Abubakar A. Ibrahim and Ahmed Al-Naqeeb
KUWAIT CITY: The Court of Appeals upheld the disqualification of Mohammed Al-Juweihel, Hani Hussein and Mahmoud Shaker from the National Assembly election. The higher court also upheld the verdict of the First Instance Court which had earlier reinstated the candidacy of Badr Al-Dahoum.
Meanwhile, First Constituency candidate and former MP Adnan Abdulsamad pointed out the people of Kuwait are disappointed over the fact that seven parliamentary elections were held in the last 10 years; adding that some people criticized the previous legislature without looking into its achievements.
Speaking at a meeting with his supporters in his diwaniya Monday night, Abdulsamad clarified he is not defending the previous legislature but facts must be presented while the pros and cons must be understood. “We should not disregard the fact that the previous legislature was able to stand strong in front of forces which worked against it through its legislative achievements,” he added.
Furthermore, Third Constituency candidate and former minister and MP Dr Ali Al- Omair welcomed the opposition back to the electoral race. He stressed the opposition’s voice is as important as that of others, although it would have been better if they responded to his call to join the 2013 election rather than boycotting it. He also stated that he has no intention to defend the previous legislature but he pointed out, “If you into the work of the dissolved Parliament and you think it failed to deliver, then who should take responsibility?” He believes part of the blame should fall on those who boycotted the last election for their voices were neither heard nor represented, asserting it will be different this time around.
Also, frustrated over the social media attacks on him, Second Constituency candidate and former MP Ahmed Baqer stated he will deal with such attacks through the justice system of the State of Kuwait. He disclosed there has been a wave of social network posts aimed at distorting his electoral message and hurting his position as a candidate. He said those behind such posts used footages of some of his old speeches and edited them in a clever but deceiving manner. He added these posts do not represent him in any way indicating they are just maneuvers to hurt his candidacy.
Asked who could be behind the act, he stressed that it does not matter for the truth will always prevail. “If you are curious, you can easily fi nd these old, dated and unedited speeches on YouTube,” he concluded. On the other hand, Third Constituency candidate Sadoun Hammad Al- Otaibi has voiced objection to any government measure to reduce the contents of the ration card which is being used for distribution of basic food items to all citizens at a subsidized price per month, regardless of the motives and justifi cations.
In a press statement, Al-Otaibi revealed he obtained information that the Ministry of Commerce and Industry issued such directive based on the memorandum to study the economic reform as per the recommendation of the World Bank to reduce the number of items in the ration card by almost half. According to the study, most of the items in the ration card will be cancelled and rice, sugar and cooking oil will be retained.
This is in addition to cancellation of the allocation for housemaids as household members under the pretext of regulating expenditures of the State, he added. He argued housemaids and drivers are considered an integral part of a Kuwaiti family, and removing them from the ration card will harm a Kuwaiti household’s budget. “Therefore, I reject such an action as part of my oversight and legislative responsibilities,” he added.
© Arab Times 2016
