Al-Madaj lashes out at grilling

KUWAIT, Dec 16 (KUNA) -- Minister of Commerce and Industry Abdulmohsen Al-Madaj said it is the right of members of parliament to use constitutional tools to do their legislative and supervisory duties.
However, the minister, replying to the grilling by MP Abdullah Al-Turaiji, believed that there should be a link between the use of the right and practice of freedoms on the one hand and relevant goals and aims especially if social and political goals have something to do with the interest of the entire nation.
He said he would not like to abuse the constitutional right to reply to the grilling, but it is marred by personal, rather than public, motives, not to mention the absence of the ethical dimension.
Regretting that Al-Turaiji used "abusive words" in his grilling motion, the minister rebuffed as untrue the MP's claim that subsidized supply commodities had no legal basis, saying that even the increase in construction building subsidy was approved by the Fatwa and Legislation Department and would get the final approval very soon.
On the problems of the free trade zone, he said since the Ministry of Commerce and Industry annulled the contract with a private company, a total of 275 plots of land have been retaken and the rest would be retrieved shortly.
On the transfer of some employees at the Ministry, Al-Madaj admitted that he had transferred some employees to service centers nationwide and that there was not any legal violation whatsoever in this regard.
He also defended an earlier decision to give a ministry employee his monthly pay regularly even though he was absent, by saying that the employee was sick and there were reports proving that he was hospitalized, given that he was one of the best employees at the ministry.
On the deteriorating performance of the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE), the minister said neither he nor anybody else could poke his nose into the work of the KSE except for administrative matters as per law.
On sexual harassment against a female worker at the ministry, Al-Madaj confirmed that the employee involved in the incident was given the axe.
On the appointment of some of his family relatives as advisors at the ministry, the minister admitted that he had to do so due to their qualification and efficiency. (pickup previous) jy.sss.hrz.mt