US embassy cable - 03AMMAN4423

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 004423 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/14/2013 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, JO 
SUBJECT: KERAK: A CASE STUDY OF THE WOMEN'S QUOTA 
 
 
Classified By: DCM David Hale for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1. (C) On July 7, Poloff paid a call to Zakeyeh Shamayleh, 
one of the newly-elected women to Parliament who benefited 
from the women's quota.  Shamayleh, a retired principal, is a 
member of a small tribe near Kerak, which saw the women's 
quota as an opportunity to elect one of its members to 
Parliament.  End Summary. 
 
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QUOTA BENEFITS WOMEN...AND SMALL TRIBES 
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2. (C) Poloff visited Zakeyeh Shamayleh in Kerak on July 7 to 
congratulate her on her Parliamentary victory.  Poloff found 
Shamayleh reticent and a bit overwhelmed by her new-found 
status.  Already she is exhausted by the job and complained 
to Poloff that she had lost five kilos since the election 
because of stress.  While Shamayleh bustled around the house 
for tea and sweets, her husband explained the benefits of the 
quota for women, especially those who live outside of Amman. 
After tea and sweets, Poloff asked Shamayleh about her agenda 
for Parliament and what she would bring to the seat. 
Shamayleh appeared a bit unfocused and mentioned the poverty 
in her area and bringing jobs to her constituents, but no 
specific agenda, particularly with regards to women's issues. 
 
 
3. (C) Poloff then asked what inspired Shamayleh to run for 
Parliament, as she had no previous political experience. 
Shamayleh told Poloff that she was approached by tribal 
leaders who asked her to run.  Her tribe, numbering roughly 
2,500, is too small to elect a member for a non-quota seat, 
so the tribe used the women's quota as a means to secure 
representation for its members in Parliament. 
 
4. (C) Shamayleh's example is not the only case where the 
quota became part of a tribes' election strategy.  Dr. Falak 
Jamaani, from Madaba, is the daughter of a tribal sheikh. 
During a July 1 meeting, she told Poloff that she would have 
won far more votes on election day, but at mid-day, tribal 
leaders told members entering polling stations not to vote 
for Dr. Jamaani and instead vote for the tribe's other 
candidate.  Their strategy?  To win two seats--one women 
quota seat and one non-quota seat.  The strategy was 
successful--now the tribe has two members seated in 
Parliament. 
 
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COMMENT 
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5. (C) While the women's quota was conceived to increase 
women's representation in the political process, so far, it 
has been shown mostly to be an election tool of the East Bank 
tribes.  If Shamayleh is any example, women Parliamentarians 
are likely to be primarily stronger advocates for their tribe 
than their gender. 
HALE