US embassy cable - 05KUWAIT4647

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 004647 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
LONDON FOR TSOU 
STATE FOR NEA/FO AND NEA/ARPI 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/01/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, KMPI, PREL, SOCI, PTER, PINR, KU, FREEDOM AGENDA, SUCCESSION 
SUBJECT: FREEDOM AGENDA: ENERGY MINISTER'S VIEWS ON 
ELECTORAL DISTRICT REFORM, PRESS LAW, PARTIES, AND FAMILY 
MATTERS 
 
REF: STATE 152818 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reason 1.4 (b) 
 
1.  (C) Summary: Responding to the Ambassador's inquiries 
about elements of the "Freedom Agenda" during a meeting on 
October 30, ruling family member and Energy Minister Shaykh 
Ahmad Fahd Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah said most National Assembly 
members "don't know how many voting constituencies they 
want," and that those who have even agreed on the same number 
"don't know what kind (of system) they want."  While on one 
hand he said that "the Government is serious" about its 
proposal to reduce the number of electoral districts, he 
indicated that it would not really matter whether the number 
ended up being one, five, ten or thirty. "The only surprise 
(in the outcome of the voting under a new constituency plan) 
would be the first time," he explained, "then you know how to 
get what you want." 
 
2.  (C) Shaykh Ahmad said that he thought the new press law 
would go through and that it was "a good law."  He said that 
he saw political parties as an inevitability (that he had 
long supported), and that the GOK would "have to accept it." 
The Minister offered a guarded but candid assessment of the 
Al-Sabah family's succession plans, saying "we are a 
traditional family, and will solve family issues in a 
traditional way."  While he vaguely referred to something 
happening "after Ramadan," he was clear in indicating that it 
was the Prime Minister Shaykh Sabah, and not the Amir, who 
was the main force slowing any effort to nudge aside the 
ailing Crown Prince. 
 
3.  (C) Comment: Shaykh Ahmed is a lightening rod for those 
in Kuwait critical of the government.  He is often accused of 
corruption, but specifics are rarely supplied.  He has, by 
far, the highest political profile of any the "next 
generation" Al-Sabah family members and, also unlike most of 
the Al-Sabah family, he actually enjoys the rough and tumble 
of internal politics.  He also relishes the high visibility 
accorded to him as OPEC Chairman during the phenomenal rise 
in oil prices in 2005.  While he shows a few signs of 
restlessness with the ponderous decision-making tempo of the 
older generation of Al-Sabahs, (he's 42), he is loyal to 
Shaykh Sabah, while being well-positioned and possessing 
plenty of time to move up the leadership ladder.  (End 
Summary/Comment) 
 
Constituencies: "1, 5, 10, It Doesn't Matter" 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
4.  (C) During an October 30 meeting with ruling family 
member and Energy Minister Shaykh Ahmad Fahd Al-Ahmad 
Al-Sabah, the Ambassador asked for the Minister's thoughts on 
a number of Freedom Agenda items (reftel).  The Minister said 
that "some National Assembly members want five, some ten, and 
some thirty" electoral constituencies, and that even the ones 
who agreed on a number, such as the GOK-supported proposal of 
ten, did not know "what kind of ten they want."  While he 
said that the GOK "is serious" about its proposal to reduce 
the number of electoral districts, he also said that "it 
would not really matter how many" in the long run.  "One, 
five, ten," he joked, "it doesn't matter to us." 
 
5.  (C) Shaykh Ahmad said that the more important issue 
related to reform of the districts would be changing the 
rules so that, if there were ten electoral districts with 
five representatives elected from each one, each voter could 
only vote for two candidates.  That way, he explained, there 
would be more diverse representation among each constituency, 
and more even representation across the different religious, 
social and political groups in Kuwait.  He compared any 
future electoral districting changes to the recent decision 
to grant women the right to vote: "The only surprises would 
occur the first time that women exercised their vote and the 
first time voting was conducted in a new district format. 
After that, "you know how to get what you want." 
 
Press Law "Good", Political Parties "Will Happen" 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
6.  (C) The Minister said that he thought the new press law 
would pass through the National Assembly, and that it was "a 
good law."  His said there should be proper punishment for 
libel and defamation by the press.  "If you keep the fines 
high enough (for libel)," he said, "you can allow as much 
freedom of the press as you want."  He noted that the only 
point of the law still under internal discussion was whether 
the Council of Ministers should have a role in approving new 
media outlets.  He opined that this would be a good idea in 
the beginning, but that it was not a major issue that would 
hold up the legislation. 
 
7.  (C) Political parties are an inevitability in Kuwait, 
Shaykh Ahmad explained,  recalling that he had advocated for 
political parties five years ago.  "Parties will happen now 
or in the future," he said, "we (the Al-Sabah) have to accept 
it."  On all of these issues, he noted, the GOK must go 
"stage by stage" and not try to do too much at once. 
 
 
It's All In The Family 
---------------------- 
 
8.  (C) When asked about the recent public discussion of 
succession plans for the country's leadership, Shaykh Ahmad 
was both vague and surprisingly candid.  He said that the 
Al-Sabah are "a traditional family, and will solve family 
issues in a traditional way."  At one point he vaguely 
referred to something happening "after the Eid," but did not 
provide any additional details.  He seemed to draw a 
distinction between himself and those in the ruling family 
around his age, and the older generation made up of the Amir, 
Crown Prince, Prime Minister and National Guard Chief Shaykh 
Salem Al-Ali Al-Salem Al-Sabah.  "Their generation has their 
points, their way," he said, "we just have to accept it." 
 
9.  (C) He said that Shaykh Salem's recent comments calling 
for the formation of a tripartite committee to run the 
country did not surprise anyone in the leadership, because 
"they all came up together" and the Amir, Crown Prince and 
Prime Minister "know that Shaykh Salem is not a statesman" 
and could not take a leadership position himself.  He said 
that, besides the publicly reported statements by the Amir of 
his trust in the Prime Minister, the Amir has said the same 
thing numerous times in private gatherings and other 
settings.  Shaykh Fahd said that, despite the accepted wisdom 
that it was the Amir who was keen to keep the Crown Prince in 
his position, the "real story" was that the Prime Minister 
was the main supporter of going slow in moving the ailing 
Crown Prince aside.  He said that the Amir had complete trust 
in Prime Minister Shaykh Sabah. 
 
 
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Visit Embassy Kuwait's Classified Website: 
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LEBARON