Kuwaiti Women's Suffrage Effort Thwarted

One step forward, three steps back, that's the dance the Middle East seems to do when it comes to politics and human rights. Opinions on this are a mixed bag. Someone might look at the situation in Kuwait and say that women didn't earn suffrage in the United States when they should have either. Kuwait is still a young sovereign nation and it needs time to develop at its own pace. This is of course the same argument used to defend the slow process of democracy and both Saudi Arabia and Russia. The other opinion is that ones attitudes political conduct must be somewhat consistent with the times. It matters not how young Kuwait is, this is the 21st Century and women need to be treated as equals in every country without exception or delay. While the latter argument is more idealistic, the former is definitely and unfortunately more realistic. Here's the story from the AP:

KUWAIT CITY (AP) - In a major setback to Kuwaiti women in politics, Islamist and conservative tribal lawmakers created a constitutional crisis that will delay consideration of a draft election law long enough to keep women out of this year's race for municipal council seats.

Women's rights activists were left hoping they can win voting rights ahead of the next municipal election, due in 2009.
The municipal council is a partially elected body with no major political significance. But succeeding in voting or running for it is seen as a step closer toward the larger aim of obtaining full political rights for women in Parliament, which has been an all-male domain for more than 40 years.

The maneuvering in Parliament was yet another success by conservatives in derailing attempts by Kuwait's ruler to push through laws granting women voting rights.

Women can vote in all Middle Eastern nations where elections are held, except in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Saudi Arabia barred women from voting in municipal elections - the kingdom's first ever - held in the first three months of this year. Elsewhere in the Persian Gulf, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman all have held their first elections in recent years and allowed women to cast ballots.

Kuwaiti women have reached high government posts and make up about half of Kuwait's work force, but opponents of the measure believe it would lead to mixing between men and women and fear wives would neglect their duties when they get involved in politics.

Islamists and tribal conservatives have been able in the past to vote down suffrage measures directly. This time, however, they took a more indirect approach, raising a constitutional debate that sidetracked the bill.

On Monday, parliament voted 29-2 in favor of a bill allowing women's participation in the municipal election, but 29 Islamist and conservative lawmakers abstained - apparently to avoid voting directly against the government's wishes. That left the measure two votes shy of the 33 clear yes or not votes necessary for a decision.

Parliament had been expected to vote again on Tuesday. Instead, speaker Jassem al-Kharafi offered legislators different interpretations by constitutional scholars on how the abstentions affect the vote. Two scholars said the vote should be repeated, two others said the abstentions should be added to the yes vote - meaning the measure would pass - and another said the bill failed altogether.

Al-Kharafi asked lawmakers to discuss the opinions and decide whether Monday's vote should be repeated. The decision was delayed for two weeks.
By that time, the emir will have issued his decree scheduling the municipal elections, which means no changes will be permitted to who is eligible to vote or run for office. The decree was expected within days.
"Women will not participate in the coming elections," al-Kharafi said. "If the law (ultimately) passes, women will participate in the following one."

Activist Rola Dashti said the two-week postponement on a vote meant there was still hope participation would be possible in 2009. Meanwhile, women can have "ample" time to prepare, she added.

Dashti said the prime minister, Sheik Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah, was sincere about women's rights but that his Cabinet members were "not working hard to mobilize" members of parliament.