KUWAITI VOTING RIGHTS: MOCK PLEBISCITE CANCELED

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 001311

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/ARPI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/29/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM KWMN KU WOMEN POLITICAL RIGHTS
SUBJECT: KUWAITI VOTING RIGHTS: MOCK PLEBISCITE CANCELED
AND IRKED ACTIVISTS SUE ISLAMIST MP

REF: A. KUWAIT 1200

B. KUWAIT 1091

C. KUWAIT 1016

D. KUWAIT 991

Classified By: DCM Matt Tueller for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: Pro-Government MP Jamal Hussein Al-Omar told
the Ambassador that the GOK still lacks enough votes to pass
legislation granting women's suffrage, but the Government
continued to insist the voting rights bill would pass.
Sources claim a cabinet reshuffle is in the works to secure
enough 'yes' votes. At the same time, in a private
conversation with the Ambassador, a senior advisor to the
Prime Minister concurred that the U.S. low-profile on the
issue is the best method for avoiding increased Islamist
claims that foreign pressure is behind the move to grant
women the vote. Meanwhile, organizers suddenly canceled a
mock plebiscite designed to gauge Kuwaiti women's support for
voting rights. MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaie raised activists' ire,
and drew a defamation lawsuit, when he allegedly claimed they
were promoting a society of "bisexuals and bastards." End
summary.

Dissenting Voice from Parliament
--------------


2. (C) MP Jamal Hussein Al-Omar, a pro-Government liberal who
weeks ago predicted the bill would pass (ref B),shared his
now pessimistic view with the Ambassador at his diwanya that
the Government lacks the votes necessary to grant women
political rights. Furthermore, he was concerned about the
leadership's ability to garner the numbers. He was
particularly critical of Justice Minister Ahmad Baqer, a
known voting rights opponent, and questioned why the GOK
tolerated this dissent and did not reorganize the Cabinet.
According to Al-Omar, the continuing influence of the
Islamists and internal disputes within the Al-Sabah family
inhibit immediate changes.


3. (C) In speaking one-on-one with Khaled Al-Fulaij, Oil
Advisor to the Prime Minister, the Ambassador stressed that
the U.S. strategy of remaining out of the limelight on voting
rights should not be interpreted as lack of support for the
initiative. Al-Fulaij said that no one, including the PM,
doubted U.S. support for women's suffrage and concurred with
the analysis of most proponents that more vocal U.S. backing
would be counterproductive. (Note: Islamists and Government
opponents continue to claim foreign influence is behind the
latest push to grant voting rights, which they claim is
inappropriately-timed. End note.)

Mock Plebiscite Abruptly Canceled
--------------


4. (U) Despite widespread media coverage about an anticipated
March 28 mock plebiscite designed to measure Kuwaiti women's
support for voting rights (ref A),the Kuwait Journalist
Association (KJA) abruptly canceled the event. An
English-language daily reported that female activists
supported the decision to cancel since asking women to "vote"
on the issue was inappropriate as female political
participation is a constitutional right regardless of
society's viewpoint.


5. (U) A KJA board member, however, told emboffs that one of
the organizers took it upon himself to tout the event in the
media without first consulting with the board. (Comment: The
report strains credibility given the large amount of
pre-event publicity and abrupt cancellation. End comment.)
Since the mock vote participants would have been
self-selected, the poll would not represent a random sample.
According to the contact, board members feared a high turnout
of voting rights opponents could skew the results, thus
damaging their cause. The contact assured us that no outside
pressures influenced the KJA's decision to cancel the
plebiscite.

Government on the Stump
--------------


6. (U) Voting rights proponents, including MPs Mohammed
Al-Sager and Yousef Al-Zalzala, spun the public debate in a
new direction by re-labeling the discussion as a struggle for
human rights rather than for women's rights. Since the
constitution states that all Kuwaitis are equal, there should
be no differences between men and women regarding voting, the
two declared at a March 23 seminar at the American University
of Kuwait.


7. (U) During a March 26 interview with a UAE-based
newspaper, Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Shaykh
Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah reiterated GOK support for
women's voting rights. He stressed that Kuwaiti women's
suffrage has been a long-time wish of Amir Shaykh Jaber
Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and encouraged parliamentarians to
vote in favor. He recognized the professional contributions
of Kuwaiti women including their role to help liberate Kuwait
from Iraqi occupation in 1990.


8. (U) In response to a press report that the GOK intends to
name a new information minister as soon as possible to help
bolster the number of National Assembly votes in favor of
voting rights. Prime Minister Shaykh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah
announced the appointment of a new Information Minister will
come "when the time is right" and not necessarily when merely
politically expedient. Media speculation centers around Dr.
Ali Al-Tarrah, a liberal and dean at Kuwait University, as
the favored candidate. Shaykh Sabah further emphasized that
women's voting rights would pass even without the nomination
of a new minister. The GOK maintains that no cabinet
reshuffle is in the offing. Rumors continue, however, that
the Ministries of Finance; Information; and Social Affairs
and Labor are likely targets for change.

Women's Rights Activists Take on Al-Tabtabaie
--------------


9. (U) The Women's Cultural and Social Society has filed a
defamation lawsuit against Salafi MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaie for
allegedly accusing women's rights activists of promoting a
"society of bisexuals and bastards." He also purportedly
asserted that rights' activists are stirring public opinion
against opponents. The Society is one of the leading
organizations advocating the extension of voting rights to
women. In response, Al-Tabtabaie charged that his words had
been misinterpreted and taken out of context.

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