Kuwait: Activate Law that Bans Smoking of Shishas in Restaurants – MP

Source from:  Arab Times (kw)  05/28/2013

MP Saud Al-Huraiji has called on the Minister of Commerce and Industry and cafe and restaurant owners to activate a law that bans the consumption of 'shisha' (water pipes) in restaurants, especially indoors. "This behavior contradicts with the traditions and values of the Kuwaiti society," he said.

Al-Huraiji added that 'immoral behavior' can be witnessed in the Jahra district as 'private cabins' in restaurants and cafes are allowed to flourish. He noted the previous Minister for Municipal Affairs had implemented the law but smoking shisha indoors has now been resumed.

In another development, MP Yousef Al-Zalzalah has announced he has authentic documents related to the points mentioned in the grilling request which has been presented against Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmed Al-Hmoud Al-Sabah and has asked for a quick response from the minister.

He wishes the minister stands on the grilling podium especially that the current Parliament has presented interpellations related to the performance of the minister not his person. He added, "The minister is obliged to stand on the podium because the prime minister's responsibility is to listen in detail to the points."

He said the matter also applies to the oil minister "who should stand on the podium if he does not resign before the session because the situation in the oil ministry has reached a peak in terms of violations and corruptions and I feel the appointments to the board of directors in the oil sector should be postponed until the interpellation presented against him is looked into."

Grilling

For her part, MP Safa'a Al-Hashim has called on the Interior Minister to stand on grilling podium during Tuesday's session and answer the questions. Speaking to reporters, Al-Hashim said the statement of the Interior Minister which he made recently to the media that "the era of negligence and slackness is over" is in itself a confession that there was slackness in implementing the law during the past three months.

She called on both the ministries of Oil and Interior to stand on the grilling podium. She said if the government demanded their interpellations to be referred to the parliamentary Legal and Legislative Committee or the Constitutional Court then they will act accordingly. She added, "I believe they will request for postponement."

The parliamentary investigation committee on the Jaber Bridge and Al-Zour Power Plant has recommended approval of the Jaber Bridge and cancellation of the Al-Zour power plant.

Speaking to reporters after the committee meeting on Sunday, MP AbdulHamid Dashti said during investigations the committee established there was no environmental impediment to construct the Jaber Bridge, but on the Al-Zour project, it discovered serious legal violations and thus the committee unanimously decided that this project be cancelled.

Meanwhile, MP Nawaf Al-Fuzai has warned that a grilling request against Minister of Planning and Development and State Minister for National Assembly Affairs Rola Dashti could be submitted during the next legislative term. The MP said there are discrepancies in the state's annual development plan.

MPs Nabil Al-Fadel, Abdul-Hameed Dashti, Bade Al-Bathali, Adel Al-Khorafi and Salah Al-Ateeqi have presented a draft bill to grant scientific qualification bonus to Kuwaiti dermatologists and dentists.

The bill stipulates granting Kuwaiti dermatologists and dentists holding doctorate degree scientific qualification bonus of KD 400 while those holding Maters degree be granted KD 200. The bill, meanwhile, prohibits one person to combine both bonuses of Master's and Doctorate decrees since the bonus is calculated on ground of the last scientific qualification. Enditem