Please welcome the latest government department in Bahrain; it’s staffed by 40 managers, most are really not more than janitorial shift supervisors than they are managers, and some – who habitually trip over their IQ ratings – could just be hired as mere janitors, who invariably are the most vociferous of the lot. Empty vessels is the old adage…
However, regardless of the level of contribution they muster, they are all very well paid, to the tune of BD 3,000 (US$ 8,000 approx) per month plus some benefits here and there. They all got BD 10,000 (US$ 26,500) as a one time gift from his majesty the king when they started their jobs at this department so that they can fix up their status, buy a couple of suits or bishts for state occasions.. we can’t really have them looking like the riff-raff of society that they are, so we have to at least dress them up a bit.
They were also given a monthly stipend as allowances for their transport – no, not bus fairs of course, we can’t get them to mix with lowly labourers! No way, remember they spearheaded campaigns to segregate those people from society even more than they are at the moment and banishing them to somewhere where they cannot be seen or heard! – these worthy gentlemen get to drive around in German automobiles, or those Hyundai mini-bus vehicles with tarpaulin covered 4 rows of seats to make space for their multiple wives and their brats. They even get an allowance to actually have an office and hire a couple of people to man it! How about that for a janitorial gig?
Government jobs, particularly these, are pretty good.
So what’s the scope of work?
Big brooms, carpets, lift then flick of the wrists.
Very onerous, I know. It takes most of those 40 worthy individuals to bend over, lift the carpet, and for another herd of their cohorts to use the broom to sweep the dirt under said carpet. Release the carpet to cover that dirt and pretend for ever that it is simply not there!
When someone dares to question the various unsavoury smells emanating from that carpet, they are ordered to (1) state categorically that they have lost their sense of smell, so they aren’t bothered by it, (2) if there is to be an enquiry as to what that smell is, then do so in a closed room, edit every observation in that room, and come out with a press release that states that the smell was in fact, contrary to popular belief, was extremely savoury and it was nothing but Bahraini roses put there in order to extract the aromatic oils and preserve that for posterity, (3) if the public don’t like those observations, then they humbly remind us that Bahrain is a collection of islands, surrounded by the sea, and they have given us the open invitation to drink our fill.
They of course do not recognise that we only have narrow corridors to actually access the sea to partake of their advice, and that those corridors constitute approximately 3% of a coastline which exceeds 700 kilometres, but that’s just detail.
These government employees are hired for 4 years of their lives, fattened, and then released back into the community where they never again have to lift a finger to earn a living; they are all on a pension scheme which is the envy of the world, some say they would keep more than 50% of that inflated salary if they are called to serve just one 4 year term, if they are fortunate enough to be selected for another term, and most look like they will be, especially the actual janitors as they have demonstrated their total and unconditional support for their canny employer, that pension will soon approach 100% of their salaries in addition to all the other benefits they will gain.
Not to mention of course their other sources of revenue: “the lecture circuit.” They will have a booking agent for the various talk-shows they will appear on, the various conferences and expert janitorial panels in the Arab world and beyond they will be invited to and adequately compensated for and probably deposited in one or more Swiss bank accounts.
Whoever thought that they were elected in the first place to guard against black marketeers, corruption and to clean up the scum of society is sorely mistaken. They might – and I reiterate, might – have had that silly notion when they started their journey, if only as a janitorial campaign promise, but with the slow and deliberate inculcation and sitting on the government organ via grants and photo-ops with high government officials, that spark has been snuffed within the first few days.
We’ve got another 136 days of their company still, and we should feel utterly privileged to have that particular pleasure.
How can one live without that government department which looks after the citizen’s rights first and foremost and roots out corruption and all that ails this country? We can only hope that these worthy gentlemen are selected once again to occupy those plush leather seats.
Comments
where’d u get all ur facts n figures from??????
