MP Ali Al-Rashed: “predicted that the Assembly will not survive”

Kuwait’s Amir rejects proposal to amend constitution

 KUWAIT: HH the Amir has rejected a plan by Islamist MPs to amend an article in the constitution that would have made it mandatory that all laws must comply with Islamic sharia, Islamist MP Abdullatif Al-Ameeri said yesterday. Ameeri said they received a written response from the Amiri Diwan rejecting the amendment proposal in which it detailed the reasons for the rejection. A number of Islamist MPs had submitted the proposal to amend article 79 of the constitution to state that no law can be issued without complying with Islamic sharia.

The prior approval of the Amir is essential for amending or deleting any article of the Kuwaiti constitution. Under the constitution, at least one-third of the Assembly members and the Amir can propose to amend the constitution. The Assembly must then approve the principle of debating the amendment by a simple majority. But the amendment must be passed by a two-thirds majority of the Assembly and then signed by the Amir. Since it was issued in 1962, the Kuwaiti constitution has not been amended or changed in any way.

Islamist MPs have repeatedly tried in the past to amend article two of the constitution to make Islamic Sharia as ‘the’ only source of legislation instead of being a ‘major’ source of legislation, as it is currently. But with Sunni Islamists considerably increasing their numbers this year, they decided to Islamize the laws by just amending article 79 which they thought would be easier. The rejection of the Amir to the proposed amendments means that it cannot go through and cannot be resubmitted during the current year.

In another development, newly-elected MP Riyadh Al-Adasani said he has decided to grill Minister of Social Affairs and Labour Ahmad Al-Rujaib over a variety of issues including high prices of consumer goods at cooperative societies which were established to sell goods at low prices. Adasani said other issues in the planned grilling include violations in the residency law and expatriate labourers, failure to apply the law for the handicapped and the minister’s role in the sports crisis. The lawmaker insisted that he does not aim at ousting the minister but to expose a large deal of violations and to push the minister to carry out the necessary reforms.

MPs from the so-called majority and minority blocs yesterday traded strong accusations, each blaming the other side of working against the interests of Kuwait. The duel began late Tuesday night when several supporters of the previous government described the current National Assembly as the worst in the history of Kuwait. MP Ali Al-Rashed, a staunch supporter of former prime minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, told a rally that the majority bloc is led by five MPs and the rest are followers, accusing them of serving their interests. Rashed predicted that the Assembly will not survive.

But opposition Islamist MP Jamaan Al-Harbash charged that “leaders of corruption” in Kuwait will continue to work toward forcing the dissolution of the Assembly, “which has deprived them of their influence”. Harbash said that the new Assembly has eliminated their influence and control but not their desire to restore their position based on corruption and creating divisions in the society to achieve their goals. The lawmaker insisted that the success of the new Assembly in forging with key legislative reforms and in completing the investigation into corruption scandals will signal a new birth for Kuwait.

MP Ali Al-Rashid