"MABROUK:" KUWAITI WOMEN GAIN POLITICAL RIGHTS YET

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 002093

SIPDIS

FOR NEA/ARPI AND NEA/PI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/16/2015
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KWMN KDEM PREL KMPI KU WOMEN POLITICAL RIGHTS
SUBJECT: "MABROUK:" KUWAITI WOMEN GAIN POLITICAL RIGHTS YET
PONDER THEIR PARTICIPATION

REF: A. KUWAIT 2064

B. KUWAIT 2041 (NOTAL)

C. KUWAIT 1836 (NOTAL)

D. KUWAIT 1016 (NOTAL)

E. KUWAIT 944 (NOTAL)

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


1. (U) Summary: The Government resuscitated a seemingly
moribund campaign for women's political rights May 16
culminating in the passage of an amendment granting women
full suffrage. On the sixth anniversary to the day that the
Amir attempted to grant Kuwaiti women their voting rights in
1999, a move that failed later that year in a parliamentary
vote, women won the right to cast their ballots and stand for
election at the national level in a vote of 35-23 in the
National Assembly. The drawn-out and chaotic legislative
proceedings saw the passage of a civil servant salary
increase before Parliamentarians considered various
Islamist-proposed changes to the voting rights amendment.
Despite gaining the right to vote, many Kuwaiti women remain
apathetic, some outright hostile, toward political
participation, as evidenced by an informal Embassy poll.
Women's rights activists remain optimistic about the
long-term implications for Kuwaiti women and the political
system. End summary.

Recapping the Historic Day's Events
--------------


2. (U) A small pro-rights rally opposite the National
Assembly kicked off the May 16 events, culminating in Kuwaiti
women receiving full political rights. Approximately 50
university students and activists gathered prior to the
beginning of the legislative day to cheer for the passage of
women's voting rights; a follow-up vote on women's
municipal-level rights was scheduled on the day's
parliamentary agenda (ref C). They held banners of "our
political rights now" and "it's about time." Ardent rights
proponent MP Mohammed Al-Sagr made a brief appearance. The
group entered the Parliament and took seats in the observers'
gallery before proceedings began at 9:30 am.


3. (U) Within ten minutes of the opening gavel, the
Government introduced a motion to amend Article 35 of the
electoral law to provide Kuwaiti women full political rights
(ref B) and require the Interior and Defense Committee, which
had been reviewing the amendment since its original March 7
introduction (ref E),to provide the full Assembly its report
in one hour. The measure passed 37-21 altering the day's
legislative docket. The motion also stipulated that women's
suffrage be addressed after a vote on a salary increase for
government workers (ref A). A second motion introduced by a
group of MPs passed 29-28, requiring the Committee to include
in its report recommendations on lowering the voting age to
18 and permitting military and security personnel to vote.


4. (U) Under pressure from MPs, the GOK agreed to include a
pension increase for retirees, which will immediately cost
the Government KD 30 million ($104 million),a figure
announced by Prime Minister Shaykh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber
Al-Sabah during the debate. The bill passed by a hand vote
with 31 in favor. (Comment: Popular belief is that the
approval of these increases was the GOK's necessary political
concession to secure the votes of MPs who previously opposed
women's suffrage. Five MPs, including one Islamist and two
Shi'as, who abstained or opposed the May 2 vote for women's
municipal-level rights voted May 16 in favor of full rights.
The ultimate vote on full political rights of 35-23 exceeded
earlier predictions of a maximum of 33 in favor. End comment.)


5. (U) At 1pm the five-member Committee submitted its report
backing women's voting rights but tabling moves to lower the
voting age and allow security personnel to vote. Independent
MP Mussallam Al-Barrak, enraged by the report, launched into
a tirade about the Committee's unfair result. His yelling
continued throughout a roll call vote on a motion to proceed
with the amendment to grant women's suffrage, which passed.
Debate was limited to four speakers on each side of the
argument, with one opponent warning that rights' supporters
would burn on Judgement Day. Before the Parliament could vote
on the amendment, a group of Islamists, led by MP Waleed
Al-Tabtabaei, introduced three changes to the amendment.
Motions to lower men's voting age to 20 and reducing the time
naturalized citizens have to wait to vote from 20 to 15 years
both failed. A rider requiring women to abide by Islamic
Shari'a law when engaging in political activities passed
33-24. (Note: The exact stipulations tied to the Shari'a
requirement remain unclear. End note.)

