The flood gates are opening… slowly

I love this guy, Shaikh Salman bin Sager writes a daily column (arabic) in Al-Wasat and is normally hilarious, but cuts to the point and says things that other journalists won’t dare tackle. And maybe because he is part of the royal family he can criticise without having his loyalty continuously questioned. We need more like him, and fast.

Today, he once again ripped the embattled Shaikh Ahmed another hole, if you would pardon the course expression, and in no uncertain terms demanded his resignation from both his official positions. He rightly attributes this demand to save the untold damage that his continued occupation of those offices will do to the propriety of the forthcoming municipal and parliamentary elections in light of Bandargate, let alone the much contentious electronic voting they’re still trying to ram down our throats.

Shaikh Salman bin Sager Al-Khalifa

والصراحة التي هي فوق الصراحة هي أن من أعطاه وظيفة مستشار (استرا… تيجي) مازال في موقعه وكاتماً على أنفاسنا في عملية التصويت الإلكتروني للاستحقاقات القادمة، وهو المتمكن والمتحكم في عملية التصويت للمجلس النيابي والمجلس البلدي القادمين… والسؤال المطروح الآن هو كيف نثق في سير عملية الانتخابات القادمة ونزاهة التصويت والذي جاء لنا بهذا (البندر) من الممكن أن يأتي لنا بعدد أكبر من البنادر… وإذا استمر هذا المسئول موجوداً لإدارة عملية التصويت فنحن حينها سنصوت في خرابة.

أنا أقولها من الآن… إذا لم يصدر الأمر بعزل من كان سبباً في غليان الشارع البحريني، واستمر في وظيفتيه (وليس وظيفته) الحساستين، واللتان فيهما مصالح العباد ويشرفان على عملية التصويت القادم فستكون الانتخابات القادمة في خبر كان… وسنستبدل المثل القائل نؤذن في خرابة إلى نصوت في خرابة…

Shaikh Salman rightly says that this fiasco has not been handled properly at all, and it has already damaged the credibility of the government. He further says that in reality if those implicated are not removed (not allowed step aside mind you, but removed, and I fully agree, as this decisive action will – might – get the forthcoming elections regain their credibility, such is the damage done) then we might as well forget about the elections altogether. No one would believe in their outcome.

Therefore, I demand that all political societies declare their unequivocal position now, stop this shy nonsense and demand their removal. They have been given enough chances to do the honourable thing and none of them have, so it is high time that they are removed from those positions immediately.

Nothing else would actually do; none of those implicated even came forward to clear his name and they knew about this report for weeks, which leads me to believe what Dr. Al-Bandar said is the truth! But regardless, truth or lies, it is far too late for any of those named to get out of their holes all squeaky clean, they were avaricious, unpatriotic, sectarian, traitorous morons to the community that nurtured them, and being fired from their positions is the very least they should get.

If they are not immediately removed, then I would fully support an elections boycott, and rightly so.

Can you imagine the implications of this action? The 90s will be a picnic in a peaceful field in comparison to what would come up…

After their expulsion from their positions, the king himself or at least the crown prince should head a panel of inquiry whose findings should be completely transparent and if the panel finds that those people were rightly implicated, they should be tried for the crimes they have committed and pay for them dearly.

Those implicated don’t seem to care however, or maybe they do know that they are above the law, for not only were they not ashamed enough and human enough to do the honourable thing and resign their positions, they allegedly released a doctored report trying to shift (not enlarge!) the blame and implications to known opposition figures.

The temerity of some people!

So do us all a favour and resign for God’s YOUR sakes!

And if you’re a (soon to be or are an) out of work bum and have been implicated like the various so called MPs still defending Shaikh Ahmed to the death, then take heed of what his cousin, another member of the royal family, is doing: standing with what is RIGHT is always the honourable thing to do, and you would be much more loyal to your country by doing so, rather than continuing to bleat like paid-for sheep defending the indefensible.

Comments

  1. H

    I know!! Quite witty isn’t he!!

    Last night I was thinking of a point that Sh. Salman included at the end of his article today, so as to anticipate more Bandargate-like public exposés and reports. True, it all got to playing dirty. But, may we look towards measured, legal, and sincere reports in the future?

    You know what just hit me reading the article, knowing that this man is one of the royal family? The name and title, so as to be synonymous with the title “Sir”. It should only be given to the honourable, the achiever, the good, and the like..

    Has it ever occured that a royalty been striped from their family title?
    Or, given to non-royalty citizens??

