Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05KUWAIT2171
2005-05-22 14:22:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Kuwait
Cable title:
AMBASSADOR MEETS CANDIDATE FOR FIRST WOMAN CABINET
how-toThis record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 002171
SIPDIS
FOR NEA/ARPI BERNS; LONDON FOR GOLDRICH
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/21/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM SOCI PINR KWMN KU
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MEETS CANDIDATE FOR FIRST WOMAN CABINET
MINISTER AND RUNS INTO FIRST DECLARED WOMAN CANDIDATE FOR
THE 2007 ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS
REF: A. KUWAIT 2093
B. KUWAIT 2064
Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1 (C) SUMMARY: On May 22, Ambassador called on Dr. Rasha
Al-Humoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Dr. Rasha, (as she is known),
told the Ambassador she wants to be the first woman member of
the Kuwaiti cabinet and has heard indirectly that she may be
appointed by the Prime Minister. She hopes to become
Education Minister. Dr. Rasha does not believe women
candidates will succeed in their first attempts to be
elected in the 2007 elections, and therefore believes it is
critical that a "liberal, progressive woman" be appointed to
the cabinet in order to maintain the momentum on women's
political rights and address frontally the caveat in the
rights legislation regarding adherence to Shari'a. She wants
to be Education Minister, where she realizes she would need
to conduct guerrilla warfare in order to be effective. While
waiting for Dr. Rasha, the Ambassador chatted with journalist
Aisha Al-Rsheid, who was described in the press on May 22 as
the first woman to formally declare her candidacy for the
2007 parliamentary race. She is running in Keifan, a
conservative district currently represented by an Islamist.
Ms. Al-Rsheid told the Ambassador, "I want to be just like
Condoleezza Rice." (Five other women's names have appeared
in the press as possible candidates, including Rola Dashti,
and other leaders of the women's movement: human rights
attorney Dr. Badriya Al-Awadi; Khadija Al-Muhamid;
environmentalist Fatima Al-Abdali; and professor Dr.
Ma'asouma Al-Mubarak.) END SUMMARY.
2. (C) Dr. Rasha Al-Humoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah started a May
22 meeting with the Ambassador by thanking the United States
for the support resulting in the realization of full
political rights for Kuwaiti women on May 16 (ref B). The
Ambassador congratulated Dr. Rasha and gave credit to the
women of Kuwait for their sustained efforts to achieve their
rights. The Ambassador also pointed to the role of the new
strategic environment in the Middle East, in which President
Bush has made it clear that progress on issues of democracy
is a key element of the U.S. approach to security.
3. (C) Dr. Rasha said that in a conversation a few days
before the May 16 vote in the National Assembly on women's
rights, she had spoken with advisor to the PM, Muhammad
Abdallah Abdulhassan. She speculated to him that delays in
scheduling the date for a visit at the White House by Prime
Minister Shaykh Sabah could be attributed to Washington
irritation regarding the GOK's performance on the issue. She
said the visit might be delayed, cancelled or, if the Prime
Minister went to the U.S. without women's rights being
passed, he would receive a "thrashing." Ambassador confided
that indeed we took this issue very seriously, but that
Kuwait is a strong ally across the board, and she should not
read too much into the details of visit scheduling, but that
certainly democracy issues are important aspect of our high
level dialogue with the GOK.
Need a Woman Minister -- Like Me
--------------
4. (C) When asked about next steps in pursuing
implementation of women's political rights, Dr. Rasha advised
the Ambassador ("off the record") on the possibility of her
becoming the first woman minister in Kuwait. She said that
she had learned from sources close to the Prime Minister that
she was being considered as a possible minister. Because
she is from the Al-Sabah family and due to tradition, she
would not be able to run and would be discouraged from voting
in future elections and thus would have to be appointed by
the Prime Minister. Dr. Rasha pointed out that the next step
ought to be for the Kuwaiti government to name a woman
cabinet minister as soon as possible. She said that she
would be an ideal candidate because of her family ties, her
qualifications, and her ability to work with liberals,
Salafis, ikhwan (Muslim Brotherhood),Shi'a and all other
segments of Kuwaiti society. She stressed the need for the
first woman minister to be of high caliber. She called
herself a "fida-eyah"--a fighter--and was willing and able to
be a lightening rod as a woman minister. Furthermore, her
presence in the Government, as a woman without hijab, would
send a clear message safe-guarding the rights of non-Muslim
Kuwaitis as well as other Kuwaiti women who choose not to
wear the hijab, countering the provision about respect for
Shari'a law found in the legislation granting political
rights to women.