Informal Poll Indicates Apathy Remains
--------------


6. (U) With the passage of the voting rights amendment, women
will now constitute 61% of eligible Kuwaiti voters while the
overall electorate will more than double to 372,000,
representing 39% of the citizen population. (ref D). But will
the women actually vote? FSN Political Assistant surveyed
Kuwaiti women over 21 in two diverse locations: upscale,
seaside Marina Mall in Salmiya and popular cooperative
supermarket in Shamiya, a lower-class neighborhood. In this
informal May 17 poll, 58% of the 36 questioned at Marina Mall
intended to cast ballots in the 2007 parliamentary elections
while 31% rejected the idea. Another 11% were undecided, half
of whom would vote only if paid. The results from the more
popular Shamiya district indicate only 21% of the 28
participants had plans to vote while the remaining 79% said
they would not go to the polls.


7. (U) Many women at Marina Mall support political
participation and commented that voting "will create the
balance in the community" and "will benefit us politically,
economically, socially, every way." Another said, "this is
what I call the balance between a man and a woman. I hate
when men look at us as their assistants and not as people."
On the other side, many questioned the importance of voting:
"We don't care whether we have the right or not. We can do
all what we want now." Another said, "What will I gain? I
already have everything." At the cooperative market, most
respondents opposed the idea of voting and echoed the
sentiments of one Kuwaiti: "Women should be at home. Who will
raise the children, the maids?" Some were far more
pessimistic. "Women hate women. How can they support each
other?" The most catastrophic outlook: "This is the end of
the world."


8. (C) Comment: Conventional wisdom holds that the Islamists
will benefit the most from women voting because women tend to
be more conservative than men. The unscientific poll reveals
that the majority of women from the poorer, more conservative
area do not value the right to vote and remain apathetic. The
women's current stance obligates the Islamists to enlist
their male supporters to mobilize their wives who represent
an untapped and potentially large political base. A GOK- or
proposed Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI)-sponsored
education campaign could be key to allowing women to make
their own political decisions. End comment.

Prominent Women's Reactions
--------------


9. (C) Dr. Badria Al-Awadi, activist and lawyer, expected the
Government to introduce the motion for full political rights
after women's activists met with the PM who hinted that this
would be the GOK course of action. She felt that
dissatisfaction among international public opinion weighed on
the GOK, providing a motivating factor behind the GOK's May
16 actions. At this point, she has no political aspirations
of her own aside from assuming the role of spreading
awareness among women. In her words, Kuwaiti women have now
become full citizens. May Al-Hajjaj, a librarian at Kuwait
University, also emphasized the importance of educating
women, many of whom would be influenced by male relatives.
Civics, she added, is not part of the school curriculum;
therefore, many Kuwaitis do not understand their rights and
responsibilities as citizens.


10. (C) Activist Shaykha Al-Nisif predicted that MPs will
have to change their focus from a service-oriented focus to
legislating for the good of the nation. In her opinion, MPs
currently are preoccupied with serving the interests of
individuals, male individuals. Now MPs will have to
incorporate all citizens' concerns when campaigning and
legislating. Al-Nisif responded to press reports that the
Government may name a woman as Minister of Health. According
to her, the PM said after the May 16 vote that there is
nothing stopping the GOK from appointing women to executive
positions.


11. (C) Dr. Haila Al-Mkaimi of the Kuwait University
Political Science Department emphasized the long-term
benefits of women's suffrage. While Islamists may benefit
with new political support from women, granting women
political rights legitimizes the legislative institution. To
this point, she added, the National Assembly has been
illegal, constitutionally-speaking, because women have been
deprived of suffrage.


12. (U) Media reports quote leading activist Dr. Rola Dashti,
who was unavailable for comment today, as saying she intends
to run for Parliament in 2007.


13. (U) With respect to the Islamic Shari'a rider to the
women's rights amendment, Al-Nisif did not anticipate any
requirements for female legislators to wear hijab. Dashti was
quoted as saying that if the Shari'a restriction refers to
segregation, then she has no problem with that.

Bloggers Share Their Thoughts
--------------


14. (U) A quick scan of several local bloggers' websites
reveals a congratulatory sentiment for Kuwaiti women and
relief that this long-awaited political step has been taken.
Mabrouk! (congrats) plastered several sites as
liberal-leaning Kuwaitis posted their reactions to the May 16
vote. "We got it! I can't believe it," opened one blogger. "I
know it will come back and bite us in the ass because there
are a lot of misinformed and maleducated (sic) voters," the
blogger continued. Another shared that "I feel angry because
this should have happened a long, long time ago." In a
competitive vein, one blogger wrote: "Eat that Saudi Arabia!
Not only will EVERY little nation around you come to terms
with the modern world, they will even indulge themselves in
foreign abominations such as allowing women to ... vote for
their representatives in government."


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