Kuwait: (KUNA) -MP Hamad Al-Harshani, chairman of Tuesday’s National Assembly’s first session of the 16th legislative term, expressed admiration and gratitude for His Highness the Amir, wishing him success in Kuwait’s leadership.

The senior legislator has affirmed that achieving inter-GCC reconciliation is a stone’s throw away and has appealed to His Highness the Amir to mercilessly clamp down on corruption and the corrupt to ensure the country’s process of development.

Al-Harshani, who headed the crucial session as the oldest of the MPs, elected in the December 5 parliamentary elections, thanked His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah for his gracious attendance.

He also expressed deep gratitude to His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who stood on the Amir side during the session, where the attendees wore protective masks and sat with an empty seat between each two, as apart of precautions against the coronavirus.

Al-Harshani, who spoke after Adullah Al-Salem Hall resounded with marathon applause when the Amir finished his speech, recalled the late Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who prayed for his soul and congratulated the prime minister and members of his newly-formed cabinet.

He also congratulated the MPs who “won the people confidence” in the recent polls. The bespectacled legislator affirmed that the parliamentary elections were transparent and free. “All members of this assembly represent the diverse segments of the Kuwaiti people,” AlHarshani added.

However, he noted that the elections were held amid very hard circumstances, namely the extraordinary conditions warranted by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), hailing the Kuwaiti people who bravely succeeded in coping with the difficulties and casting their ballots without problems.

Al-Harshani applauded the government team, tasked with tackling the coronavirus crisis, noting the transparent and professional approach in this respect. He also voiced gratitude for front-line personnel who took part in the combat against the contagion, to the volunteers and the donors who supported the efforts to “face the grave and unprecedented challenges.”

He expressed hope that the new parliament would meet people’s aspirations, noting that the Kuwait Constitution “affirms necessity of cooperation” between the authorities. Furthermore, he underscored the longtime state approach of cooperation with “our brothers, the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and boosting our external relations with others on the basis of mutual respect and equal treatment.”

Also at the Gulf level, he recalled the reconciliation efforts that had been exerted by the late Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad to tackle the inter-GCC rifts. Bolstering the relations among the GCC countries, particularly at the political and security levels, “has become an utter necessity and Your Highness (addressing the Amir) moves on the same path as your late predecessor. “Today, we are about to reap the fruits of these sincere efforts for bringing everybody back to the fold of unity and Gulf brotherhood, holding to it tightly,” he affirmed.

Noting that the Kuwaiti people pin high hopes on the new assembly, Al-Harshani has acknowledged that Kuwait currently suffers from the depletion of income resources thus there must be “a new era of economic and development reforms.” However, he has stressed that combating corruption has become an absolute necessity amid the current financial and economic circumstances. “Your Highness, we have known you as a fighter of corruption and the corrupt.”