Lawmakers are gearing up for the upcoming session of parliament with a slew of questions and threats of grilling facing ministers when they return to the National Assembly in October.
In recent days, many MPs have been voicing their concern over the unpreparedness of the government to face any security threats, especially after reports emerged of an unidentified drone flying over the residence of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and the recent attack on oil installations in Saudi Arabia.
Though he did not provide any proof to back his statement, lawmaker Shu’aib Al-Muwaizri asserted that around 16 missiles flew over Kuwait’s airspace during last week’s attack on Saudi oil installation. He criticized the government for its failure to monitor the borders and prevent the missiles from flying overhead, despite there being an agreement among Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states to intercept any threat to member countries.
The parliamentarian also questioned the effectiveness of spending billions of dinars over the years on defense and security, “when there have been multiple incidents of infringements of our borders by external forces in the last few years alone.” He further wondered, what the government would do if an attack similar to what happened in Saudi Arabia last week were to occur on Kuwait’s oil fields, or if one of the missiles that allegedly flew over Kuwait last week had crashed into one of the residential districts of Kuwait.
However, MP Nasser Al- Duwaila asserted that although the attack on Aramco Saudi Arabia is unfortunate, the GCC and the United States should be cautious about any impulsive course of actions, as this would ultimately leave the GCC countries with “zero barrels and production.”
For his part, lawmaker Riyadh Al-Adsani believes the government will be subjected to a “stream of interpellations” due to its complacency in addressing crucial matters such as national security and financial reforms. He affirmed the Assembly will not falter in fulfilling its constitutional obligation to supervise the executive authority and to hold ministers accountable for shortcomings taking into consideration the discernable flow of failure, the latest of which is the breach of Kuwaiti air space.
He asserted the recent sighting of a drone over sensitive locations necessitates a governmental statement disclosing results of investigations and measures taken in a transparent manner, as well as security efforts to ensure such incidents do not recur.
Furthermore, Chairman of parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee MP Abdulkareem Al-Kandari urged the government to intensify efforts in maintaining national security, internal stability and border integrity. He noted that international news agencies and political analyses indicate rising tension in the region; hence, the need for the government to be transparent, inform the general public about the current situation of the country and curb the spread of rumors.
He said recent news on an unidentified drone breaching Kuwaiti air space contradicts what the government disclosed to the legislature regarding security protocols during a special session in the last legislative round. He called on all ministers to prioritize protection of national security and sovereignty, stressing the need to implement all the security protocols presented to the Assembly.
In response to growing security concerns voiced by lawmakers and in order to allay any panic among the public, Kuwait Army Chief of Staff said in a statement yesterday that the security apparatus in the country was in a state of combat readiness in light of recent incidents. “This announcement comes in order to preserve the security of the country and the safety of its land, water and airspace from any possible dangers in direct and permanent coordination with all military and security authorities in the country,” the army chief of staff said in a press release.
The statement added what was seen or heard yesterday from 1:30pm to 5pm was part of those measures through the implementation of live exercises by the marine and air force. The statement called on the public not to pay attention to any information or rumors circulated from any source except official sources represented by the directorate of moral guidance and public relations.
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