Friday, May 30, 2008
Kuwaiti newspapers not impressed by new Cabinet
Independent Kuwaiti newspapers on Thursday expressed dismay at the new Cabinet line-up, predicting it will not last long and that the oil-rich emirate will continue to face political feuding. The 16-member Cabinet, the fourth in just over two years, was unveiled on Wednesday after a general election this month that followed a new standoff between MPs and the government in the Gulf state.
"National frustration government" was the headline in Alam al-Yawm newspaper, which said the Cabinet was based on "political and social quotas" and lacks "political harmony."
"It is thus obvious that the new Cabinet has failed to send any signal of hope to citizens," it said in an editorial. "The Cabinet line-up raises justified concerns about its ability to continue. It is feared that Kuwait will return to square one."
It was the fourth government to be formed by Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad al-Sabah, a nephew of Kuwait's emir, since he was appointed as premier in February 2006. Since then, the outspoken Parliament has been dissolved twice, the last time in March, because of political squabbling that analysts have blamed for stalling development in the wealthy state. (AFP)
Labels: Kuwait
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Kuwaiti emir re-appoints premier
The ruler of Kuwait has re-appointed his nephew, Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammed al-Sabah, as prime minister.
Sheikh Nasser had resigned on Monday, as required by the constitution, following Saturday's general election.
The poll was called to end disputes between MPs and ministers on a range of issues, including the economy.
Some members of parliament had warned that if the emir re-appointed Sheikh Nasser, their campaign against the government would continue.
Saturday's general election saw a large bloc of Islamist members and a small number of pro-Western liberals elected to parliament.
The make-up of parliament is similar to the one dissolved by the emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, in March. (BBC)
Labels: Kuwait
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Islamists Win Half of Seats in New Kuwaiti Parliament
Sunni and Shia Islamists boosted their presence in the Kuwaiti parliament, winning half the seats in elections yesterday, according to final results.
About 25 Islamists, including 5 Shias and at least 11 tribal representatives, secured seats in the 50-member national assembly, Election Committee member Anwar al-Enezi said in a statement read out today on state television.
Islamists increased their presence in the Majlis al-Ummah, as the parliament in known, by about five members, with Salafi Islamists making the largest gains, almost doubling to nine seats.
Candidates defined as ``pro-liberal'' took seven seats, essentially unchanged from the last parliament, and no women were elected. At least eight other winners reached parliament on independent tickets. The majority of those who won seats served in the previous parliament.
``This is more Islamist and more tribal'' than its predecessor, Ali al-Baghli, a former oil minister and political columnist, said by phone from Kuwait. ``This is almost a copy of the last parliament.''
Formal political parties are banned in Kuwait, though there are some seven de facto alliances representing Sunnis, Shias, groups known as liberals and opposition members advocating popular issues, such as improving health care and raising government salaries. (Bloomberg)
Labels: Kuwait
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Kuwait's Shiites hope to make gains in parliamentary polls
Kuwait's minority Shiites are looking to boost their strength in Parliament when the country goes to the ballot box on Saturday amid sectarian sentiment and regional tensions. While some Shiites believe that disputes with the emirate's Sunni ruling majority are being exaggerated, fears of a sectarian divide have prompted impassioned appeals for national unity during the election campaign.
Both Shiites - who account for about one-third of the native population of about 1 million - and Sunnis running in the poll have warned of the dangers of a possible fallout from sectarian violence in Iraq and the US-Iran standoff over Tehran's nuclear program.
"I think that sectarian polarization in this election is much higher than during the 2006 polls," Shiite candidate Abdel-Wahed Khalfan told AFP.
In March the authorities detained several Shiite activists for several days after a rally was held to mourn Imad Mughniyeh, a commander of Lebanon's Shiite Hizbullah, who was killed in February by a car bomb in Syria. The activists were questioned over alleged plans to form a Hizbullah branch in Kuwait and plotting to overthrow the government.
