Kuwaiti MPs lukewarm on new cabinet

The Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Ahmad al-Sabah attends a parliament session in Kuwait City.

KUWAIT CITY // Kuwait's parliament met for the first time in almost two months after the new cabinet was sworn in with two new ministers yesterday. Many MPs have criticised the new line-up, but they approached the session pragmatically. "It's the same government," said Saleh al Mulla, a member of parliament with the liberal-leaning National Democratic Alliance. "They just changed two ministers." There was no reason for the prime minister, Sheikh Nasser al Sabah, to take such a long time to pick it, he said. "This is the main issue. The MPs are disappointed, I can assure you." Sheikh Nasser opened the session by offering reconciliation. He said the government "extends its hand out to the parliament as its partner in decision making", reported the state news agency. The prime minister's words "were good, but need to be translated into deeds," said one MP, Ahmad Lari. Most MPs expect more problems in the near future, he said, but the government "can minimise the chances by strengthening its relationship with the majority of the MPs". "I can't say all MPs are feeling negative, but most are," Mr Lari said. "They are feeling unsure, but they are doing their best." Mr al Mulla was equally sceptical. "The relationship will not be normal if the MPs are not feeling 100 per cent positive about the government." The same ministers bring the same problems with them to the assembly, he said. The prime minister must bring in more new blood for the government to function, Mr al Mulla said. But until then, "we will continue acting responsible in front of the people who elect us". "We have to be pragmatic: politics is the art of the possible," said Khalid bin Sultan, an MP and general secretary of the Islamist Salafi Alliance. The choice of cabinet is "not the best", but conditions for the pick were not ideal, he said. Mr Sultan was referring to rumours that many people refused the prime minister's invitation to serve in the cabinet because of the tense relationship with the parliament. With few choices left, the prime minister resorted to members of the last cabinet. "Certain individuals were asked to participate in the government," Mr Sultan said. "Their refusal makes you go to the alternative possibilities." Hesham al Awadi, an expert in international studies and history at the American University of Kuwait, said many MPs are not just unhappy with the cabinet, they are unhappy with Sheikh Nasser, too. "A significant number of the parliament sees in the inability of the prime minister to uphold such a post," Mr al Awadi said. "They see him as a kind man, in the Arabian sense, but not a leader. They will be diplomatic and say they will give it time, but I expect a rise in tension soon." The possible outcomes are dissolution of the cabinet or the parliament again, he said. Kuwait's recent past is blighted with political instability. The current cabinet is the fifth the prime minister has formed since he was first appointed in Feb 2006. With so many stutters, Kuwait is running out of options. Mr al Awadi said the worst scenario is an unconstitutional suspension of the parliament, which happens when elections are not held within 60 days. This has happened twice in Kuwait's history. The last time was in 1986. Of the three ministers who were excluded from the cabinet, the most notable was Mohammed al Olaim, Kuwait's oil minister. Mr al Olaim had been at loggerheads with MPs over multibillion-dollar deals such as the one between Dow Chemical and the Kuwait Petroleum Co. The deal collapsed at the last minute, damaging the country's international reputation. To function smoothly, the assembly must learn how to tackle demands from MPs to question the prime minister. This was the reason the last cabinet was dissolved, and it played a large role in the Dow deal's collapse. MPs in Kuwait have a constitutional right to question any member of the government, but the prime minister is a potential heir to the throne. The royal family's supporters believe that the interrogation of the future emir would be an unacceptable slight on his honour.