<\/p>\n
Kuwait\u2019s new Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah on Wednesday criticised parliament and cabinet for harming national interests as he was formally sworn in before lawmakers as the country\u2019s 17th ruler.<\/p>\n
Officially taking over from his half-brother Sheikh Nawaf, who passed<\/a> away on Saturday, Sheikh Meshal is faced with the task of pulling the country out of longstanding political paralysis and reforming a bloated public sector that has turned Kuwait into one of the Gulf\u2019s most laggard states.<\/p>\n \u201cI have stressed in my previous speeches that there are national obligations that must be fulfilled,\u201d the 83-year-old ruler told lawmakers after he took the oath of office.<\/p>\n But \u201cwe have not noticed any change or correction\u201d from parliament and cabinet, he added.<\/p>\n Instead, the two entities have \u201charmed the interests of the people and the country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n His predecessor\u2019s short-lived rule was marked by a protracted political standoff that saw successive parliament dissolutions and cabinet resignations.<\/p>\n Sheikh Meshal further pointed to public appointments and promotions that \u201cdon\u2019t meet the simplest standards of justice and fairness\u201d.<\/p>\n He pledged to temporarily halt promotions and new appointments, after already signing a decree on December 5 ordering a three-month pause in state hiring that is open to extension.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have warned on many occasions that crises, challenges and dangers surround us,\u201d Sheikh Meshal said, underscoring \u201cthe necessity to reconsider our current reality in all its aspects\u201d.<\/p>\n Shortly after the speech, the government submitted its resignation in a procedural step to allow for the naming of a new prime minister.<\/p>\n Kuwait, which borders Saudi Arabia and Iraq, is home to seven per cent of the world\u2019s crude reserves. It has little debt and is one of the strongest sovereign wealth funds in the world.<\/p>\n However, it suffers from constant disputes between elected lawmakers and cabinets installed by the ruling Al-Sabah family, which maintains a strong grip over political life, despite a relatively robust parliamentary system in place since 1962.<\/p>\n Bitter disputes<\/h2>\n