The crackdown angered many Shiites, who staged protests to demand the release of their activists, who denied the accusations. (AFP)
Labels: Kuwait
Thursday, May 15, 2008
LABOUR-SRI LANKA: Domestic Workers Promised New Deal in Kuwait
Will a new agreement between licensed labour recruiters in Sri Lanka and Kuwait protect the rights of domestic workers who face serious abuse in the Gulf state?
No, says one of Sri Lanka’s biggest groups working for the welfare of migrant workers which pins responsibility on shadowy sub-agents who enlist thousands of women every year as foreign domestic workers.
Viola Perera, coordinator for the Action Network for Migrant Workers (ACTFORM), says "as long as they (fly-by-night agents) are not held accountable or in some cases cannot be traced, the problem will continue."
Two associations of registered labour agents -- Sri Lankan Manpower Welfare Association of Kuwait (SLMWAK) and Association of Licensed Foreign Employment Agencies in Sri Lanka (ALFEA) -- signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in mid-April promising to "devise a method to look after the safety and welfare of migrant workers."
Zain Milhan, president of SLMWAK, pointed out the problems were chiefly because the women are not trained. "Kitchen equipment is highly computerised and often maids are penalised by wage cuts for pressing the wrong button which creates problems," he observed urging agents to ensure proper selection of workers.
An estimated 70 percent of the 1.5 million Sri Lankan migrants in the Gulf states and Lebanon are unskilled women working in homes. For Sri Lanka, remittances are the biggest source of foreign exchange after garment exports. However, foreign domestic workers in the Gulf are outside the mainstream labour, social and health protection laws and policies. They are confined to the house, denied a weekly day off, standard working hours, compensation for workplace injury and a minimum wage. (IPS)
Labels: Kuwait, Labour Rights, Migrant Rights, Sri Lanka
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Kuwaiti candidates blame ruling family for unrest
Candidates in Kuwait's parliamentary elections on Saturday blame fighting within the ruling family for the political turmoil that has rocked the emirate in recent years.
Unprecedented criticism of the ruling Al-Sabah dynasty has emerged ahead of the vote.
"The main problem in the domestic political arena is the feud among members of the family," Islamist candidate Khaled Sultan told a campaign rally on Sunday night. "It is a problem that needs to be resolved and the solution is in the hands of the emir alone."
He was echoing several liberal and independent candidates who have voiced concern that family infighting had undermined the previous Parliament, which was dissolved in March.
"Kuwait is paying the price of these disputes ... No one can doubt our loyalty to the Al-Sabah, but differences should not be allowed to continue because they are affecting political life and Parliament," said liberal MP Mohammad al-Sager. (AFP)
Labels: Kuwait
Kuwait in mourning after ex-emir dies
Kuwait announced three days of mourning on Tuesday after the death of Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah al-Sabah, who was briefly emir of the Gulf Arab state in 2006, state media said.
The mourning is not expected to affect parliamentary elections in the oil-exporting country, which are scheduled for Saturday.
Sheikh Saad was deposed by parliament on health grounds after just nine days in office in January 2006. He was replaced by Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, the current emir who had been the de facto ruler of Kuwait for the previous four years as prime minister.
The ailing Sheikh Saad had been named the 14th emir in the Sabah ruling dynasty on the day of the death of his cousin Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah. (Reuters)
Labels: Kuwait
Kuwait and KSA Evacuate Nationals and Diplomats from Lebanon
Saudi envoy joins seaborne exodus to nearby Cyprus (AFP)
Kuwait to evacuate all nationals from Lebanon (AFP)
Labels: Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
'Guantanamo man' in Iraq bombing
A former Kuwaiti detainee at the US camp at Guantanamo Bay carried out a recent suicide bombing in northern Iraq, the US military has said.
A spokesman for US Central Command told the Associated Press that Abdullah al-Ajmi took part in an attack in Mosul on 29 April that killed several people.
Ajmi and two other Kuwaitis blew up two explosive-packed vehicles next to Iraqi security forces, media reports say.