  2. Anonymous

    to answer your last question H, yup it did happen in the past (quite a lot under the previous leadership) for so many reasons, and I wouldnt be surprised if not only would the minister step down, but stripped of his title too. i just hope the leadership take full note of all this filth that is happening and try to fix it .. and fix it reall quick .

    dont want to wake up one day and the whole island is in turmoil and despair because of this fiasco

  3. Mohammed Issa

    this guy stole the words out of my mouth,
    most newspapers here just copy and paste official pres releases, that what makes them good enough for cleaning windows and puppy training :p

  4. Anonymous

    Just a small note, Al Wasat Newspaper’s policy is not to use Sh., Dr., etc .. which make sence for this cloumn.

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  6. Anonymous

    I say that the Mahatma Gandhi have the same opinion as Shaikh Salman bin Sager…Mohandas quite rightly said:

    “It is quite proper to resist and attack a system, but to resist and attack its author is tantamount to resisting and attacking oneself. For we are all tarred with the same brush, and are children of one and the same Creator, and as such, the divine powers within us are infinite. To slight a single human being is to slight those divine powers, and thus to harm not only that Being but with Him the whole world.”

    ..OK…I will attack the system and Boycott the forthcoming elections.

    mmm…but.. to kiss and make up with Saidi..Busandal..Dr. Salah Ali..and the rest?

    tough one yar.

  7. Anonymous

    عزيزى محمود اليوسف
    صباح الخير

    انا من المعجبات بموقع مدونتك وصراحتك ولكن بخصوص سلمان صقر ال خليفة و كتاباتة فى الوسط فارجو السماح لى انة لم يحالفك الصواب هذة المرة فببحكم عملي فى وكالة كبيرة للسفريات ان ابين بعض الحقائق عنة
    سلمان صقر ال خليفة عديل ل ابراهيم الحمر الذى كان وكيل الطيران المدنى وعضو مجلس ادارة شركة طيران الخليج ثم كان الرئيس التنفيذى السابق لطيران الخليج قبل اقالتة منها وتعين السيد جيمس هوغن و الذى قام بانتشال الشركة من الفساد و المحسوبية و اوصلها الي حافة الافلاس و تشريد العوائل البحرينية و رميها فى الشارع كما كان امثال الحمر و السيابي و احمد ال نهيان يقومون بها حيث كان سلمان صقر ال خليفة و اخرين كثيرين يصرف تذاكر لة و لعائلتة و خدمهم على الدرجة الاولي مجانا من البحرين الي المانيا علي مدار السنة و مو بدون وجهة حق و انما تلاعب وفساد فى اموال الشركة والماهمين فيها و خصوصا الموطفين الذين عانوا من هذا التلاعب و الفساد وهدر اموال الشركة و اكثر من ذلك يملك سلمان صقلر ال خليفة عدد من الشقق فى المانيا يوجرها علي المصطافين الخليجين و يحصل علي دعم عديلة الرئيس التنفيذي لشركة طيران الخليج انذاك قبل فصلة منها ابراهيم الحمر
    فاذا اراد سلمان صقر ال خليفة ان يتكلم عن المحسوبية والفساد و تعديل الوضع و تصحيحة فعلية اولا ان يرد اموال التذاكر الذي صرفت لة و لعائلتة و لخدمة علي مدي سنوات عديدة بدون وجة حق و ينطف يدة من اموال الحرام
    معصومة حسن باقر

  8. Redbelt

    Intresting comment. Wanna transelate it Mahmood to your Anglaise readers? What do you think?

    Bahraini’s and Arabs in this time do “weigh with two scales” as they say.

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    mahmood
    أهلاً و سهلاً أخت معصومة و شكراً لمتابعتك مدونتي المتواضعة. شكراً أيضاً لإبداء وجهة نظرك و معلوماتك عن سلمان بن صقر، و بما أن لا يمكنني الجزم أو النفي فاسمحي لي أن أترك الموضوع للمعني للجواب، إن أراد ذلك. و لكن بنفس النَفَس فإنه بالنسبة لي، أخطاء أحمد بن عطيّةالله في واد و ما سردتيه عن سلمان في وادٍ ثاني. لا أقول هذا للدفاع عن أيٍّ من الشخصين الكريمين، فقط إن إيماني أن هلاك البلد المحاك من قِبَل أحمد و أعوانه يفوق بكثير ما تدعين أن أتى به سلمان. فالمكيالين مختلفان تماماً في الوزن.

