KUWAIT: Emir dissolves parliament amid bickering

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The small emirate of Kuwait witnessed a blow to its struggling democracy when the ruler of the oil-rich nation decided to disband the parliament on Wednesday, proving that the implementation of a Western-style democracy in a Persian Gulf region dominated by feudal mentalities remains a challenge.

The decision to dissolve the legislature for the second time in less than a year and call for early elections in two months was the result of an ongoing political crisis between the legislative powers and the Cabinet, at a time when the nation is facing the woes of the economic crisis and falling oil prices.

‘The persistence of deference and disputes in the parliamentary life [exposes] national unity and the higher interests of the country to grave risks,” Sheik Sabah al Ahmed al Jabbar al Sabah, Kuwait’s ruler, said in an address to the nation, according to the official news agency, KUNA.

The decision came after the Cabinet resigned this week in protest of lawmakers’ attempts to question the prime minister for allegedly misusing public funds and mismanaging the country.

Members of parliament theoretically have the authority to oversee ministers’ performance and impeach them on suspicion of corruption or mishandling of public budgets.

But in practice, the last word belongs to the country’s ruler, who holds the power to suspend the constitution.

The current prime minister is the emir’s nephew, and other members of the ruling family are on the Cabinet.

Kuwait remains an odd exception among autocratic Arab kingdoms in the Persian Gulf where elected parliaments do not even exist. Observers say, however, that the continuous bickering between parliament members and the government has been hindering economic development.

Some members of parliament abuse the democratic tools given to them, said Mohammed Rumaihi, editor in chief of the Kuwaiti daily Awan.

‘There are some big structural problems,’ he said in a telephone interview, adding that any lawmaker can question the Cabinet for any trivial matter, which slows down the implementation of new projects. ‘We have no real parties. The parliament is made of small unstable coalitions.’

Parliament also includes a large contingent of conservative Islamist members often in dispute with members of the government.

Since its establishment after the nation’s 1961 independence from Britain, the parliament has been dissolved five times, including a suspension for almost six years between 1986 and 1992.

Even if the new elections bring in new names to the parliament, nothing guarantees that a new row between lawmakers and ministers won’t drive the country into a new political crisis anytime soon.

“The emir was clear: If the new elected elite misuses democracy and tries to hinder development, he would not hesitate to take drastic measures in the interest of Kuwait,” Rumaihi said.

-- Raed Rafei in Beirut

, addressing the nation, dissolves parliament. Credit: European Pressphoto Agency

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