Liberal lawmakers Ahmad Al Mulaifi and Ali Al Rashed have filed an 11-page motion to question the Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister Mohammad Daifullah Al Sharar accusing him of trying to "liquidate democracy in the country" and for "suspicions of passive and active participation in corruption related to the institutions that come under his authority".
Sharar, who survived a no confidence motion in March 2003 when Liberal MP Abdullah Al Naibari questioned him intensely on similar charges was elected to Parliament on a tribal seat in 1992 and is also backed by most Islamist MPs if not all of them. A ten year veteran of the government who
is also in charge of the Kuwait Municipality, the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAFR) and the Civil Services Commission, Sharar survived the motion with 30 votes in his favour with 15 against.
He is expected to survive this questioning too.
The motion began with a long introduction detailing the duties of a public figure who has the ear of the Prime Minister Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah and said that the three departments under his authority could be a good place for reform and development or an easy target for exploitation by corrupt people with no conscience who abuse state property and funds.
The MPs allegedly claim that Sharar has chosen the second path, deviated from the road to reform, closed his eyes to development and as a result these authorities have become a hotbed of corruption and a place where the rights of people are being abused while he takes no action.
In addition, they stated, there have been suspicions of the minister's active and passive participation in this corruption.
"Our aim is to help the nation remove part of this 'cancer' which is corruption", they said.
The MPs have based their questioning on claims that the minister has disregarded the constitution and the internal charter of the National Assembly by failing to answer 28 queries related to the institutions under his charge and corruption in all of them.
"Sharar is trying to bury the constitution and liquidate democracy in Kuwait," the MPs alleged.
Under his administration of PAAFR, they said, landscaping and greening has almost collapsed due to corruption and some of these abuses have taken place with the blessings and encouragement of Sharar who has benefited some of his relatives and facilitated the abuse of state property.
The questioning motion will be on today's parliamentary agenda when a future date will be set for the questioning. This usually takes place between 8 and 15 days after the request is filed. In all probability the motion will be discussed on December 6.
