MPs call on Kuwait trade ministry to replace expats with Kuwaitis
Authorities clamp down on subsidised food items smuggling operation
Kuwait City: Kuwaiti MPs are calling on the Ministry of Trade to replace expats with Kuwaitis, children of Kuwaiti women or Bidoon (stateless people in Kuwait), after a recent spike in ration smuggling operations, Al Rai reported.
The announcement came after the Ministry of Trade busted 51 accountants, working for Kuwait’s cooperative societies, for attempting to smuggle subsidised food items out of the country to more than one Arab country.
The MPs told Al Rai, “The situation is getting worse and the solution should be that the Ministry of Trade should let go of all expats immediately and replace them with Kuwaitis, retirees, children of Kuwaiti women or Bidoon, especially since there has been an increase in reported smuggling operation and a sale of supplies in the black market in areas like Jleeb Al Shuyoukh and Khitan.”
MP Safa Al Hashem pointed out that the solution to ending the smuggling of goods lies in letting go of the Egyptian workers.
She told Al Rai, “The Ministry of Trade is required to put into place an accurate system calculating the amount needed by Kuwaiti families so the surplus does not end up being sold on the black market to Egyptians and Bangladeshis.”
The Ministry of Trade provides all Kuwaitis with subsidised food necessities ranging from rice and bread to oil and chicken.