Kuwaiti women face big challenges after securing suffrage right

Kuwaiti women are set to face more challenges when they vote in the 2007 elections, said a top Kuwaiti campaigner for women's political rights.

"Kuwaiti women will exercise their right to vote according to their own choice and male influence will play very little role in this process. They will judge a candidate by his or her character, charisma, honesty, record and transparency," said Dr Rola Dashti, in an exclusive interview with Gulf News.

Dashti said the women will not be influenced by male family members, and Islamists will not benefit from their vote.

"Although a handful of so-called conservative women 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, a leading activist for gender equality in Kuwait, won women's suffrage right in 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.

She is critical of the Islamists campaigning for women's awareness: "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.

— The writer is a journalist based in Kuwait