The peninsula Newspaper
Wednesday, 07 December 2011
Bahrain is on the threshold of a new phase after the events in the political scene reached a peak and the picture is becoming more apparent with the release of the report of the independent committee for fact-finding set up to investigate the events of February and March and the subsequent clashes and acts of violence. The report of the Committee is characterized by objectivity and should not be considered a victory for one side over the other. National reconciliation and political reforms are in the forefront of priorities that should capture the hearts and minds of Bahraini Sunnis and Shias.
There is a saying that countries and individuals must forgive and forget, which is apt in the case of Bahrain too, after all the implications and tensions experienced by the political crisis in the country before and after the explosive events. Its implications still shock everyone and put obstacles in front of them and deprive them of opportunities to move forward. The report of the independent Committee of Bahrain for fact finding is more like a light, which is coming from the end of the dark tunnel and shows the way out of it through the compliance and implementation of the recommendations made by the report. Bahrain is a model of coexistence and tolerance in the Gulf region and this peace was shot in the heart, though it has not killed but it was thrown on the bed as a patient, desperate and afraid of the voice of the air entering through the window, Bahrain formed a distinctive pattern. According to international reports, Bahrain’s economy is considered one of the most advanced economies of the Gulf supported by a political and social system that is open to the world, owning a modern infrastructure in the communication network and organizational structure that supports it, making it a vital foothold for many international companies wishing to expand the scope of its regional operations.
Being the least dependent on oil, Bahrain has benefited from a competitive tax system and sophisticated financial sector that facilitates the free flow of capital and foreign investment, with government’s efforts towards modernizing its legal system and a continued focus on diversifying their production base, despite Bahrain’s loss of the lead with the Gulf countries in a number of economic areas. Bahrain was gaining its strength compared to the Gulf Cooperation Council as the index of “the Heritage Foundation of America” stated, far ahead of its nearest competitor, led by Qatar, which occupies 27th position globally, followed by the Sultanate of Oman with 34th globally , and then the United Arab Emirates ranked 47th globally, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 54 globally, and finally Kuwait with 61 internationally and the sixth in Gulf, which lost 19 places at once in one year. However, the recent crisis of Bahrain has affected everyone and changed a lot of accounts and froze a lot of mobility, activity and vitality, which was long enjoyed by Bahrain and boasted in the region.
Bahrain’s recent crisis has subsided, but the talk about it and access to the solutions and political satisfactory compromises to carry on the political activity are the needs of the hour. Perhaps the report of the fact-finding committee will open the door again and push the disputing parties and spectrums towards their commitment of national responsibility and engagement in national dialogue. No one can rule out that this will come with a national project that will be concluded and agreed upon.
The history of Bahrain is distinguished from the rest of the Gulf States by the call for independence and political reforms and by the participation in decision-making and getting a share of the wealth. These claims started since 1919. Bahrain has known at the end of the sixties and seventies political openness, and a group of political parties and leftist and Islamic Shia and Sunni associations were founded. Rashad Islamic Society that was founded in 1969 is one of the oldest Islamic societies, and this may be an ideological and political extension for the association, Alwifaq, of today. The independence of the State of Bahrain, which launched in 1971 as a result of a national struggle and great sacrifices made by the Bahraini people to get rid of the British colonial was the most significant historical national position that was represented in the uprising and the broader national public uprising in 1956 under the banner of “the National Union.” Then the referendum supervised by the United Nations came in 1970 to know the will of the people of Bahrain after the end of British protection. In order to resolve the claims of Nizam Shah in the dependency of Bahrain to Iran, all Bahrainis have chosen for Bahrain to be a sovereign and independent state. After the independence of Bahrain there was a democratic process to elect a constituent assembly and the issuance of a contractual constitution in 1973 and the elections of first national Council were held, but the track soon ceased in 1975, and Bahrain lived situations that were unstable and turbulent in the public protests and claims characterized by acts of violence to demand the return of the work on the constitution of 1973, the situation continued till the political breakthrough after the conflict continued throughout the 26 years (1975-2001) began by releasing political prisoners and return of hundreds of exiles abroad, and by calling for a referendum on the national charter to establish a constitutional monarchy and the return of the elected National Assembly with particular council which work will be limited in consultative aspect, all political spectrums and symbols were engaged in this reform initiative and the majority of people voted on the document expressing the reform project known as (the National Action Charter) in a referendum in 2001 with majority of 98.4%. However, the project did not achieve its goals and objectives by issuing a public contractual constitution, but it ensured the establishment of a very powerful monarchy, and the establishment of a Shura Council with legislative powers having forty members, the elected Council of representatives was disputing with its powers and decisions. The electoral law was drafted crumbling the constituencies to forty small circles according to the categorical and sectarian divisions, followed by the restrictions on civil society, NGOs and political associations and restrictions on the freedom of press and publication, which led to the decline of many of the democratic gains that characterized Bahrain and its experience from neighboring Gulf countries.
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