VZCZCXRO7529
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHMOS
DE RUEHKU #0347/01 0311354
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 311354Z JAN 06
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2783
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 KUWAIT 000347 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, NSC FOR RAMCHAND, LONDON FOR TSOU, 
PARIS FOR ZEYA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ETTC KU FREEDOM AGENDA
SUBJECT: FREEDOM AGENDA: POLITICAL ACTIVISTS AND MPS HOPE 
FOR GREATER REFORMS IN "NEW ERA" 
 
REF: KUWAIT 303 AND PREVIOUS 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary and comment: As Shaykh Sabah took the Amiri 
oath on January 29, leading political activists and 
parliamentarians (MPs) met to welcome the "new era" and call 
for greater political and economic reforms.  In a Kuwait 
Graduates Society seminar entitled, "What Do We Want from the 
New Era," Ahmed Deyain, a liberal writer and one of the 
keynote speakers, presented a paper listing hoped for 
reforms, which Saoud Al-Anizi, the moderator, told Poloff 
would form the basis of a reform agenda Kuwait's political 
associations would present to the new Amir.  Other political 
activists participating in the discussion also expressed hope 
that long stalled reforms would gain momentum under Shaykh 
Sabah, however, some cautioned against being overly 
optimistic.  Human rights activist Dr. Ghanem Al-Najar cited 
entrenched corruption, economic prosperity, and political 
apathy as the greatest obstacles to reform.  Moderate 
Islamist MP Dr. Nasser Al-Sane said the composition of the 
new Cabinet would indicate the new Government's commitment to 
reform; he was not hopeful there would be substantive 
changes.  In his first speech to the nation, aired the 
evening of January 30, Shaykh Sabah lauded his predecessors 
and called for cooperation and "hard work," but did not 
outline a specific reform agenda.  End summary. 
 
Mixed Views on Potential for Reform 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Some of Kuwait's leading political activists 
participated in the discussion, "What Do We Want from the New 
Era," hosted by the Kuwait Graduates Society on January 29, 
the day Shaykh Sabah was sworn in as the new Amir.  Keynote 
speakers Ahmed Deyain, a liberal writer, and Dr. Ghanem 
Al-Najar, an internationally renowned human rights activist, 
argued that Parliament's prominent role in resolving the 
recent leadership controversy had created an "historic 
moment" to usher in stalled political and economic reforms. 
Deyain presented a list of key reforms he hoped would be 
adopted by the new Government, which the moderator, Saoud 
Al-Anazi, told Poloff would form the basis of a document to 
be submitted to the Amir by Kuwait's political associations 
(see para 9 below for a full translation).  Calling for more 
transparent and accountable government, Deyain said, "We want 
our Ministers to be statesmen" with real decision-making 
power.  He also emphasized the need to reform the "corrupt 
electoral system" to "combat vote-buying and transference of 
votes from one district to another," and to legalize the 
formation of political parties.  While hopeful reforms would 
be implemented, Dr. Al-Najar was less optimistic about the 
potential for change, citing entrenched corruption, economic 
prosperity, and political apathy as the greatest obstacles. 
He also lamented the relative weakness of liberal, reform 
movements compared to conservative, Islamist associations. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Responding to the keynote speakers' comments, Ahmad 
Al-Nafisi, owner of the liberal weekly Al-Taleea, noted that 
"for the first time, one of the royal family members talked 
about 'constitutional legitimacy.'"  He said a "consensus" 
had emerged on the need for political change, but emphasized 
political groups must cooperate to implement the reform 
agenda outlined by Deyain.  Dr. Sajid Al-Abdali, the 
Secretary General of the Ummah (Nation) Party, a 
 
SIPDIS 
controversial, conservative Islamist political association, 
argued that "democracy is taken, not granted," and stressed 
the futility of waiting for the Government to initiate 
change.  Abdullah Al-Naibari, a former MP and the Secretary 
General of the Kuwait Democratic Forum, a liberal political 
association, highlighted the role "political elites" could, 
and should, play in transforming the reform paper presented 
by Deyain into a real political agenda.  Other leading 
activists agreed influential individuals and political 
associations should be more involved in promoting needed 
reforms. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Dr. Nasser Al-Sane, a moderate Islamist MP 
affiliated with the Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM), 
the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Kuwait, 
cautioned against being overly optimistic.  If there were no 
serious change in the composition of the new Government, 
there would be little reason to hope political reforms would 
be implemented, he argued.  Al-Sane called on Kuwait's 
political associations to meet the same week to develop a 
reform strategy that would "send a clear message to the Amir." 
 
