Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06KUWAIT2264
2006-06-13 13:16:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Kuwait
Cable title:
KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION - WOMEN'S PARTICIPATION, CORRUPTION,
how-toVZCZCXRO6870 OO RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK DE RUEHKU #2264/01 1641316 ZNR UUUUU ZZH O 131316Z JUN 06 FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5129 RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE RHWSMRC/USCINCCENT MACDILL AFB FL//CCPA// IMMEDIATE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 002264
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 - WOMEN'S PARTICIPATION, CORRUPTION,
AND VOTE BUYING
Block Quotes
--------------
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
-- Dr. Fawzi Salman Al-Khawari wrote in the moderate Arabic-language
daily Al-Watan under the title "The Candidate's Index" (6/13): "A
new trend has taken hold during the elections in which some
candidates chose to appear in photos in the aggressive position of
pointing with their index fingers. This position in sign language
symbolizes threat, intimidation, and a readiness to pounce. Who are
these candidates threatening? Who are they trying to intimidate? And
who will they pounce on? .... The 29th is coming no doubt, and I see
fingers have ripened and the time has come to harvest them. We hope
of those who are pointing their fingers, or those who took a
thousand photos so they can choose one to be placed on a billboard,
turn their speeches into action. We hope they will keep their index
fingers pointed in the face of the corrupt and that their voices
tell the truth."
-- Abdul Rahman Al-Najar penned in the moderate Arabic-language
daily Al-Watan under the title "Women and their enemies in the
elections" (6/13): "There is no doubt that women in Kuwait and
everywhere else are now aware of who their enemies are and who their
supporters are. The enemies of women were not opposed to them on
certain issues and supportive of them on others. They were against
them throughout. They were against them winning their rights
outlined by the constitution over 40 years ago.... They are now
wooing women for their votes in order to reach the National Assembly
where they will be side-by-side with the winning women candidates.
Our question to them is if women's presence in the Assembly is
forbidden then why participate in a council where the forbidden
thing occurs? Did you not hear of 'avoiding suspicions,' or is this
your new understanding of the religion?
-- Writer and researcher Bandar Ayed Al-Zafiri editorialized in the
pro-government Arabic-language daily Al-Seyassah under the title
"The Media is Not All Money" (6/13): "We are fed up with the
discussion of corruption and reform and the number of districts to
the point that our national concerns that were at the forefront
before these elections have been forgotten. They have tightened the
noose on us and stole our sight and hearing to the point that news
as big as the death of Zarqawi passed over Kuwait almost unnoticed,
knowing that we are one of the countries most affected by this news
and other world news. As we are an open country without any taboos,
we deal with events wherever they may occur...."
-- Ahmed Al-Deyyain argued in the moderate Arabic-language daily
Al-Rai Al-Aam under the title "No Orders" (6/13): "Maybe the
Minister of Interior and Minister of Defense Shaykh Jaber Al-Mubarak
was correct in comparing vote dealers to drug dealers. They both
harm national interests, but to be more specific, vote dealing is
also a crime against the national security of the state because it
aims to corrupt the legislature, one of the three branches of
government. It seeks to control it and have its legislation and
oversight serve personal interests. Some interests of individuals
and big multinational companies oppose the national interests of the
state and large sections of Kuwaiti society.... Surely, the national
security and intelligence apparatuses know who the corrupt
candidates are, where they distribute their monies, and the names of
their agents. But the saying by a desperate Iraqi officer during
the Palestine war applies here 'no orders.'"
-- Dr. Sajid Al-Abdali inquired in the moderate Arabic-language
daily Al-Rai Al-Aam under the title "How to Break the Cycle" (6/13):
"....It goes without saying that reducing the number of districts
and increasing the number voters in each district will make it
difficult for any group to monopolize it and will give the
minorities a chance to have representatives in parliament. ... I
have written that it is not simply a matter of reducing the number
of districts because the devil could be in the details making any
reform tragic.... The solution is to simply have the system through
which candidates run for office based on their programs and
platforms. Prerequisite is to have these programs and platforms be
developmental to the nation and not sectarian or tribal or
religious. Every list that does not comply should be rejected. Then
and only then will the cycle be broken."
