Kuwait to hold extraordinary session to discuss a no-confidence motion

Manama: Kuwait's parliament will on March 25 hold an extraordinary session to discuss a no-confidence motion against the information minister submitted by ten lawmakers.

"As per the parliament bylaws, a no-confidence request can be seen at least one week after it is presented; therefore, I suggest that we convene on March 25 to review it," Jassem Al Khurafi, the parliament speaker, said on Tuesday.

Shaikh Ahmad Al Abdullah Al Sabah, a senior member of the ruling family, was questioned earlier on Tuesday over issues that included failure to impose monitoring laws on licensed print and broadcast media.

Opposition MP Ali Al Deqbasi charged that certain newspapers and private television channels have been "targeting Kuwait's national unity and its constitutional parliamentary system."

"Kuwait was subjected to a media campaign more dangerous than terrorism ... The campaign was launched by suspicious newspapers and TV channels and targeted national unity and the parliamentary system," Al Deqbasi, a member of the Popular Action Bloc, said, adding that the minister deliberately failed to apply articles of the law.

MP Waleed Al Tabtabai said the information ministry could not afford to remain idle while corrupt programmes were attempting to poison the nation.

"The ministry must take prompt action against anyone who seeks to erode national cohesion or harm relations with sisterly and friendly countries," he said.

The grilling was triggered by a television show aired in December in which hosts denigrated Bedouins, who make up half of the native population of 1.1 million and half of the parliament, and doubted their loyalty.

The talk show aired by Al Sur private station said that many Bedouins broke the law by holding the dual citizenship.

Several rallies were staged by disgruntled activists and MPs amid calls to quiz the prime minister if no action was taken against the "offensive" station.

Shaikh Ahmad took the station off the air and the authorities briefly detained its owner, Mohammad Al Juwaihel, who denied any wrongdoing.

However, his brutal arrest sparked calls by the parliament speaker to the nation to avoid being carried away by emotion and to treat all parties in the standoff fairly and according to the laws.

In his defence, Shaikh Ahmad, who is also the oil minister, categorically denied the allegations, and insisted that he had taken all necessary measures to apply the law against violators.

He said the information ministry has filed 162 cases against publications and 47 cases against television channels to the public prosecution since the start of 2007.

In a reconciliatory mood, Shaikh Ahmad pledged to take “the necessary action to address some of the issues raised by the MPs during the grilling.”

"I shall, with your support, seek to fulfill the tasks I have been entrusted with and I will work hard to address the issues raised in your remarks," he said.

"Safeguarding national unity is our responsibility, and regardless of our differences, the democratic system is designed to sort out divergences."

Shaikh Ahmad urged the people, parliament and government of Kuwait to show their support to responsible freedom in the media, saying that it reflected the views and Islamic identity of the Kuwaiti people.

The minister acknowledged the need to amend the laws. But his first moves to introduce the amendments have been fiercely resisted by editors who found them restrictive and could undermine Kuwait’s status as one of the most liberal Arab countries in the media field.

Shaikh Ahmad was given the oil portfolio in February 2009 and the information portfolio in May in the cabinet reshuffle following the general elections which saw four women make history by getting elected to the parliament.

Some MPs had called upon the government in the run-up to the grilling to compromise by allowing him to keep the oil portfolio while giving up the information ministry.