Kuwaiti Parliament is Failing Women Citizens

To overcome the dominance of the opposition over the political scene, members of the Kuwaiti parliament continue to propose legislation that empowers the structure of the oil-producing country as a rentier state. The past elections that brought those members to parliament witnessed a national voter boycott; the turnout was about 39% compared with 60% in the previous elections in February 2012. Benefiting from the controversial amendment of the electoral law, the current MPs are seen as loyalists to the government and incapable of making changes or reform. The legislative bills they keep proposing are referred to as "popular decisions," meaning they are made to win legitimacy and popularity, mostly by raising the salaries of Kuwaitis working in the public sector.

One of the new proposals made recently will be discussed in the coming sessions. Shiite MP Khalil al-Saleh told Al-Rai that a new proposal will grant unemployed Kuwaiti women 559 Kuwaiti dinars (about $2,000) instead of the 350 dinars ($1,200) they are getting every month. He added that those benefiting from this legislation will no longer be limited to women above the age of 40, but will include women 24 and older. Saleh, who is a member of the parliamentary women’s issues committee, explained: “This will create more jobs and help maintain the social structure.”

The Islamist MP also complimented Labor Minister Thekra al-Rashidi, saying, “She plays a distinguished role supporting Kuwaiti women.”

Fellow Islamist Shiite MP Yousef al-Zilzila defended other proposed legislation to raise salaries, saying: “We do not care about the government [which objects to the cost of this legislation]; we are standing on principle.”