(With photos) KUWAIT, Jan 15 (KUNA) -- Kuwaiti women's political gains were the result of a long march since 1960s, former education minister Dr. Moudhi Al-Humoud said Sunday.
"Kuwaiti women's acquisition of their political rights six years ago was the culmination of tremendous effort started in the sixties," the ex-minister said in a seminar hosted by the Information Ministry's Election Media Centre themed "Kuwaiti women and participation in political life".
She added that the Kuwaiti constitution does not have any discriminatory articles against females.
"The constitution shows that Kuwait is a civilized society where no discrimination is practiced against citizenry on the basis of gender," Al-Humoud said.
Al-Humoud went on to say that "after this achievement, Kuwaiti women succeeded in winning well-deserved four seats in the National Assembly".
She also applauded the great support and confidence in Kuwait women from the political leadership who assigned several ministerial portfolios to them.
Al-Humoud admitted that the performance of female MPs was not perfect.
"Evaluating the performance of female MPs in the previous session was not objective at all. This was their first experience in the parliament and they were under microscope which makes their mistakes and error overestimated," she suggested.
Al-Humoud offered her personal experience as a minister as a clear example that Kuwaiti women are fully-respected and appreciated by the leadership and society.
"When I was a minister, I received all respect and appreciation from male colleagues in the cabinet and all support from His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah," she pointed out.
"I freely expressed my views and many times disagreed with my male colleagues on solid ground of mutual respect." For her part, political activist Khadija Al-Mahmeed asserted that the evaluation of any MP should be through certain criteria, the forefront of which are participation in sessions and compliance with internal laws and regulations.
"Any comparison tilts in favor of female MPs, especially with regard to attendance in parliament sessions," she said.
Al-Mahmeed said that women's winning of their political rights was the fruit of great efforts that created political awareness over years.
Al-Mahmeed and Al-Hamoud underlined the importance Kuwaiti women role government and civil work in Kuwait.
Women make up 51 percent of the labor force and 70 percent of educational institutions staff in Kuwait, she said. (end) asm.tb.ibi KUNA 152333 Jan 12NNNN