The National Assembly is set to convene for a regular session starting tomorrow, Tuesday, and continuing through the day after tomorrow, Wednesday. Among the items to be addressed in this session are the parliamentary interrogation of Minister of Trade and Industry and Minister of State for Youth Affairs, Muhammad Al-Aiban, as well as the Amiri speech that opened the Council’s second regular session of the 17th legislative term, reported Al- Qabas Daily.
The session will also focus on several crucial laws, with a significant emphasis on the proposal to raise minimum pensions. The session is scheduled to commence with the customary items of “Ratification of Records” and “Disclosure of Incoming Papers and Letters and Disclosure of Petitions and Complaints,” followed by the “Questions” segment.
The Assembly will then move on to the “Interrogations” item, including an interrogation directed by MP Hamdan Al-Azmi to Minister Al-Aiban, encompassing six specific topics. The first axis targets what Al-Azmi refers to as “conflict of interests and exploitation of power to evade cases, fraud, and fraud.” The second axis addresses Al-Azmi’s concerns over “negligence and abuse of power, endangering the country’s security.”
The third axis concentrates on “financial and administrative abuses and exploitation, leading to the waste of public money.” In the fourth axis, Al-Azmi accuses Minister Al-Aiban of “misleading the Audit Bureau to evade responsibility.”
Additionally, the interrogation covers the failure to adequately manage the National Fund to support small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as the failure to monitor prices and protect citizens’ interests over merchants’ interests. According to Article 100 of the Constitution, every member of the National Assembly has the right to direct inquiries to the Prime Minister and ministers regarding matters falling within their respective jurisdictions.
The session will progress as outlined in Article 135 of the National Assembly’s internal regulations, with the President officially notifying the Prime Minister or the concerned minister immediately upon receiving the interrogation. The interrogation will be included in the agenda of the subsequent session, during which a date for discussion will be set after hearing the statements of the minister in question.
Under the same article, the discussion of the interrogation must take place at least eight days after its submission, unless urgent circumstances warrant an exception with the approval of the Prime Minister or the relevant minister. The person targeted by the interrogation has the right to request an extension of the designated period to a maximum of two weeks, which can be granted.
However, any further extensions require approval from the majority of the Council members. The agenda for the session includes subsequent items such as “Referrals” and “Continuing consideration of the Amiri speech,” which opened the second regular session of the 17th legislative term of the National Assembly.
Moreover, the session will focus on committee reports regarding laws and proposals. Notable among these reports is the proposal to amend certain provisions of the Social Insurance Law to raise the minimum retirement pension, a related proposal to increase the cost of living allowance, and a proposal for a law concerning good loans for retirees. Additionally, the agenda includes requests for discussion on the government’s policy regarding the strategic alternative, measures to monitor and control prices, and transparency in leadership appointments.