The ministerial rotation has finally been published. A couple of new names, 5 out. Roll call first:
1. Prime minister: Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa
2. Minister of Islamic Affairs: Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalid Al-Khalifa (vice-premier)
3. Minister of Foreign Affairs: Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al-Khalifa (vice-premier)
4. Minister of Transportation: Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al-Khalifa
5. Minister of the Interior: Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al-Khalifa
6. Minister of Justice: Dr. Mohammed Ali Al-Sitri (ex minister of municipalities)
7. Minister of Defence: Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa
8. Minister of Commerce and Industry: Hassan Fakhro (amalgamation of both ministries into one)
9. Minister of Power & Water: Shaikh Abdulla bin Salman Al-Khalifa
10. Minister of Oil: Shaikh Essa bin Ali Al-Khalifa
11. Minister of State for Shura Council and Chamber of Deputies Affairs : Abdulaziz Mohammed Al-Fadhel
12. Minister of Finance: Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa (new: replaces Abdulla Saif)
13. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Information: Mohammed Abdulghaffar (new portfolio)
14. Minister of Works and Housing: Fahmi Al-Jawdar
15. Minister of Municipalities and Agriculture: Ali Saleh Al-Saleh (previously minister of commerce)
16. Minister of Education: Majed Ali Al-Noami
17. Minister of Labour: Majeed Muhsin Al-Alawi (previously minister of labour and social affairs)
18. Minister of Social Affairs: Dr. Fatima Mohammed Al-Balooshi (2nd female minister, academic)
19. Minister of Health: Dr. Nada Haffadh (1st female minister)
20. Minister of Prime Minister’s Court: Abdulhussain Mirza
The re-assigned names with a rumoured golden handshake of BD 250,000 each, and still enjoy a rank of minister are:
1. Nabeel Al-Hamar: ex-minister of information, now adviser to the King
2. Abdulla Saif: ex-minister of finance and national economy, now adviser to the prime minister
3. Jawad Al-‘Arayyedh: ex-minister of justice, now adviser to the prime minister
4. Mohammed Al-Mutawa’: ex-minister of prime minister’s court, now adviser to the prime minister
Booted, with a rumoured golden handshake of BD 250,000:
Abdulnabi Al-Sho’la – he can go back to managing his companies, filled to the brim with expatriate low-paid workers, full time now, including the Yellow Pages monopoly.
The rotated ministers apparently all get a BD 50,000 each as a pat on the back for staying.
Never mind the money, after all, international company directors get more. The disappointing fact for me is that the government is still very top heavy. Why a country as small as ours still needs 20 ministerial portfolios is beyond me. And while this was a chance to reduce the number drastically (they’ve reduced them from 23 to 19 now) I think bargaining hit a brick wall and this is how it is. Much more important is why the cabinet should have so many ruling family members? Fully 50% of the cabinet are members of the royal family.. does that mean that Bahrain’s 700k+ population cannot produce people more appropriate for the job? Or is tribal fealty much more important than function? If everyone is talking about the need to break-up family businesses and inject newer bloodlines into them via IPOs and stock options, why should the government be any different?
It is gratifying however that we have the 2nd female minister taking control of the Ministry of Social Affairs after the ministry was split from Labour. She now controls 75% of the budget assigned to the previous Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. The doubtful thing though is that this lady is an academic with very little political acumen if any, and as her ministry controls and authorises political societies, they might chew her up and spit her out before she even becomes aware of what’s going on. Still, anyone can handle the societies better than Majeed Al-Alalawi, time will tell. Or, maybe the government finally has given in and will soon move that part of the business to the Ministry of Justice under its new minister? One would hope.
