Kuwait: Barrak blasts govt, stimulus

Kuwait Times
Published Date: May 06, 2009
By B Izzak, Staff Writer



KUWIAT: Former opposition lawmaker Musallam Al-Barrak launched a scathing attack on the government and its supporters and strongly criticized the economic stimulus decree, which he said was issued to aid highly influential rich people. Barrak claimed that the bill will provide hundreds of millions of dinars in public funds to private companies, adding that the bill was tailored to serve the interests of a number of companies battered by the global financial crisis.

Meanwhile, leading female candidate Aseel Al-Awadhi yesterday filed a lawsuit with the public prosecutor over a YouTube video showing her telling her university students that Islam does not require women to wear the hijab. The lawsuit named no one but described the clip as an attempt to distort her ideas. Awadhi had earlier explained in a statement that the Youtube clip was illegally filmed while she was giving university students a class and was actively involved in a debate with them over certain issues.


She said the film was completely taken out of context and showed as if she had said that hijab was not required for Muslim women, "which is completely untrue as I was only initiating a debate among the students and not expressing my personal views". Awadhi, holder of a doctorate degree in political philosophy from Texas University in Austin, said that she was only raising controversial questions to her students in a bid to urge them to debate a particular issue.

The posting of the film on YouTube appears to be intended to harm Awadhi's chances of winning the first seat for Kuwaiti women in the Assembly. In her first bid last year, Awadhi came in 11th position, just behind the first 10 winners in the third electoral district.

In another development, Kuwait University administration yesterday scrapped its decision to ban political symposia at the university campus. The decision came after a meeting with the Kuwait Students Union and following strong criticism by political groups and candidates. Meanwhile, the number of candidates still in the fray for the May 16 general elections dropped to 248 including 19 women after a total of 40 candidates have so far pulled out. Withdrawals remain open until Friday and more candidates are e
xpected to drop out.

Barrak, spokesman of the Popular Action Bloc, blamed the government of obstructing development in the country along with a number of former MPs who have been beating the drums for the government. He revealed that he has a "black file" that he will reveal to the Kuwaiti people, regardless of the consequences.

Barrak defended himself against accusations that he always shouts in the Assembly. "I shout because of the pain and if they call me the shouting member, they are the rubber-stamp MPs," he said. He accused the government of lying to the people and forging facts while using "corrupt media and drum-beating MPs to cover up for the whales who have exploited the property of the Kuwaiti people".

Barrak alleged that some influential people have managed to "convince some members of the ruling family that the constitution is a stumbling block before their ambitions." "These influential people are assuring members of the ruling family that they are capable of confronting the people through a security clampdown if the National Assembly is suspended," he said.

He revealed that the Green Island, which is worth KD 2 billion, was about to be given to two investors for an annual rent of just KD 300,000. The Popular Bloc foiled the project, he said. Barrak also criticized the Central Bank for its role on the economic stimulus package and refusal to write off people debts. He ridiculed those who claim that the Kuwaiti economy would collapse if the stimulus law was rejected by the new Assembly, saying that the debt of only seven companies is KD 3.2 billion.

Speaking at the rally, former MP Marzouk Al-Hubaini warned against wide-ranging vote-buying practices which he described as the most serious threat in the elections. Hubaini said that the assault on him and other opposition MPs by calling them "members who instigate crises" is because "we have stopped three main suspicious projects saving more than $25 billion of public funds." He was referring to the K-Dow joint venture, the fourth refinery and electricity contracts.