¶5.  (U) Among the approximately 60 people attending the 
discussion were: Ali Al-Baghli, a former Oil Minister and a 
Shi'a activist; Dr. Haila Al-Mekami, a Professor of Political 
 
KUWAIT 00000347  002 OF 004 
 
 
Science at Kuwait University; Mohammed Al-Dallal, the 
Political Relations Chief for the ICM; Faisal Al-Hajji, the 
Minister of Social Affairs and Labor; Abdul Karim Haider, a 
liberal lawyer; Loulwa Al-Mulla, the Secretary General of the 
Women's Social and Cultural Society; and women activists 
Naima Al-Shayji and Maha Al-Barges.  The event was covered by 
Al-Jazeera and Kuwait Television. 
 
MPs Laud Shaykh Sabah; Call for Reform... 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (U) Many MPs similarly called on Shaykh Sabah during his 
swearing in to implement greater reforms.  Shi'a MP Dr. 
Hassan Jowhar said, "Reform should be the title of this new 
era.  No one should be above the law."  MP Abdullah Al-Roumi 
argued that the "constitution should remain the basis for 
reforms."  Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Mohammed 
Al-Sager echoed these calls for reform and urged Shaykh Sabah 
"to appoint a Crown Prince immediately" to avoid another 
succession crisis.  Deputy National Assembly Speaker Meshari 
Al-Anjari told reporters after the session, "We face two 
major issues (in the upcoming period): reform and 
counter-corruption...reform in the social, economic, and 
political aspects, and corruption in all its forms." 
 
...But Some Fear Social Impact 
------------------------------ 
 
¶7.  (U) Not everyone shares this hope for reform.  In an 
informal survey of Kuwaiti reactions to Shaykh Sabah becoming 
Amir, the English-daily Kuwait Times, which labeled Shaykh 
Sabah "Amir of Reforms," reported January 30 that many fear 
greater freedoms could lead to an erosion of conservative 
social values.  One female teacher said, "What I am scared of 
is a rapid growth of freedom in terms of discos, nightclubs, 
and alcohol.  Kuwait was always a religious country and 
freedom doesn't mean disobeying God."  A "young Kuwaiti man" 
expressed a similar opinion, saying, "I don't want Kuwait to 
be a free country like Dubai."  A young woman "in her early 
20s" who works for the National Bank of Kuwait said, "Kuwait 
is a religious country and we must stick to our traditions 
and habits.  I feel that Kuwait will really develop 
economically and politically and this is what we need, not 
freedom in drinking and dancing."  Another Kuwaiti man was 
quoted as saying, "Shaykh Sabah loves the country and he 
understands that most of the country is against illegal and 
negative freedoms."  One "famous Kuwaiti artist" said, "We 
want Kuwait to be free, but to an extent.  We all have 
children and we don't want them to end up failing their 
schools or even becoming drug addicts."  (Comment: While this 
survey does not necessarily reflect the majority view, it 
does reveal some of the entrenched social attitudes that 
hinder implementation of political and economic reforms.  End 
comment.) 
 
Nothing New Yet in Shaykh Sabah's Address to the Nation 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) In a pre-taped speech aired the evening of January 
30, Shaykh Sabah called on Kuwaitis to cooperate with the 
government to ensure "equality in terms of rights and duties 
while preserving democracy and the freedom of expression with 
no discrimination between men and women as they are all equal 
by law and upon their shoulders lies the responsibility of 
serving and developing the homeland."  Appealing to Kuwaitis 
to consider themselves soldiers, he added, "I look forward to 
see that we all put our hands together to begin a new era of 
serious work."  He also praised the late Shaykh Jaber and the 
previous Amir Shaykh Saad, who was forced to step aside by 
Parliament, for their contribution to the country, and 
promised to follow their distinguished examples. 
 