5. (C) When the Ambassador asked whether she would be a
candidate for the currently vacant health minister position,
Dr. Rasha said that she might be, but that she would strongly
prefer to become Education Minister. She claimed that the
incumbent, Rashid Hamad Muhammad Al-Hamad, is tired of the
job and has "been begging to leave the government," and that
the Prime Minister is not pleased with his performance
anyway. She said that the education system was in dire need
of reform, including the need to tackle the College of
Shari'a, which is "breeding extremists," and the general
education system as a whole. She said that one need is to
establish Kuwaiti history/civics courses. Dr. Rasha said
that there can be no real political reform without education
reform. She also noted that that the Ministry needs to
establish the appropriate accreditation board for
universities and is falling behind other GCC members in this
field. The Ambassador noted the availability of MEPI and
other assistance and offered assistance in curriculum reform
and in civic education, but Dr. Rasha demurred, noting that
she has no influence on general educational issues from her
current position.
6. (C) Dr. Rasha said that women will probably not be elected
in 2007. She characterized the election system as
extraordinarily difficult and draining, in financial and
personal terms. She hoped to see the Government and
Parliament address the legislation pending on reduction of
the number of electoral districts. (Note: Larger districts
would to some degree reduce the amount of "retail politics"
needed to get elected, and make it far more expensive to buy
a seat.)
The First Candidate
--------------
7. (C) While waiting to see Dr. Rasha, the Ambassador met
Ms. Aisha Al-Rsheid, a journalist for the Al-Watan newspaper
and the first declared female candidate for the 2007
elections. The headline of the May 22 Kuwait Times read,
"Businesswoman Takes on Salafis." Ms. Al-Rsheid is a member
of a well-known Kuwaiti family, and she would be running in
the heavily fundamentalist Keifan district. During the brief
discussion with the Ambassador, Al-Rsheid said, "I want to be
just like Condoleezza Rice." The Ambassador asked whether
that meant she wanted to be Foreign Minister, to which Ms.
Al-Rsheid replied that indeed she did, but was not quite
ready to push out current FM Shaykh Dr. Mohamed Al-Sabah.
Comment
--------------
8. (C) Women's political rights continues to dominate
discussion and the headlines in Kuwait. Positive statements
by the President, the First Lady, the Vice President, and
Secretary Rice have received front page coverage.
SIPDIS
Bio Note
--------------
9. (U) Dr. Rasha is from the Jaber branch of the ruling
family. One brother, Mubarak, is governor of the Mubarak
Al-Kebir governorate and another, Salem, is married to
Shaykha Amthal, women's rights and environmental activist and
sister of the Amir. Dr. Rasha is also a first cousin to the
Amir, the PM, Interior Minister Shaykh Nawaf, and Deputy
Commander of the National Guard Shaykh Mishaal. She was born
November 18, 1951 and studied languages in the UK and the
U.S. She matriculated at Yale, earning several degrees: MA
in modern languages (she speaks seven),MS in philosophy, and
a PhD. She taught English and English literature at Kuwait
University and has served as Under Secretary for Higher
Education since 1993. From 1992-1993, she was Director of
the Political Affairs Department in the Amiri Diwan. Dr.
Rasha is also celebrated for her 1990 establishment of the
first mixed diwaniya in Kuwait.