There is still no clear instruction or indication of what is to become of the Ministry of (dis)Information, which has now been amalgamated with the Ministry of State for Foreign Affairs under Mohammed Abdulghaffar. The rumous is that he’s got 8 months to split it up into 3 distinct self-sufficient organisations: Bahrain Radio & Television Corporation, Tourism and Culture, and the third being publications. The office of Foreign Media is reportedly going to be under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs umbrella. Again at this moment this is all conjecture, but I hope that they will make this issue clearer over the next few weeks. Yet, it might continue to survive, after all, in the not too distant past it was amalgamated with the Ministry of Prime Minister’s Court Affairs under Mohammed Al-Mutawa’, then split and became independent as the Ministry of Information under Nabil Al-Hamar. The only stable thing about that ministry is that everyone who had anything to do with it was fired soon after receiving the portfolio! It should be called the Curse of Information rather than a ministry.
Information I’ve read in the papers over the last few months however suggest that this is only a temporary reorganisation, with the major one happening before the municipal and parliamentary elections (Oct 2006) next year. Most scenarios suggest that the next major change will happen just before the Municipal elections which are scheduled for May 2006, and in that one again the indications are that the Prime Minister will retire and there will be a thorough shake-up of the government.
Still, the make-up of the cabinet now is younger (taking average ages) than the previous set, so hopefully they will be more amenable to support the king’s initiatives rather than find the best possible scenarios to trip him.
Let me take this opportunity to congratulate the new appointees and hope that they will put the Bahraini citizen and resident needs and wants as their top priorities, rather than use their new/old position to pad their own personal nests.
Comments
Limited Reshuffle disappoints
I’m not very familiar with the political scene in Bahrain, but all in all, I think that if the average age of the cabinet has been lowered by this shuffle then it is an achievment by itslef.
Limited Reshuffle disappoints
Any word on who the BMA Governor is going to be?
Limited Reshuffle disappoints
Mahmood or anyone, can someone explain to me how Majeed al-Alawi got so cuddly with the regime so quickly? It’s not he buried the hatchet, but he became one of them. I’ve never been able to understand how this happened. I can kind of understand that maybe he was a sucker for power and money, so he sold out when it was offered to him. But how was the regime willing to trust Alawi with a cabinet portfolio (two terms), when he was supposedly on the other team just a few years ago.
Would appreciate if someone could explain what went on behind the scenes. Cheers.
Re: Limited Reshuffle disappoints
Chan’ad
Keep your friends close but your enemies closer. Politics 101.
Re(1): Limited Reshuffle disappoints
Yeah, but what made the govt realize this, and why were they able to get so close to Alawi and not some of the other opposition personalities?
Limited Reshuffle disappoints
He sold out..simple, 100%, finito after securing a comfortable ministerial package in return for his complete submission to the government. It took several months of secret meetings with the King himself and the ambassador before the Mithaq. Fait accompli. He will not deny that before he was officially appointed he had always publicly stated that he would NEVER ever serve in the cabinet of Khalifa bin Salman. It is dirty politics my friend.
Re(2): Limited Reshuffle disappoints
I don’t think it is “dirty politics” per se. It is politics plain and simple. Politics makes for strange bedfellows and things are not always as clouded in mystery and suspense as some believe.
Limited Reshuffle disappoints
Here’s a little background on Dr Sayed Majeed Al Alawi from the Gulf Daily News:
“New Labour Minister Dr Majeed Mohsin Al Alawi was appointed Labour Minister and Social Affairs in 2002. Prior to his appointment as minister he wasBahrain Centre for Studies and Research assistant secretary general.
“Born in 1955, in Qadam village off, Budaiya Road, he completed his higher studies in the UK. He obtained a Masters of Science in organisational development and a PhD in international relations.
“One of the founders of the Bahrain Freedom Movement, he left for London in 1982.
“On his return to Bahrain in November 2000, he was appointed a member of the National Action Charter Implementation Committee, chaired by Crown Prince and BDF Commander-in-Chief Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. Dr Al Alawi published a book entitled Gulf Co-operation Council – Constitutional and Political Crisis in London in 1985.”
Re(3): Limited Reshuffle disappoints
When Al Alawi came back from London he lost his powerbase with the Islamist Bahrain Freedom Movement and Al Wefaq associates. Lacking any constituency, he had to fall back on being the PM’s water carrier. As an Islamist his political instincts are knee jerk authoritarian meaning that he is not suitable to run anything to do with NGOs so its great to hear he’s no longer got any responsibility over them.
