This 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