*********************************************
Visit Embassy Kuwait's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/
You can also access this site through the
State Department's Classified SIPRNET website
*********************************************
LEBARON
SIPDIS
FOR NEA/ARPI BERNS; LONDON FOR GOLDRICH
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/21/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM SOCI PINR KWMN KU
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MEETS CANDIDATE FOR FIRST WOMAN CABINET
MINISTER AND RUNS INTO FIRST DECLARED WOMAN CANDIDATE FOR
THE 2007 ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS
REF: A. KUWAIT 2093
B. KUWAIT 2064
Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1 (C) SUMMARY: On May 22, Ambassador called on Dr. Rasha
Al-Humoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Dr. Rasha, (as she is known),
told the Ambassador she wants to be the first woman member of
the Kuwaiti cabinet and has heard indirectly that she may be
appointed by the Prime Minister. She hopes to become
Education Minister. Dr. Rasha does not believe women
candidates will succeed in their first attempts to be
elected in the 2007 elections, and therefore believes it is
critical that a "liberal, progressive woman" be appointed to
the cabinet in order to maintain the momentum on women's
political rights and address frontally the caveat in the
rights legislation regarding adherence to Shari'a. She wants
to be Education Minister, where she realizes she would need
to conduct guerrilla warfare in order to be effective. While
waiting for Dr. Rasha, the Ambassador chatted with journalist
Aisha Al-Rsheid, who was described in the press on May 22 as
the first woman to formally declare her candidacy for the
2007 parliamentary race. She is running in Keifan, a
conservative district currently represented by an Islamist.
Ms. Al-Rsheid told the Ambassador, "I want to be just like
Condoleezza Rice." (Five other women's names have appeared
in the press as possible candidates, including Rola Dashti,
and other leaders of the women's movement: human rights
attorney Dr. Badriya Al-Awadi; Khadija Al-Muhamid;
environmentalist Fatima Al-Abdali; and professor Dr.
Ma'asouma Al-Mubarak.) END SUMMARY.
2. (C) Dr. Rasha Al-Humoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah started a May
22 meeting with the Ambassador by thanking the United States
for the support resulting in the realization of full
political rights for Kuwaiti women on May 16 (ref B). The
Ambassador congratulated Dr. Rasha and gave credit to the
women of Kuwait for their sustained efforts to achieve their
rights. The Ambassador also pointed to the role of the new
strategic environment in the Middle East, in which President
Bush has made it clear that progress on issues of democracy
is a key element of the U.S. approach to security.
3. (C) Dr. Rasha said that in a conversation a few days
before the May 16 vote in the National Assembly on women's
rights, she had spoken with advisor to the PM, Muhammad
Abdallah Abdulhassan. She speculated to him that delays in
scheduling the date for a visit at the White House by Prime
Minister Shaykh Sabah could be attributed to Washington
irritation regarding the GOK's performance on the issue. She
said the visit might be delayed, cancelled or, if the Prime
Minister went to the U.S. without women's rights being
passed, he would receive a "thrashing." Ambassador confided
that indeed we took this issue very seriously, but that
Kuwait is a strong ally across the board, and she should not
read too much into the details of visit scheduling, but that
certainly democracy issues are important aspect of our high
level dialogue with the GOK.
Need a Woman Minister -- Like Me
--------------
4. (C) When asked about next steps in pursuing
implementation of women's political rights, Dr. Rasha advised
the Ambassador ("off the record") on the possibility of her
becoming the first woman minister in Kuwait. She said that
she had learned from sources close to the Prime Minister that
she was being considered as a possible minister. Because
she is from the Al-Sabah family and due to tradition, she
would not be able to run and would be discouraged from voting
in future elections and thus would have to be appointed by
the Prime Minister. Dr. Rasha pointed out that the next step
ought to be for the Kuwaiti government to name a woman
cabinet minister as soon as possible. She said that she
would be an ideal candidate because of her family ties, her
qualifications, and her ability to work with liberals,
Salafis, ikhwan (Muslim Brotherhood),Shi'a and all other
segments of Kuwaiti society. She stressed the need for the
first woman minister to be of high caliber. She called
herself a "fida-eyah"--a fighter--and was willing and able to
be a lightening rod as a woman minister. Furthermore, her
presence in the Government, as a woman without hijab, would
send a clear message safe-guarding the rights of non-Muslim
Kuwaitis as well as other Kuwaiti women who choose not to
wear the hijab, countering the provision about respect for
Shari'a law found in the legislation granting political
rights to women.