Limited Reshuffle disappoints
Why is poor old Majeed Al Alawi getting so much heat from everyone? Both him and Al Jamri came back to Bahrain and have done wonders. Majeed from within the system, and Jamri from outside. I think that Al Wasat has raised standards in the arabic media – and i think that the current Ministry of Labor has done more to deal with the current problems than any other minister of labor at any other time.
Guys – lets not forget – the most effective tool to keep goverment ‘clean’ is a healthy opposition. And both these guys learned what a healthy opposotion means in the UK. And they have both come back and done their bit for the country in the manner that they see fit. Whats wrong with that? or would you rather see a bin laden prototype running around in Bahrain? oh .. whats that you say, we have one already? errrmm .. ali salman?!!
give me majeed al alawi and mansour al jamri any day. at least they are working for the good of the country from within the system.
Re: Limited Reshuffle disappoints
I agree that Jamri has contributed positively to the political environment in Bahrain through Al-Wasat. But I’m not sure I can say the same about Alawi. What real achievements does this Ministry of Labour have that it can be proud of? Sure, it might be better than all of its predecessors… but that doesn’t say much at all. And I don’t think we even need to debate Alawi’s handling of the Social Affairs part of his portfolio.
Re(4): Limited Reshuffle disappoints
If he lost his powerbase among the opposition, why did the govt still feel the need to entrust him with a cabinet position? Was it just a miscalculation, or do you think there were other factors involved?
Limited Reshuffle disappoints
Yes – and a ‘healthy opposition’ needs to be able to express and publish its views openly !
Limited Reshuffle disappoints
I am really upset at the new changes. It seems being the least qualified for the job guarantees it for you.
I think Majeed is going to be used as a scapegoat at some point if shit happens. Alalawi is a complete an utter political animal (and idiot for that matter). He knows how to ruse the people and take their side without having to make tough decisions. For example, do u remember that Seef securtity guard debacle? Well let me refresh your memories…
Seef Properties was spending way too much on their security guards, so they decided to outsource. Proper permission [b]was obtained[/b] from the Ministry of Labor. A representative from the Ministry was on the Board of Directors for Seef. The decision was made to save millions of dinars by outsourcing to a private company. The guards would have to take pay cuts but were guaranteed a job with the outsourcing company. Ok, its always tough to let people go but at the end of the day the Board has to answer to its shareholders (a significant porion is needy families btw) to cut costs and maximise profits. Saying that Seef actually set a precedent by paying the highest termination compensation in the history of Bahrain labor law. What did Majeed do? He inflamed public opinion by reneging on the Ministry’s approval to Seef in the papers. Now is that what I would expect the Minister of Labor to do?
Another thing that pisses me off is why didnt they give Shaika Hind from the ministry the new job as Minister of Social Affairs??? She is always the one in the papers representing the Ministry, doing the charity work that noone else wants to do. No instead they give the post to someone who doesnt have any experience in the field (Im not saying she isnt any good, but SH Hind has vastly much more experience dealing with the various people, inefficiencies and methods of the MOL.
YF
Limited Reshuffle disappoints
Shiekha Hind gets my vote.
Hind for president
Limited Reshuffle disappoints
I agree. Alawi is unfaily singled out…
Alawai is simply building on a long tradition. Bahraini opposition groups have a history of turncoats (no insult intended), or as nicely put of “guys [who] learned what a healthy opposotion means …..come back [to do] their bit for the country in the manner that they see fit”.
In mid-70s one third of the cabinet was made of ex-members of this or that opposition groups (ex-Arab nationalists, ex-baathists, and ex-communists). Why? For a definite answer one has to take them a case by case. And, I venture, one has to consider that it probably is due to a combination of two things: 1) former activists’ ‘seeing the light’ and 2) the shrewed skills of Khalifa bin Salman. He is a master in subtle and unstable ways of cooptation. (I must add the PM cannot be blamed/credited for recruiting/coopting Alawi. Shiekh Hamad is one.
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