YPWatch, July 2- The Parliament ratified today a loan agreement for the Social Fund for Development signed between Yemeni government and  the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development with Kuwaiti Dinar 30 million equaling USD$100 million (fourth phase). The Parliament ratified the loan after a discussing its significance and the government’s commitment not to spend any amounts of the loan for any purposes other than those it is allocated for.

The project aims to mitigate poverty, combatting unemployment by providing new job opportunities to support society development by funding subprojects to develop infrastructure, basic services, including maintaining historical and cultural legacy from which local communities will benefit to improve their lives.

On the other side, MP Mohammed Al-Hazmi  of Islah party renewed disapproval, criticizing the Parliament approving on the loan considering it usury due to the profit amount for the lender .

Al-Hazmi blamed his colleague, “how do you deal with usury and you swore to stick to the book of Allah and the Sunnah of hi Prophet (sayings and doings of prophet Mohammed) which firbid usury,” said Al-Hazmi.

The member of Justice and Construction bloc MP Abdulaziz Jubari expressed his surprise for Al-Hazmi forbidding usury, “if you say that usury is forbidding, withdraw your minister from the National Consensus Approval government that deals with usury, and the Minister who proposed the loan is the Minister of Planning and International Cooperation affiliated to Islah party.” Said Jubari.

The Parliament’s speaker Yahya Ali Al-Ra’e commented on MP Al-Hazmi, “ those  who forbid loans would rather advise their friends not to beg for aids and donations in the mosques of the Gulf States,” said Al-Ra’e.

Moreover, MP Al-Hazmi presented a question for the Minister of Public Works and Roads on the reasons behind stopping work in the new building of Parliament, and the fact of corruption existence estimated at billions in the first phase, and the relation of the Minister to that ….