HE the Premier: the Interests of Citizens Are Government's Top Priority

Doha , May 31 (QNA) - HE the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani said during the Fifth Consultative Meeting with Businessmen at the Sheraton Hotel on Tuesday that the interests of the Qatari citizen are of the highest priority, adding that the state puts the interests of the vast majority above all else.
Answering questions from Businessmen who attended the meeting, HE the Prime Minister stressed that the directives of HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani and the HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani all intend to achieve the interests of the citizens and providing them services and products with decent prices.
In reply to a question regarding competition between the public and private sector, HE the Prime Minister denied that the government provide support to state-owned companies. He added that there is keenness to support the private sector. He explained that the corporations are owned by the Qatari people who are shareholders, adding that state-owned companies like Karwa have few to no profit because it aims to serve the citizens and the residents using buses with subsidized prices.
HE the Prime Minister welcomed any contribution by the private sector in those companies saying that there is no objection to offering Karwa as a shareholding company to the private sector, but warned that such companies are not economically feasible. They are rather a support to the national economy in one way or another, he said.


HE the Prime Minister pointed out that the company supports Qatari companies as it rents out its buses and provides them with an available service at a fixed price rather than having them buy equipment elsewhere.
As for Qatari Diar and Barwa Real Estate, HE the Prime Minister said that the Qatari Diar has no local projects and do not compete in any construction work in the State of Qatar.
On the Barwa Real Estate, he said that the project accomplished by the company was to contain the surge in the rent prices in the past years as it was necessary to intervene to reduce these prices which reached 20,000 to 25,000 per apartment, HE the Prime Minister said.
He said that high rent and lack of apartments had a negative effect on the lives of citizens. He pointed out that the economic downturn between 2007 and 2009 led to the suspension of construction and the oversupply of units.
He said that new projects of the company were stopped due to the oversupply, but HE said that studies show that there will be a drop by 3-5% in that oversupply, particularly of the second and third category, by next year.
HE the Prime Minister stated that the steps taken were to benefit the vast majority of citizens, adding that this was taken to lower prices of goods, as traders say they increased the prices due to the high rents they had to pay. He added that when new units are built, it reduces prices for the citizens.
He said that the government cares for the vast majority of people so that they can get products and rent apartments at low prices, he said that this does not harm citizens who rent out apartments as the government housing rents out to those who are awaiting apartments on the list