari. In the meantime, Al-Rai reported yesterday quoting cabinet insiders that Minister of Education and Higher Education Nayef Al-Hajraf or Minister of Commerce and Industry Anas Al-Saleh are the likely candidates to be handed the Finance Ministry’s portfolio on interim basis until a successor for Al-Shamali is appointed. The sources, who requested anonymity to speak, further indicate that handling Al-Shamali’s departure could involve a cabinet reshuffle that sees Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Ahmad Al-Rujaib and Minister of Defense Sheikh Ahmad Al-Khalid Al-Sabah; both of whom facing potential grilling motions, be moved.
The end of Al-Shamali’s grilling fiasco – which involved MP Dr. Obaid Al-Wasmi dropping his interpellation after the cabinet refused a request to merge it with a motion filed by Musallam Al-Barrak, Khalid Al-Tahous and Abdurrahman Al-Anjari – offers the Majority Bloc a chance to regroup and focus on legislative duties. “It’s time to move on past the grilling’s phase and join efforts to achieve priorities”, MP Nayef Al-Merdas said in statements to Al-Rai, adding that the Majority Bloc looks to “extend a hand of cooperation” with the cabinet while at the same time stay alerted with regards to monitoring duties.
Al-Watan daily in the meantime quoted sources close to Al-Shamali as saying that he has no plans to take back his resignation letter “despite efforts from the cabinet to keep him on board”. The sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity further indicate that Al-Shamali refused offers that involve assigning him with another ministry’s portfolio “because he refuses to stay in a cabinet incapable of facing a parliamentary majority dominated by MPs seeking to realize individual ambitions”.
