The first Bahrain National Competitiveness Report is out and it basically says that we are screwed. That is we have been screwed up for thirty years because of gross mismanagement and bad decisions.
Dow Jones puts it this way:
Bahrain Lack Of Planning Cited As Major Econ Problem
MANAMA, Bahrain -(Dow Jones)- Bahrain’s lack of national planning programs has undermined the country’s economic competitiveness in the world, members of the Bahrain National Competitiveness Council said Tuesday.In the last 30 years, they said, the government has been working without any long-term or strategic policies, resorting instead to ad hoc programs that have resulted in a weak business environment.
Bahrain’s parliament recently urged the government to create a planning ministry, but it isn’t clear whether the government will do so.
“There’s been a policy of crisis management,” BNCC Chairman Jawad Habib said. “Bahrain needs strategic planning to improve its ranking.”
Habib told Dow Jones Newswires that the government’s policies have led to inferior infrastructure in many parts of the country, as well as an educational system that doesn’t produce a workforce with the necessary skills for a modern economy.
Habib and other BNCC members were speaking at an event to mark the launch of the first national competitiveness report on Bahrain.
The report was issued ahead of the Arab Business Annual Meeting to be held in Bahrain Nov. 9-10.
The report showed that Bahrain’s economy is still reliant to a large extent on oil revenue, with oil income the largest source of government revenue.
Although Bahrain enjoys macroeconomic stability in terms of low inflation, sound fiscal accounts and a solid financial system, there are structural weaknesses and distortions that have hindered Bahrain’s progress, the report said.
One major problem is the labor market, which is characterized by a large immigrant workforce and high unemployment among nationals, it added.
“In view of the high rate of unemployment among Bahrainis, one has to question the appropriateness of the current structure of the economy,” the report said.
Bahrain’s average investment rate is low by international standards and the country needs to implement policies that will make it more attractive for investors, the report added.
Bahrain also needs to reform its education and vocational training programs to improve its standing, it said.
Bahrain ranked third among Arab countries, after Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, on the Growth Competitiveness Index of the Arab World Competitiveness Report 2005, which is issued by the World Economic Forum. On a global level it ranked 28th, however.
The report noted that Bahrain’s disadvantages are mostly structural in nature, which means they have been in place for a long time and will require a long time to address.
BNCC officials said they hope the report will start a national debate that includes the government to address the country’s economic problems.
The privately funded BNCC was established as an independent body in March this year. Its membership includes business people, professionals, academics and representatives of state-owned enterprises.
Dow Jones News
While the GDN spins it a bit more positively. In either case there are a few things to deduce out of this and other reports which universally condemn the way that this country is run:
1. Mismanagement – we need a desperate change here, give top management in this country their walking papers with thanks. They’ve done good for the country since independence but they are no longer relevant for this day and age. Apart from the fact that a lot of countries consistently pass us in all major matrices, we are regressing with alarming consistency: press freedom, personal freedoms, transparency index, corruption index, and productivity amongst many other indices.
2. Why the hell does a country this size need 40 ministers? Ditch them. A dozen is more than enough.
3. Those dozen should specifically be selected because of experience and ability, not last names. That is one of the major reasons of our regression.
4. 98% of the country is in private hands, that means that we only have 2% for the public and that means there is no more land available for future generations. There are two solutions to this: do a Mugabe, or reclaim the sea but good. Neither is a palatable scenario, but something has got to be done. The new cliche in Bahrain for the last few years is “Bahrain is an island without seas!” Time to return those free land parcels lads…
5. Unemployment – need I say more?
6. Disenfranchisement of citizens by a disputed constitution and a plethora of laws which restrict personal freedoms and the right of association.
7. Refusal of the government to produce a fair codification of personal and family status laws and has meandered about it for over 25 years with no comprehensive resolution in sight. All because it (the government) is afraid of engaging the clerics and telling them where to shove it if they can’t live in the real world.
And we have the 2nd Forum for the Future happening in Bahrain over the next couple of days! What will they think of next?
We don’t need a Forum for the Future, what we need is a few good men with balls to take decisions no matter how hard and unpalatable they are to move this country forward and firmly place it where it belongs, right at the forefront of the world community.
And that won’t be too difficult to do, if there is a genuine political will to get it done.
Comments
Heads rolling yet?
I agree that one of the main detriments of Bahrain’s economy is the lack of governmental planning when enacting big and expensive programs and projects. The educational system in Bahrain is still very weak, and will continue to be so unless the government STOPS creating all these trashy schools and colleges that obviously do NOT benefit anyone. They talk about Bahrainization, yet they don’t provide our people with a solid and sound education and proper job traning programs to give them the required skills to enter the labor force. Quite frankly, I’m sick of all these labor reforms talk that go on forever, in which nothing is being done to get them implemented. Various studies have been done by McKinsey and BCCI, yet the government keeps on postponing this issue and encouraging more debate. Let’s stop talking people and start acting.
