Kuwait pledges ‘radical’ solution to stateless problem
Assembly, government debate end to decades-old crisis, parliament speaker says
Kuwait City: Kuwaiti authorities are working on a “radical and fair” solution to the decades-old problem of the stateless community, the country’s top lawmaker has said.
The number of the stateless minority in Kuwait, commonly known as the Bidoun, is estimated at around 100,000. The problem, affecting citizenship rights, has been there since Kuwait’s independence in 1961.
Earlier this month, some of Kuwait’s Bidoun protested in public after one member of the community committed suicide allegedly due to despair over his social status.
“There will be a radical and fair solution to this issue during summer,” parliamentary Speaker Marzouq Al Ghanem was quoted as saying in Kuwaiti media on Monday.
“There are ongoing moves, which have not been made public in order to increase chances of their success,” he added.
Al Ghanem added that there is a lot of discussion between the parliament and the government, which he refused to detail.
“The solution will not affect the national identity and take into consideration the humanitarian aspects for the illegal residents,” he said, using an official reference to the Bidoun.
He added that the parliament, now in recess, could hold an emergency session in summer to pass relevant legislation if the need arises.