Mps Demand Debate on Scrapped Mega Tenders
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SUBSCRIPTION WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015 RABI ALTHANI 22, 1436 AH www.kuwaittimes.net MPs demand debate on Min 19º Max 31º scrapped mega tenders High Tide 03:53 & 16:07 Five investigation reports referred to Audit Bureau Low Tide 10:03 & 22:55 40 PAGES NO: 16430 150 FILS By B Izzak from the editor’s desk KUWAIT: The National Assembly yesterday demanded a debate on mega tenders cancelled by the government, 50 years mainly the airport project, after MPs criticized the actions of the ministry of public works. The government however used its constitutional right and demanded that the from now debate be delayed until the next session, scheduled for March 10. The Assembly request was triggered by a rec- ommendation by the public works ministry last week to the Central Tenders Committee to scrap a tender for the By Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan airport expansion project after bids far exceeded ministry estimates. [email protected] The ministry said that it had estimated the project to cost around KD 1 billion, but the lowest of four bids made came at around KD 1.4 billion. The ministry’s request mong the most notable of ideas to come prompted angry reactions from the Assembly, which out of the Government Summit 2015 in made its public utilities committee to recommend trans- ADubai this week was those presented by ferring the project from the ministry to the Amiri Diwan. Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy But several MPs yesterday praised the ministry’s move, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces saying it aimed at safeguarding public funds. The CTC is Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahayan. scheduled to meet ministry of public works officials today During his keynote address, Sheikh Mohammed to take a decision on the tender. urged the Emirates to encourage its “human tal- During its busy schedule yesterday, the Assembly vot- ent” and to look to education and not oil for the ed to refer five investigation reports to the Audit Bureau country’s future. to complete the legal procedures for sending officials sus- I couldn’t agree more. But this opens a KUWAIT: Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem smiles as a photographer takes his picture during a National pected of wrongdoings to the public prosecution. A num- debate. How many Gulf countries are actually Assembly session yesterday. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat ber of other reports were sent to the government to capable of sustaining themselves without oil? In implement its recommendations, while a report on smug- all honesty, none of them. The truth is that the gling diesel was sent back to the public funds protection Continued on Page 13 entire region lives on oil reserves. None of the Gulf countries have true and developed manu- Former POWs look at facturing industries, with perhaps the exception of Saudi Arabia. None of them have a tourism News industry with the exception of Dubai and lighter side of ordeal in brief Makkah for religious purposes. None of them have enough highly educated and technically By Faten Omar their imprisonment, the former POWs also recalled a few Emirates aims to hire skilled local people. amusing incidents. more than 11,000 staff Education is paramount in every aspect of KUWAIT: Three former Kuwaiti prisoners of war shared Salmeen said 278 Kuwaiti prisoners were held in Iraqi DUBAI: Dubai’s Emirates Group aims to increase its staff life. Whether you are building an economy or stories about their time in captivity during an event at for a period of 238 days from Aug 3, 1990 to March 27, by about 6 percent over the next year as it adds 20 air- creating a stable political environment, educa- the American University of Kuwait on Monday night. Col 1991. “When we were in prison, the Iraqi army used many craft to its fleet and expands other operations, it said tion is the key to development and prosperity. (Ret) Nasser Salmeen, Col (Ret) Abdulwahed Al-Naqqah tactics to force us to join them. They covered our eyes yesterday. Emirates Group, which comprises Emirates Having an educated society would create the and Lt-Col (Ret) Pilot Saleh Al-Jemaz were all taken pris- and shot in the air, saying, ‘We killed your colleague airline and aircraft ground handling and flight catering conditions for economic and business innova- oner during the Iraqi invasion and occupation of Kuwait because he was not cooperative - you have to cooperate’. firm dnata, aims to hire more than 11,000 staff by March tion and promote research and development in (1990-1991). While recounting the horrors of the war and Continued on Page 13 2016, it said in a statement. Nearly half will be recruits ways to sustain the country away from natural for Dubai-based cabin crew jobs while it will also