Reform Agenda Presented By Ahmed Deyain 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶9.  (U) Begin text of paper presented by Ahmed Deyain at 
Kuwait Graduates Society on January 30: 
 
The new era which starts today faces challenges and 
responsibilities, but high hopes are pinned on it.  This new 
era necessitates the appointment of management for the 
country that is capable of understanding and dealing with 
these challenges.  There are also responsibilities relating 
to political reform, which has become the key slogan for the 
current changes in the region, and to the necessity of 
building a strategic development vision for the future of 
Kuwait, for economic reform, for educational reform, for the 
overhauling of laws, for reforming governmental management, 
 
KUWAIT 00000347  003 OF 004 
 
 
and for addressing outstanding and overdue issues, such as 
the Bidoon problem. 
 
What do we want from the new era?  We want the distinguished 
royal family to turn over a new leaf by rallying around and 
supporting the representatives of constitutional legitimacy, 
turning over the page of the past.  We want a new methodology 
in the management of the state based on a revival of the 
project for building the modern Kuwaiti state pursuant to the 
1962 constitution and reconciliation between the "ruling 
scheme" and the "construction of the state scheme."  We want 
to select political management which corresponds to the 
spirit, challenges, and reform requirements of the new era 
and is in line with the nation's aspirations and hopes.  We 
want new political management with a new mentality and new 
blood, with appointments to government posts based on 
competence and integrity, not political "shares." 
 
We hope the new era will start with the activation of the 
explanatory memorandum with respect to the traditional 
consultations preceding the appointment of the new Prime 
Minister.  (Note: Shaykh Sabah is expected to begin the 
customary two-to-three day consultation period on February 5. 
 End note.)  We hope the new leadership will break with the 
traditional monopoly of decision making and political power, 
starting with the formation of the (new) Cabinet, which 
should be composed of both ruling family members and 
citizens.  The function of the Cabinet should also be changed 
to  give it a complete role as a constitutional institution 
and a decision-making Executive.  We want out ministers to be 
statesmen, and not just Executive puppets waiting for 
directives and focused only on managing their specific 
ministries. 
 
The new Government, despite its short tenure before the 2007 
parliamentary elections, will shoulder great and 
extraordinary responsibilities.  It is a Government that will 
be involved in approving a new Crown Prince in less than a 
year and in running the 2007 parliamentary elections; the 
Government will give the first impressions of the new era. 
 
We also hope that the new era will meet the nation's demand 
to reform the corrupt electoral system by going back to ten 
constituencies.  (Note: There are currently 25 
constituencies.)  We hope the Elections Law will be strictly 
enforced and vote-buying and vote-transferring (from one 
district to another) will be seriously combated.  We look 
forward with hope to Government-Parliament cooperation to 
repeal laws restricting public freedoms and to enact 
alternative, more democratic laws, such as the Public 
Meetings and Gatherings Law, to permit citizens the 
constitutional freedom to meet; the NGOs Law, to ensure the 
freedom to form civil society institutions, which can 
practice activities without government custodianship; the 
Administrative Court Law, to ensure that the Administrative 
Court's judicial authority extends to administrative 
decisions, which violate existing laws or provide for 
exceptions, regardless of whether or not the law has to do 
with licensing dailies, places to worship, or nationality; 
and the Constitutional Court Law, to allow Kuwaiti citizens 
to challenge the unconstitutionality of laws directly at the 
Constitutional Court. 
 
We hope the new era will also witness the granting of greater 
freedom for political activities and respect for pluralism by 
introducing a law giving citizens the right to form political 
parties.  We hope for greater Government-Parliament 
cooperation on the ratification of the financial 
accountability law, on removing corrupt elements from 
Government positions, and on countering all vote-buying 
activities during grillings (questioning of Ministers), 
voting on laws, and no-confidence votes on ministers.  We 
hope the new era will affirm the principle of the sovereignty 
of the law and ensure the independence of the judicial power. 
 
We hope to see in the new era a balanced relationship between 
the various political currents and the Government's 
abandonment of a policy aimed at marginalizing the lively 
powers in the Kuwaiti society.  We want the new era to 
instill the spirit of openness in out society.  We want a 
solution to the Bidoon problem.  We want to reform out 
backwards educational system.  We want a comprehensive 
reassessment of the role of the Higher Planning and 
Development Council to make its key function the development 
and implementation of a strategic development vision for 
Kuwait for the next 25 years. 
 
Doesn't "development" deserve a "Government" whose key 
 
KUWAIT 00000347  004 OF 004 
 
 
occupation is "development"? 
 
End text. 
 
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