Kuwait parliament, government begin new term with optimistic spirit

An atmosphere of optimism, hope and one-team spirit surfaced between the legislative and executive authorities, as expressed by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah at the inauguration of the second session of the 14th legislative term on Tuesday. His Highness Sheikh Sabah, reflecting the optimism atmosphere, noted positive indications coming from the National Assembly that expressed keenneess on solving problems of citizens coupled with interests of the two branches to join hands for the service of the country and citizens. His Highness The Amir noted the positive signs and sound gestures on the part of parliament, in particular efforts to assess and prioritize the concerns and needs of the public. He also praised signs of mutual keenness on cooperation and coordination between the government and parliament to serve the nation and its citizens. "We for our part bless these initiatives and gestures and feel that they merit optimism and serve as a good start for a new phase of serious effort and sound practice of parliament's supervisory and legislative role and for a manifestation of article 50 of the Kuwaiti Constitution," said His Highness Sheikh Sabah. He urged the two authorities to exert efforts to make Kuwait stable and secure. "The constitution is your point of reference and roadmap, and should you disagree on any point or detail, you have the counsel of our legal system which is known for impartiality and integrity and enjoys the esteem and respect of all. "No doubt the flaws that impede national efforts are the result of mistakes and malpractices accumulated over the years, and many confused, wrong, and harmful notions had also taken root over time. It is necessary at this point in time to correct these notions and put things back in their right perspective, which is most fitting in view of the many decades since establishment of our modern state institutions," His Highness the Amir said. "It is time for a new phase and major qualitative leap aimed at overall reform, continued construction, development, and improvement in all walks of life in our nation. This in turn requires a re-examination of old legislation, policies, concepts, and practices that are of no use to us today or tomorrow. "It is also time to adopt a new working method aimed at reinvigorating and realizing the values and principles that are vital for our present national initiatives. Such method should be based on integrated and combined effort within a spirit of shared responsibility, discipline, and objective responsibility and accountability as part of a comprehensive national framework to guarantee realization of national goals," added the leader of Kuwait. Parliament Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim's speech also highlighted the optimistic atmosphere, and that the National Assembly was keen on extending its hands to the government for the sake of development based on objective dialogue. Al-Ghanim called on the parliament and government to join hands to place development plan on "sound basis," and to create an inclusive national culture for reforms, with the ultimately objective to enforce the state of institutions and rule of law. His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, for his part, said the government was keen on joining hands with the lawmakers for the development of the country. His Highness Sheikh Jaber said the government would spare no effort to allow the parliament exercise its legislative and constitutional duties within the framework of the constitution and law. He welcomed positive criticism that would improve performance of the government.