Heads rolling yet?
The article you posted sums it up very well.
Also, I totally agree with your point on the number of ministries and layers of bureaucracy. there are 400,000 bahraini’s – slightly larger than Ealing. It’s not that difficult to manage!
In recent months, after talking to many people (bahraini’s, public sector, expast etc), it’s clear that bahrain has lost it. I believe the situation WILL NOT improve simply because of the disease of denial. the high oil prices are not helping either.
The anonymous posting above is accurate as well.
The most frustrating, said and diappointing thing is that this country could be so much better than it actually is. Please don’t take this as a criticism – I like i here very much – but everything could be so much better!
Johnster
Heads rolling yet?
I dunno where to start really, the situation is very disappointing really. As mentioned, this island can be much better but it’s not. There are major burdens that once removed (if ever removed) will catapult this country into the top 10 easily. Well the major points I can think of are the following (there are many more):
(1) Bahrain perfected this management style for decades now: Do Now, Plan Later.
As we can see, this really screwed up the country now.
(2) I notice that the government since proposin this whole democracy talk bla bla bla is more reluctant than ever to give ppl freedom. Why promise someone somethin to start off with when you not goin to give him any. Am not sayin that things didn’t happen, but things went downhill from there.
(3) Too many ministries to run this country, we don’t need em. Waste of money and time. Not only that, they are controlled by a bunch of crooks really playin the game the old style, whereas a quick reality check shows that we’re in the 21st century and I don’t think those ppl realize that.
(4) This whole land thing is a huge problem, we know why, and I don’t see it changin anytime soon. Reclaiming land is just a lame excuse to make the ppl shut up. I don’t see that workin in the long run.
(5) Poor elected parliament, didn’t achieve anythin really, total bs.
(6) People talk a lot here but don’t act at all. If it’s up to what they say, we’ll be the best in the world by now.
(7) It’s all about loyalty and the ppl that are supposed to be the most loyal are in fact backstabbers and I don’t think they really care about this place.
I can go on for a long time, but just to sum up a long story, I was in Singapore a couple of months ago and this is what we should have been like now. Unfortunately, we’re probably 4 decades behind them, who knows. Livin here in the west, you just notice how things run differently and it just makes you more disappointed that we could have been better off to start with but in fact we’re much worse.
I would like to see the EDB take more control and initiative, and for God’s sake, start implementin this whole reform business, it’s takin freakin forever.
Khalid
Heads rolling yet?
Idealy the people should be given free land and houses since there is so much land you can house each single Bahrain citizen in a 3 bed rom house with a garden and a free dog and a car. That much money is there in this country. Yet as you say 98% is in the hands of a few, we know who.
Unless that greedy bunch of people start getting their act together and stop treating this like their fiefdom nothing will change.
You can kick out all expats, Bahrainise the country till your heart is content, charge the hell our of sponsors for expat visa renewal and resident permit renewal and still you will have problems.
By screwing up the demography by importing other antionals who have more than 1 wife and overpopulate this country, the residents who by themselves have over produced are faced with social and other problems.
Humans, here and in other countries use sex as an entertainment and do not realise that if they spent a few dinars on a condom, it will prevnet them from spending hundreds of dinars on looking after a football team of children.
Personally I love kids and wish I could afford more than one. I cannot give my child the attention he needs, having to work most of the day and I feel guilty about this and I need to save for the future. How do people have more than 4-6 children and some of them disabled and still expect to continue living on loans and charity. Pity is after having 2 diabled kids they till produce more. I know that I am rambling. Sorry. But starting a ministry of planning will only waste funds on another ministry.
1. Strip all MP and Deputies of Immunity.
2. Make all govermental officials from top to bottom accountable and answerable.
3. All poor families must be provided with proper housing, education and training and made to realise that this gift makes them accountable and answerable.
4. Protect businesses against loosing money from Bahraini employees who turn up when they want and work how they want and the employer not being abel to do dhit about it.
5. Establish an employment infrastructure and a minimum pay scale for all persons whether expat or Bahraini.
-Make it a law that Bahainis or others cannot just misbehave and leave jobs as they please.
-Make it a law that employers have to tarnsfer all salaries and monies to a bank account
-Make all house maid and house boys registered under gosi and as a normal employee
-Make it a law that employers cannot illtreat employees, withold pay unjustly, withhold passports and harass employees.
6. Make it compulsory to employ only Bahrainis in the following jobs:
-Poilce
-CID
-Khabbaz shops
-Tikka shops
-Grill shops
-House maid, house boy
-Street cleaners
-Garbage collecters
-Restaurant waiters
-Security guards
-Taxi drivers
-Bus drivers
-Lorry drivers
-Truck drivers
7. Make free visas illegal and do not allow any one irrespective of his position to get one and punish him with imprisonment and heavy fine if he sells such visas even if he is a you know who.
See how many heads will roll then…..