KUWAIT, March 19 (KUNA) -- Kuwaiti Minister of Commerce Khaled Al-Roudhan, reacting to two MPs during a parliamentary session to grill him on Tuesday, said he opted to take the podium despite suspected unconstitutional grounds shrouding topics raised by the two interpolating MPs.
This inquiry is a prosecution of intentions, not designed for tackling problems, the minister said warning of impact of such an approach on citizens' faith in democracy "Although a lot of the interpellation axes are surrounded with constitutional suspicion, I have opted not to cite this constitutional alibi," said Al-Roudhan after the two MPs Al-Humaidi Al-Subaiee and Mubarak Al-Hajraf heaped a hail of criticisms upon him and his performance as minister.
Minister Al-Roudhan said he had chosen to stick to classy dialogue despite slander and defamation by the two MPs "whose criticisms had crossed limits." Interpellation is undoubtedly a necessary constitutional tool "but this constitutional legitimacy wanes when the interpellator excessively use it for questioning," he said.
Moreover, the minister criticized the two MPs for making accusations without proofs or figures.
"This (interpellation) is a trial of intentions and not for tackling issues and such an approach leads to waning the Kuwaiti citizen's advocacy of democracy," minister Al-Roudhan said.
In his elaborate defense, minister Al-Roudhan noted that his department had established E companies, thus saving time and minimizing paper work. Furthermore, Boursa Kuwait has lured foreign investments in addition to entry of 20,000 Kuwaiti companies into the market, funding, training and incubating more than 3,000 Kuwaiti entrepreneurs.
He called for constructive cooperation between the parliament and the government, without pin pointing the errors and smearing persons' reputation.
Minister Al-Roudhan, in his reactions to the two MPs' charges, stated that he had ordered officials in his ministry to tighten supervision on the property sector and be keen on protecting citizens' funds, "sanctity" of which is equal with that of the public funds.
Most of the fraud cases have been referred to the judiciary and embroiled companies have been suspended from work, he said, noting compensations cannot be paid ahead of a court rule.
Up to 687 realty deception cases, accounting to 70 percent of the complaints, have been referred to the Public Prosecution, while 78 others, eight percent, are being probed.
Minister Al-Roudhan said number of enterprises that have been approved by the fund has jumped to 814 since taking office. As to the industrial authority, more than 4,000 plots have been distributed.
The minister added that all departments and divisions under his management are run by devoted and law-abiding young citizens.
The ministry of commerce had received 1,709 notifications and remarks by the Audit Bureau in 2006, he said, but they dropped to 27 since he had taken the office. (end) jy.rk