The US transferred Ajmi to Kuwaiti custody from Guantanamo Bay in 2005.
He was later acquitted by a Kuwaiti court of terrorism charges.
According to Kuwaiti and pan-Arab media reports, Ajmi and his two alleged accomplices, Nasir al-Dawsari and Badr al-Harbi, were able to leave Kuwait a month ago without alerting the attention of the authorities because they had wrongly been issued new passports. (BBC)
Labels: Guantanamo, Iraq, Kuwait, U.S.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Critics blame Kuwait's 'half democracy' for political deadlocks
Frustrated by political rows that have stalled development in one of the world's richest states, Kuwaitis are locked in a heated debate over why their brand of democracy is not working as they prepare to go to the polls on May 17. "A half democracy does not work," said political analyst Ayed al-Manna, referring to Kuwait's system under which it has a legislative assembly but no majority government and no political parties.
Others believe that repeated standoffs between Parliament and the government reflect purported power struggles within the Sabah dynasty, which has held power Kuwait for 250 years and holds key government ministries such as defense, interior and foreign affairs.
The fourth largest Organizaion of Petroleum Exporting Counties producer has been rocked by a string of political crises in the past few years, most recently in March when Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah dissolved Parliament and called early polls following a row between lawmakers and the government.
"It is difficult to imagine how a government in a parliamentary system can survive without a majority," Manna said.
Although elected MPs enjoy extensive legislative and monitoring powers, the 50-seat house has no say in the formation of the Cabinet, which by tradition is headed by a senior member of the Sabah family. A new government is also not required to obtain a vote of confidence from Parliament. Lawmakers can grill individual ministers and vote them out of office but have no power to bring down the entire Cabinet. (AFP)
Labels: Kuwait
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Kuwaiti and Sri Lankan agents strike deal on migrant workers
Recruiters for Sri Lankan housemaids in Kuwaiti homes, under fire for a host of problems faced by the domestic workers, have agreed to accept a greater measure of responsibility. More than 200 agents based in Colombo and Kuwait met here last week and signed a pact that binds them to protect domestic workers.
For the first time, the agents were not passing the buck to the governments or the state-owned Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau - as they normally do when housemaids are in trouble. In what many agree is a landmark move for the migrant worker industry in Sri Lanka, the two groups agreed that the crisis plaguing housemaids - who end up suffering harassment, rape, abuse, assault and non-payment of wages at the hands of employers - was partly their fault.
"These things wouldn't have happened if we - on both sides of the trade - had proper contracts, proper selection of workers, etc.," said Suraj Dandeniya, president of the Association of Licensed Foreign Employment Agents of Sri Lanka (ALFEA). (Inter Press Service)
Labels: Kuwait, Migrant Rights, Sri Lanka
Monday, April 14, 2008
Kuwait withdraws controversial law
The Kuwaiti government has withdrawn a law restricting public gatherings following strong opposition from civil organisations, political groups and activists.
The cabinet issued a statement on Monday, saying it was withdrawing the amendments, but would propose a new bill after parliamentary elections next month.
General elections are to be held on May 17. The polls will be the second in less than two years in the oil-rich Gulf state, scene of recent clashes between tribesmen and security forces.
Women, who won the right to vote in 2005, are taking part for the second time. (Al Jazeera)
Labels: Free Speech, Kuwait
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Kuwait diwaniya ban sparks protest
Kuwaiti authorities have used force to disperse a crowd protesting over a clampdown on diwaniyas, traditional meeting places, banned by law.
Colonel Mohammed al-Saber, the interior ministry spokesman, said in comments carried on Kuwaiti state television that no one was seriously injured in the clash on Friday in Sabahiya, south of the capital.
Special forces intervened and disperse more than 1,000 people who threw stones at them during an alleged secret vote for tribal primaries at a diwaniya, al-Saber said.
The TV showed forces beating back people with batons and using tear gas. Al-Saber said authorities used minimum force.
