VZCZCXRO7917
PP RUEHDE RUEHDIR
DE RUEHKU #0447/01 0871424
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 281424Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8626
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000447 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/28/2022 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM KU NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
SUBJECT: INCREASING PESSIMISM ABOUT NEW CABINET, LEADERSHIP 
 
REF: KUWAIT 430 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1.  (C) Summary: Reactions to the new Cabinet have been 
muted, an indication of Kuwaitis' frustration with the 
political leadership in both the government and Parliament. 
Few Kuwaitis expect the new Cabinet to resolve the tensions 
that characterized the previous government's relations with 
Parliament, though some are mildly hopeful their skepticism 
is proven wrong.  Some contacts predict this government is 
just a temporary solution to allow the ruling family time to 
prepare for new parliamentary elections later this year in 
the hope that the new five constituency electoral system will 
yield better results.  End summary. 
 
Gloomy View of New Cabinet 
-------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (C) Kuwaitis initially greeted the announcement of the 
new Cabinet on March 25 with cautious optimism, hoping the 
new lineup would assuage opposition parliamentarians and help 
resolve the tensions that have plagued government-Parliament 
relations since the elections last June (reftel).  However, 
after a few days of reflection, many Kuwaitis are now 
expressing more pessimistic views.  Members of a prominent 
Shi'a business family, including two former MPs and a former 
Oil Minister, were dismissive of the new government when 
asked their opinions by the Ambassador during a visit to 
their diwaniya.  Several businessmen and a Kuwait University 
professor were also decidedly unenthusiastic about the new 
Cabinet and told EconChief that in spite of the new faces, it 
still reflected an "old mentality."  While encouraged by the 
inclusion of two women, all three were impatient for change 
and a clearer sense of "direction" for the country, which 
they did not see represented in the new line-up.  In a 
conversation with PolChief, Shi'a MP Hassan Jowhar expressed 
doubt about how long the new government would last, noting 
that some MPs had already threatened to bring members of the 
new Cabinet before Parliament for questioning, a 
constitutional procedure commonly referred to here as 
"grilling."  He also speculated that the U.S. had given the 
Amir a "green light" to dissolve the Parliament again. 
 
¶3.  (C) An Islamist lawyer told PolOff that he had expected 
to see more new faces and that even those who were removed 
were given positions as advisors so they could continue to 
work from "in the shadows."  He found it hard to believe that 
the ICM had accepted the new water and electricity portfolio, 
given that shortages in both are guaranteed this coming 
summer.  He wondered whether it was a "trap" to hurt the 
Islamists or whether the ICM was just so desperate to join 
the cabinet that they were willing to accept anything.  While 
the Education Minister has come under attack for being too 
liberal, one embassy contact who is intensively engaged in 
education policy issues said the new minister lacked vision 
and would not work for major policy reform.  Others, however, 
contended that she was a capable education administrator who 
should be given a chance to succeed. 
 
Cabinet Too Liberal? 
-------------------- 
 
¶4.  (C) Despite the inclusion of a senior member of the 
Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM), the Kuwaiti Muslim 
Brotherhood's political wing, and one of the founding members 
of the Revival of Islamic Heritage Society (RIHS), a 
Kuwait-based Islamic charity, some Islamists have complained 
that the new Cabinet is "too liberal."  In a March 27 
editorial in Al-Watan (local Arabic daily), former Salafi MP 
Fahd Al-Khanna claimed "the new government groups a lot of 
liberals of Western tendencies" and called on Islamists "to 
resign their ministerial posts."  He added: "All ministerial 
posts must be awarded to the liberals and let (them) be held 
accountable for the mistakes of the new government, given the 
fact that (it) is doomed to failure."  Another Salafi told 
Political Specialist that the government "(did) not meet the 
ambitions of Islamists" and, despite the Prime Minister's 
extensive consultations, "failed to appease all parties."  MP 
Mishari Al-Anjari, on the other hand, a member of the liberal 
National Action Bloc in Parliament, was upbeat about the 
Cabinet, saying it was non-confrontational and would receive 
more cooperation from Parliament.  Many analysts agree that 
the composition was designed specifically to avoid 
confrontation.  One told the Ambassador that the new 
Information Minister was chosen from the Awazim tribe because 
seven MPs are from that tribe. 
 
Controversies on the Horizon 
---------------------------- 
 
 
KUWAIT 00000447  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶5.  (C) Rumblings of future clashes between the government 
and Parliament have already begun.  Independent Islamist MP 
Daifallah Bouramia has threatened to "grill" Minister of 
Finance Bader Al-Humaidhi, and Salafi MP Ahmed Baqer has 
continued his criticism of Dr. Abdullah Al-Maatouq, the 
Minister of Justice and the Minister of Religious Affairs. 
In a conversation with Political Specialist, Kuwait 
University Professor Dr. Ayed Al-Mana asked rhetorically, 
"Where is the logic in appointing a guy like Al-Muhailbi as 
Information Minister or replacing Dr. Adel Al-Tabtabaei with 
Nouriya Al-Sabih, with whom he is on bad terms?"  Al-Mana 
said this was "not encouraging at all" and predicted the 
likelihood of future clashes.  Some have also pointed out 
that ideological differences between ministers could lead to 
divisions within the Cabinet itself. 
 
Hope for New Elections 
---------------------- 
 
¶6.  (C) Dr. Abdullah Sahar, a Shi'a political science 
professor at Kuwait University, told PolOff this Cabinet was 
a short-term solution to political tensions, and predicted 
the Amir would dissolve Parliament and call new elections 
later this year.  He believed the new five constituency 
electoral system would result in "more rational," better 
qualified MPs with broad appeal across sectarian, 
ideological, and tribal lines.  Sahar claimed this would 
"reduce gaps between political blocs" in Parliament and lead 
to a more stable and efficient government capable of 
implementing a clear development program.  ICM member Dr. 
Hamad Al-Matar agreed, arguing that the "government will not 
last long" and predicting that the Kuwaiti leadership would 
"experiment with elections under the five constituency 
system."    However, most agree that such a development would 
likely come in the fall, after the long summer break. 
(Perhaps ministers can focus on their jobs in the interim.) 
 
********************************************* * 
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/ 
********************************************* * 
LeBaron