Archive | October, 2010

Dossary operates by foreign remote control

Two reports in this morning’s GDN and the Daily Tribune suggest that one of the candidates of the Southern Governate has practically pulled out of the race in favour of his opponent even though he got through to the second round. The reason given for his withdrawal is quite intriguing, but I suspect should even be criminal in this case…

Here’s the clipping out of the GDN, with my descriptive graphic:

So this right not-so-honourable and copiously bearded gentleman operates by remote control, acquiescing to tribal dictates from a foreign country. Excellent. So why did he bother to enter the election fray then? One would suspect that if he operates under the direction of his foreign tribal leader, he could have saved himself and his supporter’s efforts and just not run in the first place or seek that “guidance” to start with, no?

I guess the droves who drove to the General Election Centre at the King Fahad Causeway from Saudi didn’t tick his box or were not given his lovely picture to ascertain that they were actually directed to vote for him!

What a farce.

Will the government now come out with a statement that the Dossaries are not loyal to Bahrain and receive their instructions from a foreign nation? Will they now find “administrative errors” in granting them the precious Bahraini citizenship and hence withdraw their passports and citizenship?

The guy not only implicated himself in this mess, but his whole tribe. So what are they waiting for?

First phase of parliamentary elections conclude with surprises

Bahrain TV mislabeled our own Foreign Minister's name stating it as Shaikh Khalid bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa rather than the actual Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa!

The first phase of the parliamentary and municipal elections are over with a few surprising twists which I think will result in a stronger chamber this time around. According to this morning’s Al-Wasat – whose staff did an exemplary job yesterday with their instantaneous updates, unlike our national Bahrain TV who screwed up even our Foreign Minister’s name!

So, the scene so far looks like this:

The eighteen Wefaq candidates all got through on the first round, this increases Wefaq’s presence in parliament by one seat and solidifies its position as the largest political representation in parliament. The positions they will hold during this term will be interesting to witness, will they be allowed to hold the chairmanship I wonder?

Waad’s candidates Ebrahim Sharif and Dr. Munira Fakhro are through to the next round and they will run against Ali Ahmed (Minbar) and Ebrahim Al-Qadhi (Indepdentent) respectively. The third Waad candidate Sami Siyadi lost out to the independent and first term MP Othman Sharif.

The Muslim Brotherhood Minbar didn’t fair well this time with only one seat declared for Mohammed Al-Amadi for the Northern District Seven while three of their candidates lost out; Tariq Al-Shaikh lost out to Adel Al-Asoomi, Adnan Bumtaia lost out to Isa Al-Kooheji and Abdulrahman Al-Hasan lost out to Asalah’s Abdulhalim Murad.

The other four Minbar candidates got through to the next round; Ali Ahmed against Waad’s chief Ebrahim Sharif, Abdulbasit Al-Shaer against the independent Mahmood Al-Mahmood, Minbar’s chief Abdullatif Al-Shaikh against the independent Ali Zayed and Ebrahim Al-Hadi against Adnan Al-Malki.

The Salafi Asalah bloc also didn’t fair well this time; Hamad Al-Muhannadi, one of their “firebrands” in parliament has lost against first timer and independent Abdulla Huwail and their candidate Rashed Abdulrahman was trounced by independent Isa Kooheji. Two-termer Sami Buhairi fell against Sharikh Aldossary and Isa Abulfateh lost to Mahmood Al-Mahmood & Abdulbasit Al-Shaer who go through to the second round, this places him at least third in that race. The Asalah chief Ghanim Al-Buainain along with Ebrahim Busandal and Abdulhalim Murad got through on the first round, while Adel Al-Moawdah got through uncontested earlier.

Waad concludes electioneering campaign, calls for unity

I’ve just come back from the last election rally for Waad on the night of the 21 October before the polls open on Saturday 23 October to receive Bahrainis who will cast their ballots for parliamentary and municipal councillors for a four year term, the third such event in Bahrain’s modern history.

The rally took place in Sami Siyadi’s electioneering “tent” – normally a surrounded and shaded public plot of land in which rallies are held. Tonight, both Waad candidates in Muharraq joined forces there. Waad’s chief, Ebrahim Sharif joined Sami Siyadi to bring the activities to an end. The tent was well attended with several hundred in seated in the crowd with several standing on the fringes.

The third Waad candidate, Dr. Munira Fakhro was at her electioneering tent in the fourth central district in Isa Town. Technical innovation and the power of the Internet allowed us to view her speech projected live in Arad.

All candidates emphasised their commitment to the country and their voters. They were also inclusive rather than exclusionary and invited the security forces to vote with their conscience and reminded them that as the ballot is anonymous, then the only other entity with them in the election booth was God. This emphasis was due to the various rumours of the state directing dependents and especially the military and other security forces to vote as directed – to ensure the election of those close to the government’s view, rather than side with its detractors. They even made a short video clip showing a military man in conflict but finally deciding to go with his conscience and vote based on merit rather than direction.

