KUWAIT CITY, July 24: MP Kamel Al-Awadhi praised the actions taken by Minister of Education Dr Bader Al-Essa against those who hold fake academic certificates as he not only forwarded their case to the Cabinet but he also removed them from their posts and referred them to the Public Prosecution for fraud.

He stressed that the moral aspect of forgery entails harsher punishment as the fraudulent act directly contributed to the deterioration of Kuwait's educational sector, thereby, putting it amongst the lowest in the world. He pointed out the discovery of 611 fake certifi- cates at the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) is not a casual problem, emphasizing the need to impose the harshest punishment on all those behind the crime both the perpetrators and the accomplices.

Meanwhile, ministerial sources confirmed that the government will continue working until the end of its constitutional term and there is no intention to reshuffl e ministers as demanded by some lawmakers, even if interpellation motions are submitted in the next legislative round.

Some lawmakers had earlier threatened to submit grilling requests against Minister of Communications Issa Al-Kandari, Minister of Education and Higher Education Bader Al-Essa, Minister of Commerce and Industry Yusuf Al-Ali, Minister of Health Ali al-Obeidi and Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Hind Al-Sabeeh.

Sources confirmed HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak is satisfied with the performance of his ministers and he has not accused any of them of failure to implement development projects.

Sources said Sheikh Jaber believes that the government is implementing the laws ratified by the National Assembly according to the specified dates and mechanisms for preparing the executive regulations. Sources explained it takes time to prepare the executive regulations, especially since the Parliament passed more than 100 laws.

Sources added the prime minister has instructed the ministers to prepare the executive regulations to pave the way for the implementation of the ratified laws before the next legislative round and to address any loophole that the MPs found in ministries in terms of cooperation between the two authorities. Sources affirmed the government will face any interpellation in the next legislative round with transparency.

Sources asserted the government is keen on cooperating with the Parliament to enforce the laws, particularly those concerning the economy in a bid to address the budget deficit and to move the economic wheels forward.

Sources added the committee tasked to study the rationalization of subsidies decided to increase the price of diesel from 90 fils to 100 fils per liter and the price of kerosene to 95 fils per liter in August according to the recommendation of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, which called for the price increase in line with the change in the average price of oil in the global market

By Abubakar A. Ibrahim Arab Times Staff