Tomorrow, Kuwait goes to the polls to elect a new parliament in which 361,000 eligible citizens can choose from 274 candidates for the 50-member assembly. The snap elections follow the move by the emir, Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, to dissolve the opposition-dominated parliament — the National Assembly — in March after the cabinet resigned over alleged lack of cooperation from lawmakers.
Arguably, Kuwait is one of the most democratic countries in the Arab world, with the possible exception of Lebanon which, in any case, is a weak, confessional state.
The Kuwaiti parliament, unlike sundry other “parliaments” in the wider region, is a real body, with real powers.
There are no formal political parties, but there are loose political groupings comprising Islamists, liberals, nationalists and pro-government candidates.
Although the emir has the final say in drafting policies, Kuwait’s parliament plays a full role in the decision making process. It also has the power — which it exercises often — to initiate legislation and grill government ministers.
And the media in the country consistently ranks among the freest in the Arab world.
Yet all is not well in this small, wealthy nation. A sluggish, largely state-controlled economy, the state of public hospitals and schools and the National Assembly’s perceived poor performance has led to general disenchantment amongst voters.
Lack of prospects
They see the phenomenal growth of, and economic dynamism in, the UAE and Qatar and despair at their comparative lack of business prospects.
It used to be said that Kuwait is “too rich for its own good”. There are murmurs in some quarters now if Kuwait is “too democratic for its own good”.
However, a vast majority of Kuwaitis are rightfully proud of their democratic traditions, and are unwilling to trade them for greater economic opportunities and development.
Two years ago the electoral districting law was changed, under popular pressure.
It was argued that old system — of having a large number of small constituencies — promoted corrupt practices such as vote-buying.
Now, there are only five constituencies, as opposed to 25 in the past. This means there is an almost ten-fold increase in the number of constituents in each constituency, and this in turn discourages practices such as vote-buying.
And then, in a historic move, women were allowed to vote and stand in elections.
“We have entered a totally new era [of electoral politics] in Kuwait. For the first time we have five, and not 25, constituencies. The candidates are scrambling for an agenda. Most of them don’t know where they are heading,” Dr Saad Bin Teflah Al Ajmi, a Kuwaiti political commentator and former minister of information, told Weekend Review.
“Each constituency elects 10 MPs. Every voter can vote for up to four candidates. Some of the main issues in this election include privatisation and the issue of the Bidoun [the stateless people in Kuwait],” he said.
Dominant view
Al Ajmi conceded that there were voices in Kuwait that were calling into question the democratic process itself, but added that the “dominant view” was in favour of parliament and democracy. Asked if he thought the new parliament will last its full term — four years — he said: “I doubt it.”
Many in Kuwait believe that the division of power, between the government and the parliament has hampered the decision-making and implementation process.
Speaking to Weekend Review, Dr Abdullah Al Shayji, a columnist and a professor of political science at Kuwait University, said: “The problem has often been the acrimonious relationship between the government and the legislature. As a result, many projects are being delayed.”
Asked what he thought were the main issues in these elections, Al Shayji said, “Reforms and improvements in the healthcare sector. We need medical services to be more efficient. We have a huge surplus of KD8 billion, as a result of the oil windfall.
"The question is how best to utilise it for the benefit of the citizens. [In a rich country and welfare state like ours] there should not be a situation wherein people have to go abroad for treatment. The government must build top-notch hospitals and get the best doctors from around the world to work here.
“Besides, the government must think of other ways of making the lives of citizens better. They recently ordered a salary increase of $400 for all citizens. That is not enough. There should be some sort of long-term scheme, in which citizens continue to benefit in the long term. Something drastic must be done.”
Al Shaji noted that improvements could also be made in infrastructure. “I am not saying it is too bad. Infrastructure in Kuwait is up to Gulf standards. But there is always scope for improvement.”
So what did he make of the view held by a few in Kuwait that their country was a bit too democratic?
“Democracy is not neat. But you have accountability. With all its negative aspects, we are all still proud of Kuwaiti democracy. There are some segments of society and some interest groups that don’t want to see democracy here.
"But the emir himself has publicly given his full backing for the democratic process. There are those who say we are regressing in terms of modernisation. But they forget that we are progressing politically, in terms of political development,” Al Shayji said.
He believed the parliament was very important for Kuwait, as it maintained “checks and balances” on the government. He said he was proud of the sophisticated “culture of electioneering” that had developed in Kuwait, and also praised the media for its efforts.
“We have 18 dailies, including three English language newspapers, in Kuwait for a population of about a million [citizens]. The media has played a major role in the development of the democratic process.”
Asked for his predictions, he said that he expected to see at least 25 news faces in parliament. However, he did not think any woman candidate would win a seat.
Change is what Kuwaitis seem to want, and are banking on the new parliament to provide that.
Nahes Al Anezi, a lawyer and political analyst, blamed the government and parliament for a lack of strategy. He said that most of the outgoing MPs would not make it back to the parliament, given people’s dissatisfaction.
“I think that there will be at least 40 news faces in the parliament after the elections. And this time, I hope, the parliament will last its full tenure [four years].”
Al Anezi blamed the government for slow economic growth and the state of healthcare. “The upcoming parliament has its task cut out.”
Despite the fact that about 10 per cent of the total candidates are women, Al Anezi said he believed not one of them would make it to the parliament. “I think it will be an all-male legislature.”
