Archive | May, 2004

Terrorism has come next door..

It was bound to happen. Reports are that hundreds of police are surrounding a housing compound near Khobar in Saudi Arabia, that’s about 30 minutes drive from where I live in Bahrain across the Bahrain-Saudi Causeway which was closed today. According to the BBC 9 people are dead while Sky News reports 16 dead. There is no word on how many victims there has been, but I pray that it’s going to end quickly.

Terrorism doesn’t know borders, doesn’t know ethnic divisions and doesn’t know religions. They’re simply killers on the loose, and we can’t afford to lose to these animals.

Saudi forces surround militants

Security forces have surrounded an oil company housing compound in the eastern Saudi city of Khobar where gunmen are said to be holding about 50 hostages.

The suspected Islamist militants have killed about 10 people, including foreigners, and taken refuge there.

It is the latest in series of attacks on the kingdom’s oil industry – the world’s largest.

A statement purporting to come from an al-Qaeda-linked group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The message from the al-Quds Brigade, which said Americans would not be allowed to steal Saudi Arabia’s riches, was carried on an Islamic website.

Source: BBC News, full story

U.S., Bahrain reach free-trade agreement

This just in…

The United States has successfully concluded negotiations for a free trade agreement with Bahrain, wrapping up the negotiations in just four months, both countries announced Thursday. “This is a high-quality, comprehensive agreement that will provide American workers, consumers and businesses unprecedented economic opportunity in Bahrain,” U.S. trade representative Robert Zoellick said in announcing the successful completion of the negotiations at a joint news conference with Bahrain’s finance minister, Abdullah Hassan al-Saif.

full story…

Macro

/gallery/photofriday/salad_macro_tn.jpg

Red-Indians? Aborigines? Indigenous Bahrainis? They existed at some time? Wow!

It took them six months, reports, research, questioning, exploring, insider information, legal advice, interviews, and testimonies and our illustrious exalted MPs couldn’t determine that there were extra-legal naturalisations.

Let alone the fact that a Bahraini passport would cost you between BD 4,000 to 10,000 to get, no questions asked.

Let alone that virtually the whole of the Bahrain Defence Force and the Ministry of Interior’s “foot soldiers” are foreign.

Let alone that these same “foot soldiers” get a house, a job for life, free health and education for themselves and their brood, hell, even free underwear, bath towels, tooth brush and paste and instructions on how to use them when they get off the plane.

Let alone that we have by some estimates 30% unemployment.

Let alone that we’re suffering a BD 700 million budget deficit.

Let alone that the areas that these “new Bahrainis” live in are “no-go” areas for “old-Bahrainis” with threats of life and limb.

Let alone that these “new-Bahrainis” have no concept of human rights.

Let alone that in a population of 450,000 citizens, 20% of these are “new-Bahrainis”

Let alone that in a country which is just 600 square kilometers you can’t afford to buy a house or land.

Let alone that if you are fortunate enough to buy land, you won’t be able to afford the building materials.

Let alone that ALL Gulf Cooperation Council citizens are now automatically eligible for Bahraini dual-citizenship, yet Bahrainis are NOT in their countries.

Our MPs have all but unanimously endorsed the “report” exonerating the government of any ill-doings in granting citizenship haphazardly, politically and in a clear attempt to change the demographics of this tiny island.

It will be no wonder that the indigenous Bahrainis will be recorded in history as a race that has disappeared from existence, as the North American Indians and the Australian Aborigines.

I wouldn’t be surprised that we get put into “reservations” now. All of course thanks to our MPs, the guardians of democracy, transparency and the Bahraini ancient culture.

Eight months’ investigation, 3 ministers questioned and the end result? They’re saints!

What a farce. Everybody on the street knows the transgressions that ALL ministers in this country have committed. The huge amounts of money embezzled and the continuous gratuities they receive in various forms (money, land, and privileges) so much so that a minister enters the government a pauper, but leaves it a billionaire. How else would one amass such wealth in such a short time? They go in with thoughts like “I can’t afford to fix my punctured tyre” but soon thereafter they own compounds and huge tracts of land…

So the “services committee” composed of Dr. Ali Ahmed Abdulla (Menbar), Ali Mattar (Asala), Dr. Ibrahim Al-Abdulla, Dr. Sa’adi Mohammed (Menbar), Dr. Isa Al-Mutawa (Asala), Mohammed Al-Khayat and Mohammed Khalid (Asala) have found that there are no wrongdoings to indict any minister.

And the committee’s vote was unanimous. Give me a break.

It’s abundantly clear that the majority of such an important committee is limited to pro-government MPs and their findings were a predetermined conclusion.

No indictment?

When put to the open vote in parliament only 8 MPs voted to indict Abdulla Saif, the Minister of Finance and National Economy, but you need 10 votes to indict a Minister:

The MPs voting for indictment of the Minister of Finance were Sameer Al-Shuwaikh (as if his vote counts, this guy is himself under a felony suspended sentence!), Othman Sharif, Ahmed Hussain, Jassim Abdul A’al, Abdulhadi Marhoon, Abdulnabi Salman, Mohammed Al-Abbas, Yousif Zainal.

Ali Mattar chickened out and abstained (by him leaving the chamber during the vote!) and he’s a member of the committee, does he know something that we don’t? Are these his “high Islamic principals” he’s harping on about forever? Or is it what’s good for the goose is NOT good for the gander?

Eight months and this is the result?

I can understand that under the current law, they couldn’t touch Abdulnabi Al-Sho’ala. I can understand that the new Minister of Labour Majeed Al-Alawi has got off, but Abdulla Saif is let go?

What a farce. ALL of these jokers in parliament now should NEVER be elected again. They are very simply and generously described as morons who made an art of wasting time and posturing.