Kuwaiti MPs have invited the Ministry of Trade to replace expats with nationals, children of Kuwaiti women, or Bidoon, after a surge in ration smuggling operations.
This announcement came after the Ministry of Trade busted the attempts by 51 accountants to smuggle subsidized food items out of the country and sent to more than one Arab country. The accountants have been working for cooperative societies in Kuwait.
Speaking to the media, the MPs said “The situation is getting worse and the solution should be that the Ministry of Trade should let go of all expats immediately and replace them with Kuwaitis, retirees, children of Kuwaiti women or Bidoon, especially since there has been an increase in reported smuggling operation and a sale of supplies in the black market in areas like Jleeb Al Shuyoukh and Khitan.”
MP Safa Al Hashem said that the only solution to end the smuggling of goods lies in letting go of the Egyptian workers. She suggested that the Ministry of Trade brings in an accurate system to calculate the amount required by Kuwaiti families, so that the surplus do not get sold on the black market to Egyptians and Bangladeshis.
The Ministry of Trade offers subsidised food essentials including rice, bread, oil and chicken to all Kuwaitis.
