House speaker: Housing, health, education top priorities in Kuwait

National Assembly (parliament) Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim said here on Monday a recent opinion poll on Kuwaiti citizens' priorities showed that housing, health and education topped the list. Speaking at a news conference on the findings of the poll, carried out by the assembly in collaboration with several other agencies, Al-Ghanim said the issue of housing came first in the list of public priorities by 21 percent, followed by health by 17 percent and then education by 13 percent. The opinion poll included 10,551 out of a total of 439,715 eligible voters, constituting 2.4 percent, he said, adding that the sample attracted different age groups from several constituencies. The opinion poll is part of an effort to set out a mechanism to fulfill the expectations and hopes of the Kuwaiti people, the speaker pointed out. But, he urged people to be realistic as real ambitions greatly outweigh the capabilities and potential of the executive agency. The poll is mainly intended to gauge the opinions of the Kuwaiti people, a thing which would have a significant influence on decision-making, he said. The next step is to hold consultative meetings with members of parliament to look into such public priorities, the speaker said, noting that the first consultative meeting will be held on Tuesday.