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Join Date: 04 Mar 2015
Location:  KuwaitPosts: 87 |
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Controversy over maid recruitment company – Panel to discuss alleged violations by telecom firm |
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Controversy over maid recruitment company – Panel to discuss alleged violations by telecom firm
KUWAIT: The rejection by the National Assembly’s health and labor committee of a proposal to establish a company to recruit domestic helpers has triggered a controversy between the panel and MPs who submitted the proposal. Following last week’s rejection, MP Kamel Al-Awadhi, who is the main supporter of the proposal, said he will ask the Assembly in next week’s session to refer the proposal to its financial and economic affairs committee. But rapporteur of the health and labour panel MP Saadoun Hammad, who is strongly opposed to the proposal, said that according to the Assembly charter, the proposal must be reviewed by his committee. Hammad reiterated that the rejection came after Kuwait Investment Authority and the state-owned pension fund refused to participate in the company’s capital as was suggested in the proposal. Supporters of the bill insist the company will resolve a large number of problems and violations in the recruitment of domestic helpers and will substantially reduce the expense of recruiting maids after a sharp rise in cost. Awadhi had also said the company is fully backed by a large number of MPs and the government, mainly the interior ministry. According to latest statistics, there are about 650,000 domestic helpers in Kuwait, the overwhelming majority of them are Asians, mainly from India, Sri Lanka and the Philippines. In another development, head of the public funds protection committee MP Abdullah Al-Turaiji said the panel will discuss alleged violations at one of the three telecom companies in Kuwait. Turaiji said that the committee will focus on alleged financial violations by the chairman of the company - who is appointed by the government - who allegedly seized public funds and undermined Kuwait’s relations with a friendly Gulf state which has substantial investments in the company. The lawmaker did not name the firm. He said that he has sent a series of questions to the finance minister about these alleged violations by the chairman, which included appointing a large number of his retired relatives and friends. He claimed that most of the appointees have no professional or practical relationship with the telecom sector. In addition, the chairman used half of social allocations by the company, estimated at KD 600,000, to support personal projects of his relatives and friends. Meanwhile, the group of former opposition MPs yesterday strongly criticized what it called “racist†remarks by Education Minister Bader Al-Essa and warned him against subjecting school textbooks to his personal ideological affiliation. The group was referring to an interview by the minister a few days ago in which he was quoted as saying that the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training has been hijacked by Islamists and tribals. He was also quoted as saying he planned to remove materials from religious textbooks that encourage extremism. The group said in a statement that the minister has violated national unity principles, which necessitates his sacking from the Cabinet. The group also held the whole Cabinet responsible for the minister’s remarks Source:Kuwaittimes http://news.kuwaittimes.net/controversy-over-maid-recruitment-company-panel-to-discuss-alleged-violations-by-telecom-firm/ |
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