-- Abdul Latif Al-Daiej noted in the progressive Arabic-language
daily Al-Qabas under the title "The Islamists Reveal the Ugly Face"
(6/13): ".... All those that are religious, if they are honest, work
towards the afterlife and have no concern with the future or
present. I believe the religious. The most religious are the
KUWAIT 00002264 002 OF 002
Salafists. As for the Ikhwan and those affiliated with Al-Qaeda
they maneuver and strike below the belt. The Salafists made their
declaration plain and clear that they support the candidates who
present a religion-based platform. We do not object though we have
that right as partners in the trenches fighting corruption as is the
entire country. Therefore, the declaration to support those
candidates simply means rejecting the rest thereby putting the good
with the bad.... I may be naove but I still think it dangerous to
fight the reformist candidates, the ones that are good, because that
means supporting the corrupt."
-- Yousef Al-Rashid contended in the moderate Arabic-language daily
Al-Anbaa under the title "Women Candidates and the Oppression
Complex" (6/13): ".... We call on women to leave the old slogans
about the old historical injustice of how men kept them out of the
political life and to use their victory in this battle as
motivation. This was a victory for all of Kuwait: men, women,
government, and population. Women candidates should focus now on
issues of national interest and ones that touch citizens' lives.
Voters do not go to seminars for history lessons, they go to find
out how the candidate envisions the next four years in our
country."
-- Jamal Al-Suwaifan inquired in the moderate Arabic-language daily
Al-Anbaa under the title "Who Will Stop the Buying of Consciences?"
(6/13): "The intensity of electoral seminars has increased, and the
voices on vote-buying became louder in most districts, if not
all.... Security apparatuses should move during the coming days to
arrest hundreds if not thousands of morally-corrupting elements and
bring them to justice, which will then carry out a just punishment
so that they will be an example to others in the years to come. We
say this because the corrupt know no religion, country, or people.
Their only concern is to reach the seats of power in order to make
up for the losses they incurred during these days from buying the
consciences of the weak, the needy, and those of perverse
behavior."
********************************************* *
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
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 - WOMEN'S PARTICIPATION, CORRUPTION,
AND VOTE BUYING
Block Quotes
--------------
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
-- Dr. Fawzi Salman Al-Khawari wrote in the moderate Arabic-language
daily Al-Watan under the title "The Candidate's Index" (6/13): "A
new trend has taken hold during the elections in which some
candidates chose to appear in photos in the aggressive position of
pointing with their index fingers. This position in sign language
symbolizes threat, intimidation, and a readiness to pounce. Who are
these candidates threatening? Who are they trying to intimidate? And
who will they pounce on? .... The 29th is coming no doubt, and I see
fingers have ripened and the time has come to harvest them. We hope
of those who are pointing their fingers, or those who took a
thousand photos so they can choose one to be placed on a billboard,
turn their speeches into action. We hope they will keep their index
fingers pointed in the face of the corrupt and that their voices
tell the truth."
-- Abdul Rahman Al-Najar penned in the moderate Arabic-language
daily Al-Watan under the title "Women and their enemies in the
elections" (6/13): "There is no doubt that women in Kuwait and
everywhere else are now aware of who their enemies are and who their
supporters are. The enemies of women were not opposed to them on
certain issues and supportive of them on others. They were against
them throughout. They were against them winning their rights
outlined by the constitution over 40 years ago.... They are now
wooing women for their votes in order to reach the National Assembly
where they will be side-by-side with the winning women candidates.
Our question to them is if women's presence in the Assembly is
forbidden then why participate in a council where the forbidden
thing occurs? Did you not hear of 'avoiding suspicions,' or is this
your new understanding of the religion?