Friday's incident was the second time in a month that tribal members clashed with police over primaries that became illegal in 1998 in the Gulf country. (Al Jazeera)
Labels: Free Speech, Kuwait
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Kuwait under fire for arresting transvestites
Human Rights Watch on Monday condemned a wave of arrests of transvestites in Kuwait and called for the scrapping of a new law which outlaws cross-dressing. "New arrests show that Kuwait has resumed enforcing a repressive dress code that criminalizes 'imitating the appearance of the opposite sex,'" HRW said in a statement. The New York-based group called on the government to investigate allegations of ill-treatment of detainees and to repeal the offending provision, which violated the emirate's human rights obligations. Last December, Kuwait's National Assembly approved an amendment to the criminal code.
HRW said it states: "Any person committing an indecent act in a public place, or imitating the appearance of a member of the opposite sex, shall be subject to imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year or a fine not exceeding 1,000 dinars [$3,500]." Police began arresting people almost immediately, jailing at least 14 people in the first month, HRW said. After a two-month lull in enforcing the dress-code law, arrests began again in mid-March. Of the 14 people arrested in December 2007, police beat at least three while in detention, leaving one unconscious, HRW said, quoting their friends. (AFP)
Labels: Gay Rights, Human Rights Watch, Kuwait
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Kuwait's population gets boost from foreigners
Kuwait's population rose by 6.8 percent to 3.4 million in 2007, with foreigners now making up 69 percent of the total, an economic report said on Sunday, quoting official figures. The expatriate population in the Gulf state rose by 8.5 percent to 2.345 million, while the native population rose 3.1 percent to 1.055 million, or just 31 percent of the total, Al-Shall Economic Consultants said in a report based on figures from the Public Authority for Civil Information. The percentage of native Kuwaitis has been dropping every year as recruitment of foreign manpower, especially from Asia, has risen dramatically. Kuwait's labor force increased by 6.7 percent in 2007 to 2.092 million, with foreigners representing a massive 84.5 percent of the total. The number of Kuwaitis in the workforce dropped by about five percent to 324,000, largely due to retirement, Al-Shall said. Over 255,000 of them or almost 79 percent are employed in government jobs, the report said. Native Kuwaitis account for more than 70 percent of public sector workers but just 3.9 percent of the 1.8 million in the private sector. (AFP)
Labels: Kuwait
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Kuwait grills Shiite ex-MPs over Mughniyeh rally
Kuwait's public prosecutor on Tuesday questioned two Shiite members of the dissolved Parliament for allegedly joining an underground group working to overthrow the government, their lawyer said. Adnan Abdel-Samad and Ahmad Lari, who went to the prosecutor voluntarily, were accused of joining the previously unknown Hizbullah Kuwait, Abdel-Karim bin Haider said.
They were also accused of spreading false news that undermines Kuwait's foreign position, he said.
The two denied the charges and were later freed on a hefty 10,000-dinar ($37,170) bail, pending further investigations.
Two weeks ago, the prosecution interrogated eight leading Shiites over the same accusations. It freed them on bail after detaining them for several days. (Daily Star)
Labels: Kuwait
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Kuwait dissolves parliament, sets May election (Reuters)
Kuwait's ruler dissolved parliament on Wednesday, lawmakers said, after a political crisis forced the government of the Gulf Arab oil exporter to resign.
They said that the emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, will set a fresh election for May. Jassem al-Kharafi, speaker of the dissolved house, had been informed of the decision but state media had yet to publish the official decree, they added.
The standoff had paralyzed political life and delayed crucial economic reforms in the major OPEC producer and key U.S. ally.
Lawmakers said Sheikh Sabah, who has the last say in Kuwaiti politics, would announce the dissolution and call a new poll in a televised address later on Wednesday.
