Right to vote for Kuwaiti women

Students debate how far will women exercise it

May 16 is a date that will go down in history as a milestone for women's rights. After a long and eventful struggle, Kuwaiti women finally secured full political rights as the parliament made an amendment to the country's election law.

Women in Arab countries such as Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Jordan have enjoyed these rights for decades, while other nations such as Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have also taken certain steps to allow women to take part in political affairs.

Thus the decision marked the beginning of a new chapter in Kuwaiti politics.

But now, after being granted voting rights, will Kuwaiti women actively take part in the process? Or will participation be limited to the few who ran the movement? Will women who stand for elections be trusted by voters? Besides, does the decision mean that democracy in Kuwait is now complete?

Notes takes a look at what students and experts predict.

Decision welcomed

Most of those interviewed were in favour of the move taken by the Kuwaiti parliament. "It's about time," said Ali Abu Khamsin, a recent Kuwaiti graduate from the American University of Sharjah (AUS). He added that the decision will "enhance the integrity and equality of people in Kuwait".

E.A., also a Kuwaiti student at a university in the UAE, agreed. "As women, we have equal rights and there shouldn't be any difference between genders on this issue."

Shaikha Al Bannay, another AUS graduate, said: "Kuwaiti women now have the chance to contribute for the good of the country."

Dr Lawrence Woods, Professor of Political Science at AUS, said: "I admire the efforts of all those, female and male, who have been working to secure enhanced political rights for women in Kuwait."

However, Sulaiman Al Musallam, a student at the American University in Dubai (AUD), said that the decision might not prove as remarkable as people have made it out to be.

According to him, the problem would be that "almost 85 per cent of the women would just follow their husbands' votes." The Kuwaiti student, who is majoring in business management, said only 15 per cent of Kuwaiti women would be able to make informed, independent decisions.

Participation issues

Did he think women would actively participate? "They would, for at least five to six years, because it's a new thing," Sulaiman answered.

Ali said that women would go "full throttle" with this, because "voting in Kuwait is a very social event and people would not miss the chance to support their party."

Asked the same question, E.A. immediately replied, "Of course!" Shaikha agreed. "Women have tried so hard to achieve this, they're not just going to ignore it now."

She admitted that it was not necessary that everyone would vote, but according to her, the majority would definitely take part.

However, participation is not limited to just voting.

Women also received the right to run for elections, and already certain candidates have declared their intention to do so. "I think this is great," Shaikha said, "although it's possible that people may be wary of electing women."

Ali said voting for women would depend on a candidate's campaign.

"Kuwaiti women like challenges," E.A. said, "and maybe in the beginning it would be something new but in a few years it will be normal as the community will get used to it."

Sulaiman agreed with her opinion. He said that as a Kuwaiti, he wouldn't vote for a woman. "This is still a new thing," he said, "and you can't just trust a woman immediately because generally most think with their hearts and not their brains."

He stressed that he was not a chauvinist. "Even Kuwaiti women would not vote for women," he said.

Shaikha disagreed, noting that "women can be as qualified as men and sometimes even more qualified".

Perhaps, but the fact remains that electing a woman to public office is an idea that will take getting used to.

Nevertheless, Dr Ebtisam Al Kitbi, professor of political science at UAE University, pointed out that voting for women may not be restricted simply by the fact that it is a "new idea". She explained that, sometimes, tribal differences can serve as a great barrier in this regard.

Democracy still incomplete

Many now feel that democracy in Kuwait has finally been achieved. Or has it? Shaikha remarked that the decision was definitely a step forward for the process, "but there is still a lot more we can do".

Sulaiman said he was sceptical of the decision. "Women have been rallying for years, and only now have their demands been met. Why now?" he questioned.

Why indeed? "I think it's all for show…" he added bluntly, "… to show other countries that ‘look, we have granted these rights to women'."

In fact, his opinion is not that far removed from Dr Al Kitbi's, who said that democracy cannot be completed simply by granting full political rights to women.

"Democracy entails the establishment of institutions that are accountable to the public," she said. According to her, some of the problems that women are facing are the same as those of men, and this move is not the solution.

"This [the move] is like democracy from above," she said. "The answer is to run a comprehensive process of politics that entails modernisation of all social and cultural components of society," she explained.

Despite these observations, one cannot undermine the implications this decision will have on Kuwait, and on the Arab world in general.

At the very least, as Dr Woods said, the move is "part of a trend towards recognising the invaluable contributions women have always made to societies, economies and political systems everywhere".

The writer is a mass communications student and editor of the university newspaper at the American University of Sharjah