    نعم، ربما لا يوجب أن يرمي المرئ حجارة إذا كان بيته من زجاج، Ùˆ لكن إذا أخذ هذا المثل في قيد التنفيذ، فربما يعم الصمت القاطع الجميع! فبهذا المنطلق Ùˆ من منطلق الحرية في التعبير Ùˆ حريّة الرأي، فلا مانع أبداً أن يعبر Ùˆ يشجب Ùˆ يطالب سلمان بإقالة إبن عمّه… ففي هذا في رأيي المتواضع خير للبلاد Ùˆ العباد.

  10. Ehsan

    بالنسبة إلى ما ذكرته الأخت معصومة

    علينا أن لا ندع الداعي يقف في وجه الدعوة, فالنقطة التي تم إثارتها في هذا الموضوع عن ما قاله سلمان صقر, و ليست عن أصوله و مبادئه التي لا يجب أن تكون رادعا لفهم الرسالة التي أوصلها الى العامة.

    إن كانت هناك حجة ضد سلمان صقر فلتكن مبنية على ما قال, و ليكن الرد مرادفا لما كتبه, لأن خلط الأوراق يفسد القضية, و القضية هنا أكبر من أن ندعها تضيع في صراعات جانبية و هجمات شخصية.

    اما بالنسبه عن طيران الخليج, فلا تنسي إن الإداريين مجرد واجهة لمجلس الإدارة الذي يأمر و ينهي في الخراب و الفساد, فلننظر اذا الى من يملك أسهم الشركة و سنرى أن مصدر الفساد الإداري ليس بغريب عن مصدر الفساد الحكومي.

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    mahmood

    أحسنت إحسان!

    جطير جداً خلط الأوراق الآن فلنبتعد عن الشخصنة و الإهتمام بالقضيّة المركزيّة.

  13. Anonymous

    Corruption is deep inside Bahrain in everywhere, i join my voice to mahmood and say lets concentrate on the major serious issue instead of talking on the sidelines.

  14. Anonymous

    Is anyone kicking up a fuss about the fact Bahrainis are being blocked from viewing blogs ?

    I’m a European ex-pat and i like to check a few blogs which focus on the political situation in my homeland but these have suddenly been blocked this week – even though they don’t contain anything about Bahrain. Same with blogs about last weekends Ryder Cup golf. It seems anything with’blogspot’ in the title is a no-go.

    Voice of Bahrain and Bahrain Online are blocked outright with a government screen coming up when you enter their addresses.

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    mahmood

    other than this comment is in the wrong post, no. check with Batelco, you will probably find that it is a technical error rather than a conspiracy.

  16. Anonymous

    DATE FIXED

    HM THE KING ISSUES ROYAL DECREE FIXING PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS DATE

    MANAMA, SEPT. 28, (BNA) HIS MAJESTY KING HAMAD BIN ISA AL KHALIFA ISSUED ROYAL DECREE NUMBER 21 FOR THE YEAR 2006, SETTING THE DATE OF THE UPCOMING PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS.
    THE DECREE STIPULATED THAT LISTED VOTERS TURN UP AT THE ELECTIONS CENTERS TO CAST THEIR BALLOT ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2006, FROM 8 A.M.TO 8 P.M.
    THE DECREE DESIGNATED SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2006 AS THE DATE FOR A PROBABLE SECOND ROUND OF ELECTIONS TO TAKE PLACE AT THE SAME TIMINGS MENTIONED ABOVE.
    ELIGIBLE BAHRAINI VOTERS ABROAD CAN EXERCISE THEIR ELECTORAL RIGHT AT EMBASSIES, CONSULARS AND BAHRAINI DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2006 WHILE SECOND-ROUND ELECTIONS ABROAD CAN TAKE PLACE ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2006.
    THE ROYAL DECREE PROVIDED THAT CANDIDACY APPLICATIONS FOR THE REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL ELECTIONS BE FILED IN THE VARIOUS ELECTORAL DISTRICTS AT THE CONCERNED COMMITTEES FROM THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2006 TO MONDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2006 FROM 8 A.M.
    TO 11.30 P.M.
    THE ROYAL DECREE IS SET TO GO INTO EFFECT ON THE DATE OF ITS PUBLICATION IN THE OFFICIAL GAZETTE.

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    mahmood

    FINALLY! Thanks for the heads up, that was a nice surprise, the suspense was getting a bit tiresome.

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