'A long way to go for women to get their full rights'

Kuwaiti women are set to face more challenges and will not be influenced by male family members, nor will Islamists benefit from women's suffrage when they vote in the 2007 elections, said a top Kuwaiti campaigner for women's political rights.

In an exclusive interview with Gulf News, Dr Rola Dashti said that the majority of female voters will back moderate candidates.

"Although a handful of so-called conservative wo-men backed the Islamists in opposing rights for women, a silent majority among the conservative circle is with the liberals and we heard their voices and had their support throughout our struggle," she said.

Dashti is a leading activist fighting for gender equality in Kuwait, particularly wo-men's right to suffrage.

She decided in the past, along with other women activists, to take their case to Kuwaiti courts.

Dashti's case was the first in the history of Kuwait to reach the constitutional courts where she contested the constitutionality of the prevailing electoral law.

But the case was dismissed on grounds of procedural irregularities, and not content. That ruling has not discouraged Dashti and her fight continued until women's suffrage right was recognised by the Parliament on May 16 this year.

Days later, two women were appointed to the municipal council and afterwards, Masoumah al Mubarak became the first female minister in Kuwait.

Dashti is still active on the political front to achieve full equality of women participation into social and political life in Kuwait and is also preparing to run for parliamentary elections in 2007.

She is critical of the Islamists campaigning for women's awareness and said: "Kuwaiti woman doesn't have short memory and she knows who they are and what they have done in the past regarding the issue of rights for women.

"Extremists have never accepted women's rights and opposed the bill of rights, but now they are campaigning to attract female voters. This is hypocrisy at its peak and Kuwaiti women recognise this hypocrisy," she said.

Dashti said that Kuwaiti women face big challenges after getting political rights now they have to prove their effectiveness and capability in strengthening democracy, freedom and make the decision-making process more transparent.

At least four women will be on the floor of Parliament in 2007 who will have to face tremendous challenges to prove their worth, according to Dashti.

She said women's involvement in any sphere of life spells development for the nation, so all liberal individual and groups are planning awareness campaigns for women and to convince them to get register in February.

The registrations will be vital for women's struggle to establish their rights, Dashti said.

Dashti has done a PhD in Population Economics from Johns Hopkins University in the United States.

Her work in the field of demography, human resources development, and economic reform in Kuwait continues to provide an input to the turn of the century planning in the country.

Apart from lecturing, managing research in development and applied economics, Dashti is currently heading an international consultancy company in the country.

The writer is a journalist based in Kuwait