"The decree is expected tonight," Deputy Speaker Mohamed al-Bosairi told reporters. (Link)
Labels: Kuwait
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Kuwait's parliament may be dissolved after crisis (Reuters)
Kuwait's ruler is expected to dissolve parliament in the Gulf oil exporter after the government's resignation brought a long-running political crisis to a head, analysts and politicians said on Tuesday.
"I think the emir will dissolve the parliament to end this crisis between government and parliament," said political analyst Ali al-Baghli, a former oil minister.
"The government was not decisive enough and lacked a clear agenda and MPs focused on popular demands... There is hope that a new assembly will change things but I am not too optimistic." (Link)
Labels: Kuwait
Kuwait emir to tackle cabinet row (BBC)
Kuwait's ruler is expected to cut short a trip to Morocco to try to resolve a growing political crisis at home.
There has been speculation Sheikh Sabah may choose to dissolve parliament after all 14 members of the cabinet tendered their resignations on Monday.
Correspondents say constant political clashes between the cabinet and MPs have delayed planned economic reforms.
The sheikh - who is on a private visit - has the power to disband parliament and call early elections.
Otherwise he could accept the resignation of the cabinet, or order a government reshuffle.
Kuwait is struggling to transform itself from an oil-rich welfare state to a diversified economy which will be able to survive when the oil runs out. (Link)
Labels: Kuwait
Monday, March 17, 2008
Kuwait cabinet resigns en masse (Al Jazeera)
Kuwaiti ministers have handed in their resignation en masse to the emirate's prime minister.
The official news agency KUNA reported on Monday that all cabinet members had approached Sheikh Nasser Al Mohammed Al Sabah, the prime minister, to resign.
The emir has faced recent calls to sack the government, appoint a new premier and hold early parliamentary polls in the oil-rich emirate that neighbours Iraq.
The agency did not say whether or not the resignations had been accepted.
Kuwait's government has been locked in a political battle with parliament, paralysing political life in the Gulf Arab country for much of the past year.
Parliament has repeatedly grilled ministers over their conduct, which has resulted in several resignations.
The emir, who has the last say in politics, has repeatedly urged deputies and the government to work together but to little avail. (Link)
Update - IHT offers some more clarity on the reasons behind the cabinet quitting (Some excerpts):
Lately, the Kuwaiti parliament and government have been at odds. Among other issues, the assembly has been insisting on a pay hike for civil servants even though a generous salary increase has been given by the Cabinet already.
Parliament was scheduled to vote Tuesday on a pay increase for civil servants that the Cabinet had rejected. On March 4, Cabinet members stormed out of a parliamentary session in protest, saying generous salaries were already eating up half the state budget.
Monday's resignations come also amid growing sectarian tension between the country's Shiite minority and the ruling Sunni majority, prompted by a eulogy for a slain Hezbollah militant delivered by two Shiite lawmakers here. The militant, Imad Mughniyeh, was killed by a car bomb in Syria last month.
Parliament was scheduled to vote Tuesday on a pay increase for civil servants that the Cabinet had rejected. On March 4, Cabinet members stormed out of a parliamentary session in protest, saying generous salaries were already eating up half the state budget. (Link)
Labels: Kuwait
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Crackdown on Shiites stirs sectarian tensions in Kuwait (AFP)
A crackdown on leading clerics and politicians from Kuwait's Shiite minority has stoked sectarian tensions in the oil-rich Gulf state, raising questions about its aim and timing, analysts say. Claims that Shiite activists who took part in a controversial rally in February are seeking to topple the regime "amount to a sectarian campaign by the security agencies ... against prominent figures of the Shiite community," a group of leading Shiite clerics said in a statement on Wednesday.
"If you're a Shiite in Kuwait, you have to swear five times a day after each prayer that you hate Iran and love Israel" in order to prove loyalty to the majority Sunni country, Shiite writer Abdulhameed Dashti lamented in the Arabic newspaper An-Nahar.
