US embassy cable - 05KUWAIT36

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 000036 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARPI 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/29/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, KISL, KPAO, PINR, KU, Ministers 
SUBJECT: SHI'A INFORMATION MINISTER RESIGNS AMID SCANDAL; 
ISLAMISTS CLAIM VICTORY, BUT LIBERAL OUTRAGE LED TO HIS 
OUSTER 
 
REF: A. 04 KUWAIT 4540 
     B. 04 KUWAIT 1519 
     C. 04 KUWAIT 0949 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) 
 
1. (C) Summary: Prime Minister Shaykh Sabah accepted, on 
January 2, the resignation of Information Minister Mohammed 
Abulhassan, preempting what was certain to be a difficult 
grilling of Abulhassan during the January 3 session of 
Parliament.  Although Islamists were preparing to grill the 
Information Minister for a number of "moral" shortcomings, it 
was a recent and controversial decision by Abulhassan -- 
which some assert came from the Prime Minister -- to nullify 
a Supreme Court ruling calling for the liquidation of the 
assets of a prominent Kuwait daily that galvanized many 
non-Islamists against him, ultimately leading to his 
downfall.  This resignation, despite being driven in part by 
liberals, is a victory for the Sunni Islamists and highlights 
their ability to influence the GOK.  Speculation about the 
extent of the cabinet reshuffle is growing as press contacts 
also shared unconfirmed rumors reporting the acceptance of 
Finance Minister Mahmoud Al-Nouri's resignation -- Al-Nouri 
tendered his resignation in early 2004, however, it was never 
accepted by Shaykh Sabah.  Social Affairs and Labor Minister 
Faisal Al-Hajji will temporarily assume the Information 
Ministry portfolio. End Summary. 
 
A Political Win for the Islamists 
--------------------------------- 
 
2. (SBU) Prime Minister Shaykh Sabah accepted the resignation 
of Information Minister Mohammed Abulhassan on January 2. 
Abulhassan wrote in his resignation letter that he was 
stepping down to end political infighting and to preserve 
national unity.  In resigning, Abulhassan has avoided what 
was certain to be a damaging grilling for the PM's cabinet 
and a possible upsurge in sectarian arguments -- something PM 
Shaykh Sabah was keen to avoid.  News dailies and pundits, of 
all political stripes, including some who previously called 
for the Minister's resignation, hailed the decision as 
"courageous" and a "brave step," arguing his departure 
removed a point of contention from Islamists and liberals 
alike.  Social Affairs and Labor Minister Faisal Al-Hajji is 
expected to act as the interim Information Minister until a 
permanent replacement is made. 
 
3. (SBU) Although it was not the rhetorical attacks from 
Islamists that finally led to Abulhassan's resignation, his 
stepping down is clearly seen as a victory for the Islamic 
bloc.  Several Salafi Islamist MPs have been colluding to 
grill Abulhassan, a liberal and the only Shi'a in the 
Cabinet, since he assumed his post in the summer of 2003 (ref 
B).  Their efforts, mostly along sectarian lines, increased 
after a series of television programs such as 'Star Academy' 
and 'Super Star' were aired, reaching a fever pitch after a 
May 2004 music concert in Kuwait featuring celebrities from 
the Star Academy program.  (Note: After extensive Islamist 
pressure in 2004, the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs 
drafted new concert regulations which prohibit vulgar 
language at concerts, bar women and men from mixing, and 
prevent female musicians from singing in front of men and 
from wearing "indecent" clothes.  Additionally, the Ministry 
of Information on January 1, 2005 issued a decree banning 
live concerts in all hotels in Kuwait.  Prior to the decree, 
hotel venues were seen as a way to bypass the Islamist 
concert prohibitions. End Note.) 
 
4. (SBU) The most recent controversy surrounding the 
Information Minister was his decision to ban local hotels 
from holding New Year's celebrations, a clear concession to 
the Islamists which came under fire from moderates and 
liberals. (Note: Although GOK offices are closed on New 
Year's day, public celebrations on New Year's eve are not 
publicly acceptable.  Most parties held by Kuwaitis and 
expats are private functions designed to draw neither public 
attention nor criticism. End Note.)  In the press, some 
Kuwaiti liberals have accused the GOK of making "secret deals 
with the Islamists at the cost of freedoms guaranteed by the 
Kuwaiti constitution." 
 