To me, the most important speech was that of the Bahraini thinker, author and intellectual Dr. Ali Fakhro. I was able to record it and represent it here for your pleasure [Arabic]:

Regardless of how Waad fairs in these elections, and although they are very much ahead of their competition according to the Al-Wasat Newspaper polls, machinations still could happen to keep them away from parliament. But regardless, I think this time particularly they have made a difference. Fielding just three candidates and having an excellent election program and planning the various activities have endeared them to the Bahraini voter and think that they should have a much better chance this time.

[ed: audio added 22 Oct 2010 @ 1057]
Click to listen to Waad’s supremo Ebrahim Sharif Al-Sayid’s speech wrapping up Waad’s 2010 election campaign [Arabic]:

Good luck Waad and every single person honestly contesting the elections. If Bahrain and its unity is on your mind’s eye, then regardless of your personal fortune in these elections, Bahrain wins.

A truck load of cash for 2nd place?

So far, Khalid Al-Shaer, the candidate running for the 4th District in the Central Governate against Dr. Muneera Fakhro of Waad is in second place, according to this poll in Al-Wasat this morning in which Mr. Alshaer got 29% against Dr. Muneera Fakhro’s 43%.

Quite surprising really as his purported electioneering budget needs a truck to haul it around. Allegedly half a million Bahraini Dinars!

Where the hell do people get money like that from? Or rather, how much money does a 38-year-old have to throw away half a million smackeroos with not compunction whatsoever?

Never mind though. Even with that stratospheric number for Bahraini elections, he’s still in 2nd place and the 1st is just a pipe dream in this case. 2nd place doesn’t get jack.

Well, unless some dirty tricks take place on the day that is, like what’s supposedly happened in the last election in the very same district against the very same Waad candidate…

Strange, really really strange.

MUHARRAQ! Forgive me for leaving!

I wish I never left Muharraq.

We lived in Arad for about 5 years in the 90s and it was great there. True, a rented house, but the neighbourhood, the people, and the feelings were unique, like no where else in Bahrain. It is not strange, therefore, that the island boasts the most integrated, and least sectarian atmospheres between Bahrainis. Even their cemetery is shared between Sunnis and Shi’as without a wall in between the graves. Nothing reminds me of my father like Muharraq. Although he lived most of his life in Manama, he was born there and it was there that incubated his most precious memories. Just looking at his paintings would immediately transport you to the magical narrow Muharraqi neighbourhoods he grew up in.

With the elections only a couple of days away, I just look at my brothers and sisters in that beautiful island with envy for their real chance at effecting positive change in this country. With candidates like Ebrahim Sharif and Sami Siyadi, their choice should be easy when they tick the box. The same for those lucky voters in Isa Town as they have Munira Fakhro and they should proudly tick her box on Saturday. With these three, salvation for this country’s ills is at hand if they are given the slim chance to effect change.

Not so when it comes to my chosen area of abode now. Now, I have half-wits and nincompoops to choose from! Two women who’s electioneering campaign ran on subjugating their women-kind even further by categorically declaring that they will not support Personal Status Law as that is against their religion. I doubt that they believe that, but they’re pandering to their electorate the majority of whom live within a stone’s throw of Isa Qassim, the supremo religious cleric in the area. The others include Al-Mitghawi from Diraz who appears to have spent the last four years in a coma on his bench in parliament, and then we have a couple of others trying their luck at the jack-pot; hey, they get 40% of their salary as pension after four years, so why not!

So who am I going to cast my vote for this time? Not much of a choice, and as I object to every single one of them in my area, I won’t bother. Not because I’m boycotting or abrogating my national duty, not at all, it’s because I genuinely don’t think that any of those running in my area deserve my vote. And there are no alternatives.

Of course this is exactly what happens if a country as small as ours has such an impotent way of districting. With a country not much bigger than a provincial town in India, wouldn’t you think that someone would think it better to declare the whole country as one district and then allow us voters to choose on anyone we think is best to represent us rather than having to be lumbered with what we have in our own little districts?

So my friends, although I’m not casting my vote this time, I throw my full weight unabashedly behind the three people whom I think can make a difference to this country’s future, and would do so without any sectarian or overt religious dogma.

I throw my full weight behind Ebrahim Sharif, Sami Siyadi and Muneera Fakhro.

Good luck, and just by running and engineering an election program which has educated the multitudes in this country, you have already won the hearts and minds of your fellow Bahrainis. I’m sure that if the elections are unbiased, true and fair, we shall see you in parliament soon.