His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah praised on Tuesday directives of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah which called for enhancing the spirit of intimacy and solidarity amongst Kuwaitis.
This came in his speech in the opening of the third session of the 15th legislative term on Tuesday.
"I would like to express my thanks and appreciation to His Highness the Amir for his guidance and great keenness, and we affirm that we will remain committed to cooperating with the National Assembly members for the best interest of the homeland," His Highness the Premier said.
The great trust that the world has agreed upon over the wisdom of His Highness the Amir, the humanitarian leader, was not a coincidence. It is the culmination of decades of hard work, sincerity, fruitful efforts and a vision based on sincere faith and firm principles aimed at protecting human beings wherever they may be, he added.
He stressed the need to follow His Highness' footsteps, making his march a guide and guidance for the maintenance of the country's security, stability and interests under changing regional and international conditions that require everyone to be united like solid structures.
He recalled that the wisdom of His Highness the Amir and his continuous efforts have spared Kuwait numerous challenges and crises as a result of the regional and international crises.
"Our commitment to the provisions of the Constitution and the law is not an option. It is a national commitment and a basic requirement for the Government to adhere to the desired achievement." "Our hands will remain extended for cooperation with the National Assembly members under supervision of its constitutional control, which we are keen to strengthen its presence and ensure respect within the framework of constitutional and legal right to prevent any derogations and to prevent any violation, and as the other face of national responsibility that we all bear," he said.
In keeping with the foreign policy adopted by His Highness the Amir of Kuwait, the Government reaffirmed its commitment to its consistent approach to its relations with the States, he said, adding that the government was committed to supporting the GCC and is keen to play its active role as a member of the Security Council in supporting Arab and Islamic issues and peace in the world.
"As we begin the current session together, we are proud and appreciative of what has been achieved with our cooperation in the field of legislation and participation in bearing the burden of responsibility in matters of domestic and foreign policy, and we look forward to the coming days of great hope for further achievements", he noted.
There is no doubt that the aspirations and capabilities are much greater than the achievements, but fairness requires appreciation of the sincere efforts and hard work of workers working in various institutions, he said.
He said that achievements that have been made in the previous period is well known to all despite doubts about such accomplishments.
The government's approach in its work has been to preserve the public money and to take all necessary measures to protect it, sharpen the fight against corruption, eliminate it in all its forms and dry its sources, and the need to embody integrity, transparency and honesty in all governmental procedures and to support the legislative structure to promote integrity, he pointed out.
He spoke highly of the fruitful cooperation with the parliament in the issuance of a number of accomplishments including law No. 2 of 2016 concerning the establishment of the General Authority for Combating Corruption and the provisions on financial disclosure, and law No. 49 of 2016 on public tenders, which establishes the rules of transparency, equality and equal opportunities.
He also spoke about law No. 23 of 2015 on establishing the Financial Supervisory Authority and finally, law No. 13 of 2018 on the prohibition of conflict of interest, which confirms that public money is sacred and that it cannot be infringed or in the public interest.
"We will complete together the system of transparency and integrity by granting the right of access to all citizens to government information," he said.
His Highness the Premier said while commenting on the previous grilling of the Oil Minister and despite termination of political responsibility, "I have asked that all facts concerning the grilling must be unveiled, thus, the Cabinet had issued a decision for the formation of a neutral committee and punish those responsible.
On the other hand, he said that the government, represented by the Interior Ministry, has referred the report of the ministerial investigation committee on the ministry's hospitality expenditure file to the public prosecution in light of suspicion of public fund fraud.
He also noted that the government has referred to the public prosecution some 272 fraud-related cases, in addition to detection of 36 cases and 154 notifications by the corruption authority.
On its part, Kuwait Anti-Corruption Authority (nazaha) had formulated a first-of-its-kind national strategy to combat corruption in cooperation with various state entities in effort to solidify the notions of transparency and governance, said the Prime Minister.
The strategy aims at protecting the public wealth from those eager to harm national interest, affirmed Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak who thanked all those who were involved in the birth of the national strategy against corruption.
In regards to the implementation of infrastructural and development projects, His Highness Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak indicated that the wheels of the Kuwait Vision 2035 were in motion with great strides taken towards a bright future for the country.
Within the housing sector, the waiting period for government sponsored dwellings dropped from 15 years to less than three only, said His Highness the Prime Minister who revealed that around 55,218 housing units were distributed recently, a 60 percent increase from numbers in 2012.
Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak added that 86 percent of citizens had already benefited from the distribution.
On infrastructural achievements, the premier said that in recent years, 574 construction projects for public buildings such as schools, health centers, mosques, and so on were completed, around 61 percent of 935 planned buildings.
Road projects were also on the rise with 4,675 kilometers completed, around 24 percent of the 20,000 kilometers of planned roads, said Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak, adding that 52 percent of the 300 planned bridges were completed with 156 structures almost finalized.
Health sector-wise, a number of 15 hospitals were completed, bringing the total number of hospitals in Kuwait to 31, revealed His Highness the Prime Minister who added that 112 specialized clinics and 21 health centers were founded bolstering healthcare in Kuwait.
Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak also touched during his speech on the government efforts to develop the energy sector, saying that the production capacity of electricity was leveled up to reach 40 percent, preventing power cuts during the summer season.
The production capacity of water stations was also improved by 28 percent to cover the needs of the people of Kuwait, he affirmed, adding that the reserves of drinkable water has reached around 45 percent from levels in 2012.
Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak concluded his speech with vows to His Highness the Amir and the Kuwaiti people that the government would continue the road of reforms on all state levels, setting the course for Kuwait's development and welfare on various domains to achieve the dreams of Kuwait's people.