Abulhassan's Fatal Misstep... 
----------------------------- 
 
5. (SBU) What was anticipated to be a feckless grilling of 
the Information Minister by Islamists quickly turned into a 
genuine imbroglio that led directly to Abulhassan's decision 
to step down.  The Minister's late 2004 decision to nullify a 
Court of Cassation -- Kuwait's Supreme Court -- ruling 
regarding the ownership of a Kuwait newspaper provoked 
widespread outrage, especially among moderate and liberal 
MPs.  The controversial decision led to a lawsuit against the 
Information Minister for his decision to overrule the Supreme 
Court's judgment calling for liquidating the assets of the 
publishing house of prominent Kuwait daily "Al-Rai Al-Aam." 
The Minister's decision prevented the liquidation of the 
company, which is required under Kuwaiti law in light of 
ownership disputes between majority shareholder, 
editor-in-chief Jassem Boodai, and the company's minority 
shareholders. 
 
6. (SBU) The Council of Ministers reportedly froze the 
Information Minister's controversial decision, however, the 
move by Abulhassan netted him many non-Islamist detractors 
only weeks before his Parliamentary grilling was scheduled to 
take place.  Many non-Islamists, including prominent 
liberals, spoke out against Abulhassan's actions.  Because of 
the scandal, there were likely to be enough MPs to call for a 
vote of no-confidence and oust the minister.  A number of 
MPs, who had been prepared to defend Abulhassan from the 
Islamist charges of "moral" corruption, shifted their stance 
against him because of his decision. 
 
...May Have Been PM's Mistake 
----------------------------- 
 
7. (C) A senior contact at Al-Rai Al-Aam informed the Embassy 
that PM Shaykh Sabah insisted that the paper remain 
controlled by his close friend Jassem Boodai.  The contact 
regarded this information as well-known and also said that 
the PM was growing tired of Abulhassan.  (Comment: While we 
cannot confirm Shaykh Sabah's role in this matter, many 
Kuwaitis do believe, as PolOff was reminded by several 
contacts during a January 3 visit to the National Assembly, 
that the Information Minister would never have taken the 
decision on his own to nullify a supreme court ruling and 
that it was indeed directed by PM Shaykh Sabah.  This belief 
is feeding rumors throughout Kuwait that Shaykh Sabah 
accepted Abulhassan's resignation to protect himself from his 
own mistake. End Comment.) 
 
Finance Minister Out and Other Rumors 
-------------------------------------- 
 
8. (C) The turmoil caused by the Information Minister's 
latest actions may have opened the door for other ministerial 
changes.  Press contacts claim, although we are unable to 
confirm, that Finance Minister Mahmoud Al-Nouri's resignation 
has also been accepted.  Al-Nouri, after his grilling in 
March 2004, reportedly tendered his resignation to PM Shaykh 
Sabah, who refused to accept it.  Al-Nouri, who narrowly 
escaped being ousted (ref C), is very ill and Embassy 
contacts report that he has wanted to step down for health 
reasons, but has been unable to because of Shaykh Sabah's 
request that he stay on. 
 
9. (C) Word is also already spreading regarding the extent of 
the possible cabinet changes.  Some Embassy contacts expect 
up to five ministers to be replaced in a reshuffle, including 
Education Minister Dr. Rashid Al-Hamad.  Another contact 
mentioned three names as possible replacements for 
Abulhassan: the PM's media advisor Sami Al-Nisf, Journalist 
and university professor Dr. Anas Al-Rashid, and Secretary 
General of the Kuwait Journalists Association Faisal 
Al-Qinaei.  Some news dailies have further speculated that 
Shaykh Mohammed Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, a young, but 
influential ruling-family member (ref A) and prominent 
Kuwaiti intellectual and Professor of sociology Dr. Mohammed 
Al-Rumaihi are also on the short-list for elevation to 
cabinet posts. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
10. (C) Shaykh Sabah, in allowing his Information Minister to 
resign, most likely concluded that Abulhassan was 
irredeemable.  Even if he could have saved the Information 
Minister from an almost certain vote of no-confidence, he is 
likely to have determined that it would have cost too much 
political capital to do so.  Additionally, Abulhassan was his 
only Shi'a Minister, and as such was under constant siege 
from the Islamists, thereby drawing much unwanted attention 
to all of his activities.  The PM's decision to accept the 
resignation may also be an indicator that he is tiring of the 
unyielding efforts by the National Assembly to grill his 
ministers. 
 
11. (C) Even though it was liberal outrage -- outrage 
possibly caused by the PM and not his minister --- that 
clinched Abulhassan's political demise, Islamists are likely 
to be emboldened to pursue an even greater social agenda as a 
result.  There is much speculation that Sabah Al-Ahmed also 
feared that this grilling would lead to great sectarian 
upheaval and chose to accept Abulhassan's resignation rather 
than face a firestorm from Islamists and liberals in 
Parliament, as well as avoiding a surge of arguments along 
sectarian lines.  Although many regard this resignation as 
good for the country, it clearly must be viewed as a 
political victory for the Islamists and it is unlikely that 
the next information minister, unless an Islamist himself, 
will escape the attacks of the conservative Islamists in 
Parliament. 
 
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