MPS ATTACK GOVERNMENT DURING OPENING SESSION OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 001573 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR NEA/ARP E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/01/2027 TAGS: PGOV KDEM KU NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SUBJECT: MPS ATTACK GOVERNMENT DURING OPENING SESSION OF PARLIAMENT REF: KUWAIT 1562 Classified By: Charge Alan Misenheimer for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (SBU) Parliament began its 2007-08 session on October 30 amid great tension. MPs ignored the Amir and Prime Minister's opening speeches, which at times warned and at other times pleaded with the Parliament to de-escalate the conflict with the Government and give the recently reformed cabinet (reftel) a honeymoon period. MP Dhaifallah Buramya started with a fiery speech attacking newly-appointed Oil Minister Bader Al-Humaidhi. (Note: Al-Humaidhi was previously Finance Minister and Buramya has been gunning for him ever since Al-Humaidhi led the effort to scuttle Buramya's plan to forgive personal debts held by Kuwaiti citizens. End Note.) Buramya and several other MPs criticized the Government for rotating controversial ministers to new portfolios in an effort to allow them to avoid a public accounting for their alleged misdeeds. ¶2. (SBU) Independent Islamist Faisal Al-Muslim gave an even more emotional speech in which he laid the blame solely on the Prime Minister himself, which many understood as a warning that the PM could face a grilling request. (Note: A request to grill the PM is a well-understood point of no return that would likely lead to a dissolution of parliament, as happened in May 2006. End Note.) Eventually, approximately 15 of the 50 elected MPs walked out of the opening session, including all nine members of the Popular Action Bloc (PAB) and some independent Islamists. ¶3. (C) Immediately following the session, rumors and speculation about the dissolution of parliament began to circulate. However, in the two days following the session, new rumors about the resignation of Bader Al-Humaidhi have also begun to surface. PAB MP Hassan Jowhar told EmbOffs on November 1 that his sources predict Al-Humaidhi's resignation, a move that would satisfy his bloc's complaints with the Government. In a somewhat conciliatory gesture, he said the PAB was delaying the release of a strongly worded statement in order to give the Government time to arrange for Al-Humaidhi's exit of its own accord. If the Government ousts Al-Humaidhi or accepts his resignation, it might defuse the current crisis; but any such capitulation would give MPs an even more inflated sense of power against the weakness of the Government. The Parliamentary season is off to another contentious start, and many Kuwaitis expect early intervention by the Amir to disolve Parliament in the hope that new elections might ease the poisonous atmosphere between the government and the current parliament. ********************************************* * 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/ ********************************************* * MISENHEIMER