Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06KUWAIT2393
2006-06-19 14:14:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Kuwait
Cable title:
KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION - ELECTIONS: ISLAMISTS WELCOME YOUTH
how-toThis record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available. 191414Z Jun 06
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 002393
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 KDEM PGOV KU MEDIA REACTION
SUBJECT: KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION - ELECTIONS: ISLAMISTS WELCOME YOUTH
AND WOMEN, AND THE SATELLITE REVOLUTION
Block Quotes
--------------
Monday, June 19, 2006
-- On Sunday, June 18, 2006 the conservative daily Al-Watan
newspaper published an opinion column by a Kuwaiti attorney Rashed
Al-Rada'an where he noted the new changes in Kuwait's political
arena. The column carried the headline, "These people are serious."
Mr. Al-Rada'an observed, "There is obvious political and public
action in our society these days. We are seeing people putting
forward plans, and presenting their points of view on different
issues. However, there are some things we are witnessing for the
first time. This is the first time that we see the Islamist
coalition groups, the liberal camp, the Constitutional Muslim
Movement - Muslim Brotherhood - and the Salafis all agree on one
agenda.... This is the first time that we see candidates from the
Islamist groups welcome young people in orange from both genders,
without any objection to women's participation in election tents.
They are not even being conservative about it, although they were
the ones who used to consider mixed gender meetings as "haram"
[forbidden by God].... This is a civilized change. We are witnessing
women with and without veils from all districts actively participate
in the election process. This is the democracy that we want for
Kuwait."
-- The opinion section in conservative Al-Watan newspaper on Monday,
June 19, 2006 included a column by Mr. Hassan Ali Karam that carried
the headline: "Chasing Private Satellites!! Has Al-Sanousi Erred?"
Mr. Karam defended the Minister of Information and said: "The
appointment of the Minister of Information to his current position
was welcomed by everybody. I hope that he continues to serve as the
Minister of Information in the new government. Our public
information sector needs restructuring and we hope that Mr.
Al-Sanousi will lead our public media into a new era...; however, we
still maintain that Mr. Al-Sanousi might have rushed into taking the
decision to chase after the private satellite channels. His decision
upset a lot of people and began a media war against the new
minister. Instead, Mr. Al-Sanousi should have suggested opening a
government-sponsored TV Channel that would report on the elections,
and give informative reports about election progress in Kuwait. The
government of Egypt did just that before and during its last
election."
-- Daily moderate Al-Qabas published a column by Mr. Salah Al-Mudhef
under the headline "The Era of Mouth Gagging Is Over." Mr. Al-Mudhef
questioned, "The 'We Want It Coalition' TV Channel will continue to
air as long as there are young men and women who believe that
freedom of opinion is the foundation of democracy, and that in
today's open world, censorship has no place. Furthermore, why has
the Minister of Information not dealt with other TV channels that
attack Kuwait day and night? Are we going to witness a day when the
Minister of Information would call for the closure of Al-Jazeerah
TV?
-- Fouad Al-Hashem commented in his daily column in conservative
Al-Watan on his visit the previous night to a female candidate's
election tent in that, "The time was past midnight when my friend
Hassan Al-Bassry and I received a call from Dr. Rola Dashti to visit
her election tent. We went there, and we had interesting
conversations with the candidate who holds a doctorate degree in
economics, and who is not supported by the U.S. Embassy as it has
been rumored. The power generator in the tent has been donated by a
friend of Dr. Dashti; the tents were also donated by people and
companies that support Dr. Dashti's election campaign, and not by
the U.S. Embassy. All the requirements were arranged by friends and
colleagues of Rola, and the rest she paid for from her own pocket."
-- Saud Al-Samaka, a liberal academic and columnist in the daily
moderate Al-Qabas, wrote an article under the headline "Vote Buyers
are Equal in Crime to Drug Traffickers, if not Worse" where he
opined, "In a conversation I had with the First Deputy Prime
Minister, and the Minister of Defense and Interior, his statement
that equated vote buyers and drug traffickers was meant to send a
message to the law enforcement agencies in Kuwait to act
aggressively against anyone involved in vote trafficking. In the
same fashion, the Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs should issue
an announcement to all mosque Imams to preach against this shameful
act during prayer sermons, and in their public speeches.... The
young men and women who have put on the orange symbol represent a
snowball of reform that may uproot all forms of corruption."
-- Dr. Shamlan Yousuf Al-Issa, political activist and professor of
Political Science at Kuwait University, wrote in daily
pro-government Al-Seyassah an article that carried the headline
"Freedom of the Media." Dr. Al-Issa enquired, "The question that we
face is whether the move by some Kuwaitis to air their opinion on
private satellite channels should be considered a revolution against
government control over the media, and if this was a call to
liberate Arab media? In other words, can we consider this move a
rebellion against public media, which has become an echo of
governments' policies?" Dr. Al-Issa concluded, "Public sympathy with
these channels does not constitute a new media phenomenon, because
fierce competition in the media market together with high operation
and start-up costs, and add to that shortage of ad revenue all will
force these private channels to close, or at least reconsider their
operating plans. Nevertheless, we are certain that the media
environment in the Gulf does not allow for freedom of expression.
This freedom is a product that every channel seeking success must
seek."
-- Dr. Sami Nasser Khalifa wrote in the independent Arabic daily
Al-Rai Al-Aam, "The government today is well aware of the identities
of the groups that are involved in paying bribes. The government
knows these brokers, their clients, and when, where, and how much is
being paid and to whom. The government has all the utilities that
would allow it to put an end to these shameful acts. Nevertheless,
we see no action being taken to call a halt to these practices. This
lack of action by the judicial authority is an indirect support for
the criminals, and an indirect encouragement for them to continue to
spread corruption."
