Kuwait Parliament is Male Territory?
Ghenwah Jabouri
Staff Writer (from today’s Al Watan: you can read the entire article by clicking here)
KUWAIT: Citizens have dynamically noted that they are cynical about women becoming Members of Parliament, stressing that “Parliament is territorial to the male candidate.” Moreover, various opinions state that women are far from ready to steer Kuwait to higher places. However, will the next Parliament, witness women figures finally taking the oath, in spite of the fact that people still do not trust women? After all, the National Assembly in Kuwait, has been male dominant since its establishment in 1962, and has always been subject to scrutiny, enquiry and has been dissolved several times constitutionally and unconstitutionally. Moreover, the rage, bickering and lack of communication between members of Parliament and government officials is becoming more and more frequent, ultimately, infusing citizens with melancholy toward their government.
Will women succeed where men have failed is a question that is highly anticipated, but time can only prove if women are able to persuade voters that they can make that change.
6 Comments »
Leave a reply to intlxpatr Cancel reply
Recent Comments
Catherine on Donna Leon Crossing Cultu… intlxpatr on Ignoring the Law thani on Ignoring the Law Anon. on British Soldier Kidnapped, Esc… Reeva Mills on Cahors to Bordeaux, Preparing… Wikipedia Donate Button
Amazina
Early Voting in Florida
Here There and Everywhere 
While we are yet to see whether women will or will not make a difference in the effectiveness of the parliament, they have already been successful in convincing a significant amount of voters to vote for them. In the last parliamentary elections one of the female candidates took 11th and all she needed would have been 10th place to make it. And that was the first time for women to run in parliament in Kuwait! This time around, I believe that not only will we have a female MP but my hunch (or rather, my hope) is that we will have at least two.
But to be honest I don’t think that the gender aspect is what makes a person more or less effective in the parliament. The reason why I would want some female candidates to win is NOT because they are women but rather because they are of high caliber – some of them are intellectuals with PhDs. These are the kinds of people that should be given positions of leadership regardless of their gender.
I believe that the candidate who almost won last time is running again, isn’t she, Alf Laila? I hear she is not only educated, but also SMART and not to be messed with. Wooo HOOOO on her.
I think another female candidate ran the very first time women were allowed to run and has a PhD – and lectures on the university level – in Economics. My hat is off to anyone who majors in Economics, the heavy weight of the social sciences.
It’s not my election – my wish for Kuwait is that only the best qualified candidates win, those who are willing to work hard for Kuwait, whose families are willing to make the sacrifice that public service entails, and that all those elected are eager to serve with civility, in collaboration with the government, to lead Kuwait into a prosperous, productive and transparent future.
Oops. Sounds like an election speech. Sorry!
LOL it does sound like an election speech! π
Heee heee!
Considering that female voters constitute MORE than 55% of the eligible voting population, it’s quite ironic that we’re HOPING that ONE or TWO women can “make” it through? Let’s face it folks, there is a serious problems with how Kuwaiti women perceive elections and running for office in general.
Unfortunately, I met MORE Kuwaiti women that are against women participation in the parliament than men! And not just any women, I’m talking about professional & educated engineers! Hell, Boramia, the religious nut job who ran a campaign specifically against women voting rights (before they were granted the rights in 2006), WON his parliamentary seat because, guess what, SO MANY WOMEN VOTED FOR HIM in 2008!
If this doesn’t make your head explode, I don’t know what will. I’ll be giving one vote to 3 women and one man in this election. Not sure if it will make a big difference in the first district which is dominated by Shiia and Azmi tribe.
What delights me, KNRO (Welcome, btw!) is that so many of the women who have taken the huge step of running are so bright, so competent and so educated. As 1001 Nights says, above, it’s not enough to vote for a woman, the woman has to be a qualified person you think is the best person for the job. You are lucky – I think you have excellent candidates. π
No, it doesn’t make my head explode. For so long women have been trained to think of ourselves in terms of looks and home-making skills, and marriageability, and to judge ourselves and others on the basis of the man we attract and marry. Madeleine Allbright is the first woman I can remember in my own country in a serious position, and that is in my lifetime. It takes time for women to see themselves differently, and to work cooperatively, not competitively, with other women.