يبتها ييب يزاك الله خير ….. Ùˆ اØÂلى شيانصار لك شهور Ùˆ انت تعد الايام الباقية على هالمجلس الكØÂيانالله انشالله يعوضنا ÙÂيالمجلس الياي….. نبيالمجلس الياييتÙÂرغ ØÂÙ‚ قضايا تهم المواطنينو ما قصد هنينانسيعجرم Ùˆ لا برنامج الاخ الاكبر بالطقاق Ùˆ لا اقصد المعاش التقاعديللنواب الاÙÂاضل الليما يستØÂÙÂونه Ùˆ لا الجواز الاخضر Ùˆ الامتيازات الثانية الليØÂتى الدول الخليجية الثانية ما تعطيها ØÂÙ‚ مجالسها النيابية او الشورى ….. نبيمجلس يتÙÂرغ ØÂÙ‚ القضايا الليتهم المواطنينمناسكانو تعليم Ùˆ صØÂØ© Ùˆ وضع ØÂلول دائمة لمشكلة البطالة …. نبيمجلس ÙÂيه ناس مثقÙÂينو متعلمينمب مثل بعض النواب اللييبصمونعلى القانونعميانيمنغير ما يكلÙÂوننÙÂسهم بقرايته ….. نبيمجلس سنع Ùˆ عدل مب مجلس ÙŠÙÂشلنا بهوشاته Ùˆ لا مجلس اييوزير Ùˆ يقول لهم انبعضكم ما يصلؠØÂتى يكونبواب او ناطور عمارة 🙂
It is only one part of Hamads Legal Dictatorship Process he is pursuing.
“We can only hope that these worthy gentlemen are selected once again to occupy those plush leather seats. ”
Hand these men a shovel and put them to work in the garden.
Really, if they are elected, then I blame the people who voted them in.
Author
Anon, the facts and figures are all available on their own website at http://www.nuwab.gov.bh (note the .gov.bh tld? there is a reason for that and it further supports my premise that this council is nothing more than a junior department of the government, a bit lower than a rubber stamping one.)
HMD, I agree… maybe we should mount a campaign and show people what these people are like!
‘and their brats’
thats kinda harsh…..
Mahmood,
Ofcourse!! Regardless of the reliability and validity of such parliament or the other, when voting comes down to a “popularity contest”, then people are better off voting for the pop-idol contests – at least we’re getting music out of it.
For most of the MPs, they are as good as the next highschool drop-out – immature, irresponsible, and a big-time twat!!
Not much to say about it. For any progressive act to be achieved, there needs to be the ‘opportunity’ and the ‘motivation’. Even if I am not so much clued up with how much opportunity the government is providing, I know from personal experience that the majority of Bahraini people lack motivation. The few handful who burst with motivation are impeded and laughed at.
People should know what they are actually capable of!!
Mahmoud Mahmoud…I have no idea which gov dep you are talking about (of course) but I must say…aren’t you glad of just one little thing? You can keep your satirical keyboard sharpened and hone it at the expense of those poor saps trying to look important and doing an important ehm..job! (yea that’s it). Admit it though, you’re just salivating at the thought of ‘working’ for four years and then retiring straight into your backyard with hopefully by then, wifi access to your notebook computer, admit it!
Ingrid
Unfortunately (hate to be a pooper here) but I see the same mistake happening all over again. You see, these janitors, though I agree with everything being said up there, are quite smart. They lobbying is targeting the poorer folk, scaring them religiously into voting for them, promising them that they will do the right thing, make sure Bahrain stays on the righteous path, hand them a khaishat 3aish (sack of rice) and voila – they have a vote! Most of the voters are actually those 4 wives, and their 5 dozen kids, and the scared young men, afraid to be liberal but want to please God and so vote for the religious janitors. How did Bush get re-elected? Most of the mid-west voted for him, the poor folk, the farmers. And that’s what these schmucks are doing – they get funding from GCC neighbors, Islamic Societies and people who are chummy with the powerful peeps. So unless us liberals take a stance and actually vote for someone OTHER than these schmucks – they will rule again, probably get an increase in their salary (after all, they’ve added ten kids to their family in the past 4 years), and upgrade their German to an Italian car.
Am I making sense?
Mahmood, you forgot to add “ninja” in front of “their multiple wives and brats”
All they did ever since they got to that damned place, is to make life better for themselves and their damned ninja wives. To hell with the citizen who’s in REAL need. Damn extremist baboons.
How I agree with Entrtnd. So very right.
rock on my man,
where do i beging, is it a wimsical four years or are we on another wild ride to chase these shallow minded indiviuals train of thoughts. are we civil enough to stand up and say hang on its time to take account. or shall we keep shut and let sleeping dogs lie. the truth to this matter is, polatics is just an over rated popularity contest, and winners keep the spoils. if it means great pay and perks, so be it.. the end justfies the means, ladies and gentlemen a sucker is born every minute. these guys never amounted to much in their daily lives, and one fine are elected as representatives of the people. at times i ask, and who are these people in the first place??? so many questions and so many answers, is it just to be a champion of the public or the very next chase silly issues such as “devil worship” amoung the wealthy, or create havoc amoung the various sects on the island by sectarian division (shites versus sunnis) its a total disgrace and the nancy agram incident that takes the cake.