********************************************* *
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 KDEM PGOV KU MEDIA REACTION
SUBJECT: KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION - ELECTIONS: ISLAMISTS WELCOME YOUTH
AND WOMEN, AND THE SATELLITE REVOLUTION
Block Quotes
--------------
Monday, June 19, 2006
-- On Sunday, June 18, 2006 the conservative daily Al-Watan
newspaper published an opinion column by a Kuwaiti attorney Rashed
Al-Rada'an where he noted the new changes in Kuwait's political
arena. The column carried the headline, "These people are serious."
Mr. Al-Rada'an observed, "There is obvious political and public
action in our society these days. We are seeing people putting
forward plans, and presenting their points of view on different
issues. However, there are some things we are witnessing for the
first time. This is the first time that we see the Islamist
coalition groups, the liberal camp, the Constitutional Muslim
Movement - Muslim Brotherhood - and the Salafis all agree on one
agenda.... This is the first time that we see candidates from the
Islamist groups welcome young people in orange from both genders,
without any objection to women's participation in election tents.
They are not even being conservative about it, although they were
the ones who used to consider mixed gender meetings as "haram"
[forbidden by God].... This is a civilized change. We are witnessing
women with and without veils from all districts actively participate
in the election process. This is the democracy that we want for
Kuwait."
-- The opinion section in conservative Al-Watan newspaper on Monday,
June 19, 2006 included a column by Mr. Hassan Ali Karam that carried
the headline: "Chasing Private Satellites!! Has Al-Sanousi Erred?"
Mr. Karam defended the Minister of Information and said: "The
appointment of the Minister of Information to his current position
was welcomed by everybody. I hope that he continues to serve as the
Minister of Information in the new government. Our public
information sector needs restructuring and we hope that Mr.
Al-Sanousi will lead our public media into a new era...; however, we
still maintain that Mr. Al-Sanousi might have rushed into taking the
decision to chase after the private satellite channels. His decision
upset a lot of people and began a media war against the new
minister. Instead, Mr. Al-Sanousi should have suggested opening a
government-sponsored TV Channel that would report on the elections,
and give informative reports about election progress in Kuwait. The
government of Egypt did just that before and during its last
election."
-- Daily moderate Al-Qabas published a column by Mr. Salah Al-Mudhef
under the headline "The Era of Mouth Gagging Is Over." Mr. Al-Mudhef
questioned, "The 'We Want It Coalition' TV Channel will continue to
air as long as there are young men and women who believe that
freedom of opinion is the foundation of democracy, and that in
today's open world, censorship has no place. Furthermore, why has
the Minister of Information not dealt with other TV channels that
attack Kuwait day and night? Are we going to witness a day when the
Minister of Information would call for the closure of Al-Jazeerah
TV?
-- Fouad Al-Hashem commented in his daily column in conservative
Al-Watan on his visit the previous night to a female candidate's
election tent in that, "The time was past midnight when my friend
Hassan Al-Bassry and I received a call from Dr. Rola Dashti to visit
her election tent. We went there, and we had interesting
conversations with the candidate who holds a doctorate degree in
economics, and who is not supported by the U.S. Embassy as it has
been rumored. The power generator in the tent has been donated by a
friend of Dr. Dashti; the tents were also donated by people and
companies that support Dr. Dashti's election campaign, and not by
the U.S. Embassy. All the requirements were arranged by friends and
colleagues of Rola, and the rest she paid for from her own pocket."
-- Saud Al-Samaka, a liberal academic and columnist in the daily
moderate Al-Qabas, wrote an article under the headline "Vote Buyers
are Equal in Crime to Drug Traffickers, if not Worse" where he
opined, "In a conversation I had with the First Deputy Prime
Minister, and the Minister of Defense and Interior, his statement
that equated vote buyers and drug traffickers was meant to send a
message to the law enforcement agencies in Kuwait to act
aggressively against anyone involved in vote trafficking. In the
same fashion, the Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs should issue
an announcement to all mosque Imams to preach against this shameful
act during prayer sermons, and in their public speeches.... The
young men and women who have put on the orange symbol represent a
snowball of reform that may uproot all forms of corruption."
-- Dr. Shamlan Yousuf Al-Issa, political activist and professor of
Political Science at Kuwait University, wrote in daily
pro-government Al-Seyassah an article that carried the headline
"Freedom of the Media." Dr. Al-Issa enquired, "The question that we
face is whether the move by some Kuwaitis to air their opinion on
private satellite channels should be considered a revolution against
government control over the media, and if this was a call to
liberate Arab media? In other words, can we consider this move a
rebellion against public media, which has become an echo of
governments' policies?" Dr. Al-Issa concluded, "Public sympathy with
these channels does not constitute a new media phenomenon, because
fierce competition in the media market together with high operation
and start-up costs, and add to that shortage of ad revenue all will
force these private channels to close, or at least reconsider their
operating plans. Nevertheless, we are certain that the media
environment in the Gulf does not allow for freedom of expression.
This freedom is a product that every channel seeking success must
seek."
-- Dr. Sami Nasser Khalifa wrote in the independent Arabic daily
Al-Rai Al-Aam, "The government today is well aware of the identities
of the groups that are involved in paying bribes. The government
knows these brokers, their clients, and when, where, and how much is
being paid and to whom. The government has all the utilities that
would allow it to put an end to these shameful acts. Nevertheless,
we see no action being taken to call a halt to these practices. This
lack of action by the judicial authority is an indirect support for
the criminals, and an indirect encouragement for them to continue to
spread corruption."
********************************************* *
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