Sixteen public benefit associations have rejected the proposal of the Interior and Defense Committee of the National Assembly regarding ‘naturalizing wives of Kuwaitis, stressing that the provisions contained therein are incompatible with the principles of justice and national values.
The associations told a local Arabic daily, “We followed with great astonishment and resentment what is being published in social media recently by many government officials and parliamentarians about the existence of a quasi-government parliament consensus at the meeting of the Interior and Defense Committee of the National Assembly on the issue of “Naturalizing wives of Kuwaiti” and the agreement to grant Kuwaiti citizenship to a foreign wife after 18 years of her marriage, even if she does not have children, as well as enabling the Kuwaiti husband to naturalize more than one wife, with exceptions in the cases deemed by the concerned authorities.
The associations added in their statement, “While we totally reject such proposals that blatantly contradict the principles of justice, equality and the system of national values, we are surprised at the real reason for the legislator’s neglect to address the conditions of Kuwaiti women married to foreigners, who are still forced to renew their children’s residence permit in her country and pay fees for these services.
There is a necessity to adhere to the constitutional constants that aim to achieve justice and equality between all groups of society and find sustainable solutions that contribute to preserving the social fabric, achieving just citizenship, safeguarding the Kuwaiti family, upgrading the legislative system and preserving national identity and cohesion.
The associations that signed the statement are Women’s Social Culture, Transparency, Kuwaiti National Fraternity, Sociologists’ Association, Defense of Public Funds, Doctor’s Association, National Association for Family Security, Kuwaiti Sorbetmist for Community Development, Hearing Disability, Support for Inventors and Innovation, National Action, Information Security, Development Entrepreneurship, Empowerment the Kuwaiti Family, the Kuwaiti National Action Society, and the National Child Protection Society.