-- Writer and researcher Bandar Ayed Al-Zafiri editorialized in the
pro-government Arabic-language daily Al-Seyassah under the title
"The Media is Not All Money" (6/13): "We are fed up with the
discussion of corruption and reform and the number of districts to
the point that our national concerns that were at the forefront
before these elections have been forgotten. They have tightened the
noose on us and stole our sight and hearing to the point that news
as big as the death of Zarqawi passed over Kuwait almost unnoticed,
knowing that we are one of the countries most affected by this news
and other world news. As we are an open country without any taboos,
we deal with events wherever they may occur...."
-- Ahmed Al-Deyyain argued in the moderate Arabic-language daily
Al-Rai Al-Aam under the title "No Orders" (6/13): "Maybe the
Minister of Interior and Minister of Defense Shaykh Jaber Al-Mubarak
was correct in comparing vote dealers to drug dealers. They both
harm national interests, but to be more specific, vote dealing is
also a crime against the national security of the state because it
aims to corrupt the legislature, one of the three branches of
government. It seeks to control it and have its legislation and
oversight serve personal interests. Some interests of individuals
and big multinational companies oppose the national interests of the
state and large sections of Kuwaiti society.... Surely, the national
security and intelligence apparatuses know who the corrupt
candidates are, where they distribute their monies, and the names of
their agents. But the saying by a desperate Iraqi officer during
the Palestine war applies here 'no orders.'"
-- Dr. Sajid Al-Abdali inquired in the moderate Arabic-language
daily Al-Rai Al-Aam under the title "How to Break the Cycle" (6/13):
"....It goes without saying that reducing the number of districts
and increasing the number voters in each district will make it
difficult for any group to monopolize it and will give the
minorities a chance to have representatives in parliament. ... I
have written that it is not simply a matter of reducing the number
of districts because the devil could be in the details making any
reform tragic.... The solution is to simply have the system through
which candidates run for office based on their programs and
platforms. Prerequisite is to have these programs and platforms be
developmental to the nation and not sectarian or tribal or
religious. Every list that does not comply should be rejected. Then
and only then will the cycle be broken."
-- Abdul Latif Al-Daiej noted in the progressive Arabic-language
daily Al-Qabas under the title "The Islamists Reveal the Ugly Face"
(6/13): ".... All those that are religious, if they are honest, work
towards the afterlife and have no concern with the future or
present. I believe the religious. The most religious are the
KUWAIT 00002264 002 OF 002
Salafists. As for the Ikhwan and those affiliated with Al-Qaeda
they maneuver and strike below the belt. The Salafists made their
declaration plain and clear that they support the candidates who
present a religion-based platform. We do not object though we have
that right as partners in the trenches fighting corruption as is the
entire country. Therefore, the declaration to support those
candidates simply means rejecting the rest thereby putting the good
with the bad.... I may be naove but I still think it dangerous to
fight the reformist candidates, the ones that are good, because that
means supporting the corrupt."
-- Yousef Al-Rashid contended in the moderate Arabic-language daily
Al-Anbaa under the title "Women Candidates and the Oppression
Complex" (6/13): ".... We call on women to leave the old slogans
about the old historical injustice of how men kept them out of the
political life and to use their victory in this battle as
motivation. This was a victory for all of Kuwait: men, women,
government, and population. Women candidates should focus now on
issues of national interest and ones that touch citizens' lives.
Voters do not go to seminars for history lessons, they go to find
out how the candidate envisions the next four years in our
country."
-- Jamal Al-Suwaifan inquired in the moderate Arabic-language daily
Al-Anbaa under the title "Who Will Stop the Buying of Consciences?"
(6/13): "The intensity of electoral seminars has increased, and the
voices on vote-buying became louder in most districts, if not
all.... Security apparatuses should move during the coming days to
arrest hundreds if not thousands of morally-corrupting elements and
bring them to justice, which will then carry out a just punishment
so that they will be an example to others in the years to come. We
say this because the corrupt know no religion, country, or people.
Their only concern is to reach the seats of power in order to make
up for the losses they incurred during these days from buying the
consciences of the weak, the needy, and those of perverse
behavior."
********************************************* *
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