fill resources. positions in flight operations, engineering, airport serv- Some are working on it, some are nearly ices and corporate roles. “Right now we have over there. The UAE and Qatar are now hosting inter- Upstart party wins big in Delhi 75,000 employees in Dubai and around the world,” national events, building research and knowl- Abdulaziz Al-Ali, executive vice president of human edge centers and improving their educational resources at Emirates Airline and Group said in a state- system, medical field, human talent and build- Blow for Modi • Congress decimated ment. The 6 percent growth target takes into account ing tourism industries and finance sectors. Saudi turnover, the airline clarified later, which means about Arabia has its factories, and has been focusing a NEW DELHI: India’s Narendra Modi yes- 6,500 employees will be leaving in the coming year. In lot lately on building its educational system and terday suffered his first major election 2014, Emirates received more than 480,000 online job universities. Saudi Arabia has even begun setback since becoming prime minister applications, it said. Dubai International replaced addressing its social issues and responding to last May, as anti-corruption campaigner London’s Heathrow last year as the world’s busiest air- Arvind Kejriwal won a landslide victory in societal needs rather than just trying to keep port by international passenger traffic, data released Delhi state polls. Modi’s Hindu nationalist last month showed. things the same. party won just three of the 70 seats in Unfortunately, Kuwait seems to be falling the Delhi assembly in elections held over behind in all these matters. It’s a known fact that the weekend, dealing a setback to his Kuwait’s educational system is grossly outdated Worker abuse at Louvre, efforts to consolidate power and push Guggenheim sites: HRW and inadequate and has deteriorated, and the through much-needed economic NICOSIA: Human Rights Watch urged the Louvre illiteracy level has increased. reforms. and Guggenheim museums yesterday to pressure Former Delhi chief minister Kejriwal’s Even when thinking of investing money in the United Arab Emirates to end worker abuse on a Aam Aadmi (Common Man) Party won the country, official statements are very discour- project that will host branches of the institutions. 67 seats, according to official results aging. Every other government announcement Some employers at the Saadiyat Island site in Abu released hours after Modi conceded says ‘our budget is going bankrupt’ or ‘our secu- Dhabi, which will also be home to a campus of New defeat and promised the city’s new rity is under threat’ or we will remove govern- York University (NYU), are withholding wages, con- leader his government’s “complete sup- ment subsidies on a certain commodity, which fiscating workers’ passports, and housing them in port”. NEW DELHI: Leader of the Aam Aadmi Party Arvind Kejriwal (cen- obviously will make life more expensive. These substandard accommodation, HRW said. Several Continued on Page 13 ter) waves to the crowd yesterday. — AP are all discouraging actions, even for local hundred workers who went on strike at the site were investors. Certain policies and statements seem arbitrarily deported, the New York-based rights to be made without thought of the conse- group said. Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Development and quences or the reaction from the market. Every Qatar gives day off for sport Investment Company (TDIC) hit back, rejecting the report’s “unfounded conclusions” which it said were diwaniya you go to in Kuwait seems to be com- DOHA: More than a million people were given a day off beginning of this year found that 73 percent of Qataris plaining of the lack of action and the lack of eco- “outdated and based on unknown methodologies”. work yesterday in Qatar to take part in a nationwide day of were classified as “overweight or obese”. The same research Saadiyat’s main developer said all workers have nomic development and opportunities. sport amid growing concern at obesity levels in the super- - covering 1,200 Qatari nationals and long-term expats also We look to our brotherly GCC neighbors and access to their passports and 99 percent are provid- rich Gulf state. Although the annual Qatar National Sport discovered that 76 percent of men and 70 percent of ed with medical insurance. However, HRW said that we feel proud of their successes. But we also ask: Day is meant to be a fun event with beach volleyball, jog- women are at risk of developing cardiovascular disease. while only “a small percentage” of workers were sub- Why not Kuwait? Where does our future lie? And ging, fitness boot camps and even a screening of the box- And only two in 10 Qataris do any kind of exercise each jected to abuse, the prestigious foreign institutions how will we survive without oil? It’s time to start ing movie “Rocky”, it contains a serious message.