Some commentators have blamed the regional standoff between the United States and Iran for the crisis which began after a rally by Shiite activists to mourn Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniyeh, who was killed in a Damascus car bombing last month, triggered the arrest of eight prominent activists. (Link)
Labels: Kuwait
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Leading Kuwaiti liberal politician dies at 59 (AFP)
Former Kuwaiti Education Monister Ahmad al-Rubaie, a writer and prominent liberal, has died after a two-year battle with cancer, official media said on Thursday. He was 59. Rabei, a former three-time MP, died late on Wednesday. He was elected to Parliament for the first time in 1985 as one of the leading opposition figures. After winning a second term in Parliament in 1992, the Harvard-educated Rabei was appointed education minister until 1996. He served his third and final term in Parliament between 1999 and 2003. He was also a regular writer in leading Arabic newspapers, including Kuwait's Al-Qabas and Saudi-owned pan-Arab Asharq al-Awsat. (Link)
Labels: Kuwait
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Kuwait vows to deport foreigners who joined in mourning for Mughniyeh (AFP)
The Gulf state of Kuwait plans to deport foreigners who took part in a rally last month to mourn slain Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniyeh, the interior minister said on Sunday.
"We will deport any foreigner who took part in the mourning rally. This is a decision we will implement and we will not back down," Sheikh Jaber Khaled al-Sabah told Al-Watan newspaper. He did not say how many people will be deported or if the ministry has begun rounding up suspects.
The rally, in which hundreds of Shiite activists including Kuwaitis, Bahrainis, Lebanese and Iranians took part, caused uproar in the oil-rich emirate because Mughniyeh was accused of hijacking a Kuwaiti plane two decades ago.
Reactions to the protest have taken a sectarian turn in Kuwait, where a third of the native population of 1 million are Shiites.
Two Kuwaiti lawmakers, Adnan Abdel-Samad and Ahmad Lari, and a number of Shiite activists are being sued by four lawyers and the interior minister in connection with the protest. (Link)
Labels: Kuwait
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Saudis urged to leave Lebanon (Al Jazeera)
The Saudi Arabian embassy in Beirut has called on its nationals to leave Lebanon a day after a US warship was positioned off the country's coast.
The embassy on Saturday sent SMS messages to Saudis living in Lebanon urging them to leave the country as soon as possible, Al Jazeera's correspondent said.
Saudi Arabia issued an advisory last month urging its citizens not to travel to Lebanon because of deteriorating political and security conditions.
Kuwait and Bahrain followed with similar calls. (Link)
Labels: Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Kuwait warns on travel to Lebanon (BBC)
Kuwaiti nationals have been advised to delay travel to Lebanon because of a security threat at its Beirut embassy.
The embassy was evacuated after an anonymous caller said it would be attacked.
Earlier in the week, the Saudi Arabian authorities advised Saudi citizens against travelling to Lebanon because of the uncertain security situation. (Link)
Monday, February 18, 2008
Kuwait deplores 'terror' eulogy (BBC)
Kuwaiti officials have criticised Shia Muslims in the emirate who eulogised Lebanese militant Imad Mughniyeh who died in a car bomb in Syria last week.
Hundreds of members of Kuwait's Shia minority gathered on Saturday to hail Mughniyeh as a martyr and hero.
The cabinet branded the late Hezbollah commander "a terrorist whose hands have been stained with martyrs' blood".
Kuwait, a key US ally, accuses him of hijacking a Kuwaiti jet in 1988 in which two Kuwaiti nationals died. (Link)
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Israel would likely take out Iranian nukes: Kuwaiti (Arab Times)
Alfaraj, president of the Kuwait Centre for Strategic Studies, said Israel might bomb Iranian nuclear facilities in the same way it destroyed Iraq’s main atomic reactor at Osirak with a military strike in 1981. “I believe in something on the same Iraqi model...We are assuming in the Gulf that Israel will take it out. We are not saying that, but Israel would,” Alfaraj told Reuters at the start of an analyst ‘roadshow’ organised by Realite-EU, an independent body which tracks Middle East security developments. (Link)
Labels: GCC, Iran, Israel, Kuwait
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