KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION - ELECTORAL SLOGANS, ALLIANCES, AND WOMEN'S PARTICIPATION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 002239 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/PA, NEA/AIA, NEA/PI, INR/NESA, R/MR, I/GNEA, B/BXN, B/BRN, NEA/PPD, NEA/IPA FOR ALTERMAN LONDON FOR TSOU PARIS FOR ZEYA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO PREL KDEM PGOV KU SUFFRAGE SUBJECT: KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION - ELECTORAL SLOGANS, ALLIANCES, AND WOMEN'S PARTICIPATION Block Quotes -------------- Monday, June 12, 2006 -- Ahmed Mohamed Al-Fahd commented in the moderate daily Al-Watan under the title "Elect the Silent Hero" (6/12): "It is not my habit to comment on the election or its small details such as the fonts used by candidates on their billboards, or their slogans. After all, they are only slogans that are used for campaigning purposes. But the slogan 'vindicator of the oppressed' for which he chose a Farsi font should be discussed rationally and objectively. The slogan gives the international organizations following the elections the impression that we have a large number of oppressed. And that they were unable throughout the history to find someone to defend them. Therefore, the 'hero' candidate chose his slogan to challenge the tyrannical government and authorities.... This hero candidate should identify those oppressed whom he vindicates. Are they Kuwaitis or Bidoons? Is the government, National Assembly, or the judiciary their oppressor? And how many cases has he come across that made him choose such a slogan?" -- Dahiran Aba Al-Khail criticized in the pro-government daily Al-Seyassah under the title "Candidates Despite the Voters' Wishes" (6/12): "I do not know what has come over some candidates. Did they lose their minds, were they not paying attention, or is this the end of a brave man? Some have hesitated more than once about which district to run in. This hesitation and inability to make decisions makes us question whether such a candidate deserves to, god forbid, become a Member of Parliament in the future. Will his agenda be as hesitant, inconsistent, and unclear toward national issues that are of concern to its citizenry? These types of candidate, who are called 'electoral kangaroos' are good at jumping from one district to another, belong at the Kaifan track; my respects to track-and-field athletes as he outperforms them: they jump hurdles and he jumps districts." -- Mohamed Gharib Hatem editorialized in the moderate Arabic-language daily Al-Watan under the title "The failure of Islamic Constitutional Movement" (6/12): "Until now I have not received a clear explanation from the Islamic Constitutional Movement for its inability to land any of its candidates in Parliament. They were on good terms with the government bragging that they own the Kuwaiti street. I still remember when their top leaders would pass by our campaign headquarters and not greet us so as to say 'Kuwait is ours.' Today the Brethren or Islamic Constitutional Movement is allying with the Salafis whose goal a few years back was to eliminate the Brethren because they were their biggest opponent." -- Hasan Ali Karam stated in the moderate Arabic-language daily Al-Watan under the title "No Wonder There Are Virtues Lacking" (6/12): "The current National Assembly elections are not unique because women are participating in them for the very first time as equals to men. They are also not unique because they are occurring amidst crises and disagreements that led to the dissolution of the Assembly; nor are they unique because citizens are split between orange, blue, green, or white and their tribes, sects, or political unions.... Kuwait is on the brink of a grave split over interests and acquisition of high-level positions. The parliamentary elections have entered a dangerous downwards spiral if the battle is to be fought with such low morals. The candidate's role is central, and this dictates that they be virtuous first and nationalists second." -- Researcher and writer Dr. Faris Matar Al-Waqian penned in the pro-government daily Al-Seyassah under the title "Electoral Candidacy Flu" (6/12): "....In conclusion, we emphasize that the success of a candidate, before many are shocked with the results, does not depend on moods or luxury or social or financial prestige. It is based on modernizing the country and developing a society that needs enlightened ideas. The type of candidates who will reach the parliament will determine the destiny of the country and the liveliness of its society. And so the citizens are not frustrated because of the future MPs; they must realize that they cause frustration by choosing candidates that do not live up to their expectations." -- Former Chair of Kuwait University's History Department, Najat Nasser Al-Haji editorialized in the moderate Arabic-language daily Al-Anbaa under the title "Candidates' Promises Between Reality and Imagination" (6/12): "....I say to all candidates and emphasize, we do not want service-representatives. We want representatives who put the interests of Kuwait before their eyes and the interests of the KUWAIT 00002239 002 OF 002 coming generations in their vision in order to promote the foundations of progress away from melodic slogans and decorated words. What we currently see is a large gap between what is being said and what will occur in the 'parliament of reality.' We want representatives who are capable of implementing the mechanisms with which to build the future so that Kuwait may rise with all of its citizens." -- Engineer and Municipal COUNCIL Member, Shaykha Fawzia Salim Al-Sabah maintained in moderate Arabic-language daily Al-Rai Al-Aam under the title "Islamists and Women's Headquarters" (6/12): "Last year a group of MPs who claim to be Islamists and tribalists opposed the proposed law giving women their suffrage. It was the wish of His Highness the departed Amir Jaber Al-Ahmed, may he rest in peace, and it was passed despite their oppositions. They justified their positions by claiming that it goes against the principles of Islamic jurisprudence to which they adhere and that it is a great blight. With the dissolution of parliament and the beginning of the electoral battle we were surprised to see those very same persons racing to establish women's headquarters to attract women's votes and announcing this daily in the newspapers, forgetting their screams in parliament. Where are their principles? Where are those religious justifications they claimed? All that evaporated between night and day. And they want us to believe them in the future." -- Attorney Dr. Badria Abdullah Al-Awadi penned in the progressive Arabic-language daily Al-Qabas under the title "Women's Participation in the Elections.. Positives and Negatives" (6/12): "We again warn women of relinquishing their electoral RIGHTS to any candidate who presents slogans in which they do not believe. These slogans come from groups or movements who shamefully had a key role in preventing her from obtaining her basic RIGHTS as a HUMAN being. As a result of their positions, she was held back for decades unlike her Arab sisters. History will not forgive her if she allowed those candidates to make her into a second-class citizen again through voting for them." ********************************************* * For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ ********************************************* * TUELLER