5. (C) When the Ambassador asked whether she would be a
candidate for the currently vacant health minister position,
Dr. Rasha said that she might be, but that she would strongly
prefer to become Education Minister. She claimed that the
incumbent, Rashid Hamad Muhammad Al-Hamad, is tired of the
job and has "been begging to leave the government," and that
the Prime Minister is not pleased with his performance
anyway. She said that the education system was in dire need
of reform, including the need to tackle the College of
Shari'a, which is "breeding extremists," and the general
education system as a whole. She said that one need is to
establish Kuwaiti history/civics courses. Dr. Rasha said
that there can be no real political reform without education
reform. She also noted that that the Ministry needs to
establish the appropriate accreditation board for
universities and is falling behind other GCC members in this
field. The Ambassador noted the availability of MEPI and
other assistance and offered assistance in curriculum reform
and in civic education, but Dr. Rasha demurred, noting that
she has no influence on general educational issues from her
current position.
6. (C) Dr. Rasha said that women will probably not be elected
in 2007. She characterized the election system as
extraordinarily difficult and draining, in financial and
personal terms. She hoped to see the Government and
Parliament address the legislation pending on reduction of
the number of electoral districts. (Note: Larger districts
would to some degree reduce the amount of "retail politics"
needed to get elected, and make it far more expensive to buy
a seat.)
The First Candidate
--------------
7. (C) While waiting to see Dr. Rasha, the Ambassador met
Ms. Aisha Al-Rsheid, a journalist for the Al-Watan newspaper
and the first declared female candidate for the 2007
elections. The headline of the May 22 Kuwait Times read,
"Businesswoman Takes on Salafis." Ms. Al-Rsheid is a member
of a well-known Kuwaiti family, and she would be running in
the heavily fundamentalist Keifan district. During the brief
discussion with the Ambassador, Al-Rsheid said, "I want to be
just like Condoleezza Rice." The Ambassador asked whether
that meant she wanted to be Foreign Minister, to which Ms.
Al-Rsheid replied that indeed she did, but was not quite
ready to push out current FM Shaykh Dr. Mohamed Al-Sabah.
Comment
--------------
8. (C) Women's political rights continues to dominate
discussion and the headlines in Kuwait. Positive statements
by the President, the First Lady, the Vice President, and
Secretary Rice have received front page coverage.
SIPDIS
Bio Note
--------------
9. (U) Dr. Rasha is from the Jaber branch of the ruling
family. One brother, Mubarak, is governor of the Mubarak
Al-Kebir governorate and another, Salem, is married to
Shaykha Amthal, women's rights and environmental activist and
sister of the Amir. Dr. Rasha is also a first cousin to the
Amir, the PM, Interior Minister Shaykh Nawaf, and Deputy
Commander of the National Guard Shaykh Mishaal. She was born
November 18, 1951 and studied languages in the UK and the
U.S. She matriculated at Yale, earning several degrees: MA
in modern languages (she speaks seven),MS in philosophy, and
a PhD. She taught English and English literature at Kuwait
University and has served as Under Secretary for Higher
Education since 1993. From 1992-1993, she was Director of
the Political Affairs Department in the Amiri Diwan. Dr.
Rasha is also celebrated for her 1990 establishment of the
first mixed diwaniya in Kuwait.
*********************************************
Visit Embassy Kuwait's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/
You can also access this site through the
State Department's Classified SIPRNET website
*********************************************
LEBARON