MPs initially voted 18 to 15 to reject the Royal Decree handing over the running of Mina Salman and the upcoming Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Port to APM Terminals Bahrain.
Al-Wefaq (+ Al-Gaoud) is demonstrating that they can vote as a block and make their presence felt. Good for them. At least this is movement, politically, as the concerned company, APM Terminals, already operates the port. Their refusal to ratify the decree is just demonstrating their opposition to inculcating laws by decree in between parliamentary sessions or terms and set a precedent that not all Royal Decrees would be ratified by default.
Whether the message actually gets through is another matter. What does matter is that this is the first time in this parliament where the “divide” was totally apparent between those who are obliviously for, and those who are opposed. Loyalists and Opposition, if you like.
The one other very important result of this is that it has shown that the independents can actually be independent, and in this particular case it is non other than Al-Gaoud who had the fortune of running for a non-contested electoral district who has sided with the opposition in spite of her being labeled as designed loyalist MP.
The vote didn’t go through as there was no clear majority, therefore a re-vote is required. Let’s see how that goes. I suspect that it will pass at that time.
This is just possibly a shot across the bows.
Comments
What I cannot understand is, why have a parliment when you can have Royal decree? :whistle:
C’mon….what is the use of such a parliment? Can they reverse the Royal decree?
Will the Majlis-a Shura veto the reversal?
Can this parliment conclusively and with team work amend the consitution in these 4 years? WOW if they do It. 🙂 :w00t:
It is the same in America. If the President wants to forgive someone or get something done he can just issue Executive orders, no need for parliment to ratify it as far as I understand.
There should be some thing in the constitution or legal frame work to prevent such loop holes and to make sure that there are no tender violations.
This is really an eye opener. :pinch: :blink: