Kuwaitis warned of crisis mongers

Kuwaitis have come to resent democracy because of the seemingly inexorable penchant of MPs for crises, a lawmaker has warned.

"The people are really tired of the crisis language used by some MPs and they now dislike democracy because of strange attitudes adopted by some of the lawmakers in our parliament," Masooma Al Mubarak said.

"We have a long development process that needs our immediate and full attention, yet we have people who are concerned mainly with music in schools, women's veil and a private cheque," she said.

Education minister Dr Moudhi Al Humoud has come under fire and charged of causing fitna (tumult) in Kuwait by Salafi MPs for allowing government schools to offer music courses.

MP Mohammad Al Hayef last week said that the courses were a blatant violation of personal rights and of Islamic values and ethics and pledged to quiz the minister if she did not drop the courses.

The parliament was also bitterly divided over a constitutional court decision not to force women officials to wear the veil, allowing two female MPs to keep their seats.

In the third case of recent tension between the parliament and the government, an MP is likely to face charges for violating bank secrecy regulations and displaying during a parliamentary session a private cheque signed by the prime minister for the benefit of a former lawmaker.

"As MPs keen on democracy, we will not allow our people to become hopeless about its merits. I sincerely condemn the attitudes of some of the lawmakers as I wonder whether the parliament in Kuwait is associated with quizzing ministers and causing crises," Al Mubarak said.

"I have never thought that we will see the day when an MP is talking about grilling a minister over music courses. Regardless of what Al Hayef believes about music, it will continue to be taught in public and private schools and institutions. Pushing for a quizzing over this matter amounts to straining relations between the parliament and the government," said Masooma, one of the four women MPs who made history by getting elected to the parliament this year.