The Plot thickens .. my perspective.. Bahrain's Peaceful Movement for change...

People should listen, and then judge for them selves. or ignore completely and walk away .. Freedom to choose .. is a god given right and must not be taken away ..

We can agree to disagree .. but at the end of the day .. u r my brother & i yours .. That point seems to be lost to some ..

My stance on all this is simple, implementation of THE original Constitutional Monarchy that was promised, NOT this Flawed constitution. A Constitution written by Bahrain citizens for Bahrain citizens. UNDER no situation is Government allowed to use Violence or deadly force against Bahrain citizens. Military is to Defend Bahrain & its Citizens not to attack Citizens. No detaining & torture.. No Political Naturalization, No Discrimination by government & no promotion of Discrimination by Gov as is the case now in military & certain ministries .. sadly also true on certain Private institutions.. Actual Freedom of Press & Speech... not the facade we have now..Public land is Public .. NOT Private... A parliament without actual powers is redundant..

I hate Sectarianism. NATIONAL UNITY only .. No Shia No Sunni .. Just/I'm Bahraini...

Feb14 is being depicted as a Shia against Sunni movement .. where in actual fact it is a Peaceful movement, a struggle by citizens for their rights... IT IS SAD, that after living together for decades & more, the plight of these demonstrators is still not apparent to some unwilling to look but chose to listed to propaganda..

Keep in mind that it is the Bahrain citizens/Demonstrators that occupy LuLu, not the Gov Opposition or Opposition political groups. The latter come there to talk to them through speeches .. That is why u see camps, food stalls & the more lively family atmosphere... the hospitality and friendliness ..

Also don't forget that people are angry with their government for using deadly force against their peaceful movement resulting in injuring many and the death of 7. Like it of not .. thats why u hear resentment slogans of government.. People still hurt .. for the innocent blood spilled ..

Mushaima, a long time opposition of the Government has just arrived in Bahrain. He was speaking at LuLu last night, mostly repeats of what many have already been saying, but he did emphasize that WE, meaning previous opposition movements, had trusted the Government when invited to dialog only to be tricked. He said that this time, the movement was by the people, their demands are what must be met, and the oppositions are united in the stance. Additionally he said this is not a Shia or Sunni movement..Its a National Unity movement ..

If he adds value to the peaceful movement for Freedom and change, then good, but if he is here to sell his own self interests, or promote HATE, i'd rather not be part of that, and hope the People of LuLu reject that ideology too..TIME WILL Tell ..

I'm still unsure what to think, i've heard Mushaima has an extreme view & no cap to demands.. Time will tell .. But if u ask me, the opposition by now should have an agree list of demands, also how & when best to approach Dialog.

Yesterday, an article in the GDN caught my eye, 'Tribute to Gandhi's non-violent struggle' in which retired engineer Mansoor Jamal linked the protest at the Pearl Roundabout to India's struggle for independence & Manhatman gandhi. Quotes from the article ..

"The more i see these people there (at Lulu), the more i am convinced that they are following on the Mahatama's path"

"We are not against His Majesty King Hamad but we do not like a lot of things happening under his rule. We want change and we hope we will achieve what we have set out to get"

Many ask why has dialog has not started, what are the Demonstrators/Opposition waiting for, since Government has already extended an open arm. . . My opinion is that the Concessions requested of Government have not been met yet .. not entirely .. Not all prisoners have been released and the biggest point of all, PM is still present.

Will this be an ice breaker, i don't know ..

But till then ... i'll continue to cover as much as possible .. as objectively as i possible can..

and as always those who want to accuse .. continue to do so .. and those that want to be rude may do so .. I choose not to .. In the end i want my family (My Country) together not Divided ..

Democratic reform: a great divide OR NATIONAL UNITY

First of all, I have faith in Crown Prince Shaikh Salman's ability to guide us through these times of change, to a better and real democratic Society. Under National Unity.

No Government has the right to USE lethal force against its citizens. Only Bahraini's will risk their lives to defend Country and each other, Bahraini's will never kill each other.

Regardless which side you stand on, the fence must be movable, not made of stone or resistant to change. To do this we must have a real Constitutional Monarchy. The monarchy exists but the constitution is flawed.

SOME ISSUES WITH OUR CURRENT CONSTITUTION:

No freedom of speech.

Ministers selected by Government not elected by citizens.

A Parliament that has no significant powers.

** there are so much more.

MOJANASEEN:

The government has, since 2000 brought in Arabic speaking nationals from other MENA states, providing them with Bahrain Passports, housing and government jobs.

The above are completely separate from legal, binding & rightful Bahrain passport holders.

It is good & dandy to send messages of love or greet one another and smile, but the fact remains that there is a great rift, a divide which has resurrected its ugly head, tearing at the fabric of our friendly society. Our family.

Bahrain, being a small island, has citizens who are intricately linked to one another, either being neighbors, close friends, work colleagues or binded through marriage.

Today, i see friends arguing, family members divided and scornful, colleagues eying one another then grouping together and chattering their true feelings and neighbors building invisible fences.

Why are there those that are afraid of change, why fear the worst when you should be expecting the best. That is what this democratic reform will bring, the same close knit family (Bahrainis) under a true constitution written by and for the people, WRITTEN by ALL PEOPLE.

I implore people to stop listening to the hogwash lies being spread, done so to scare people and ensure we are divided.

Who would benefit from this divide, certainly not Bahrain’s citizens?

Try looking at similarities not differences, you'll notice they far out weight the differences, make them your priority and concentrate on them when you meet your fellow Bahraini.

We can all agree to disagree, but we do not have to stop being courteous, well mannered, pleasant; or to stop talking & fight one another.

Let us instead understand the other point of view.

and to those on Twitter trying name calling & bully tactics, my time is better spent ignoring you and concentrating on the future of OUR COUNTRY, Bahrain.

Egypt: Revolution reform OR back to a revised NDP Regime..

My prayers go out to all the souls lost in Egypt and their surviving loved ones who have to go on without them ...

How i See it ......................

When i first heard of the events in Tunis, i was doubtful of the outcome... BUT THEY SUCCEEDED ....soon Egyptian caught sight of the possibilities, and the pent up anger erupted, so they took to the streets..

To me, Egypt was the Rubicon, the point of no return, the one domino that could fell them all .. there would be changes, definitely not full fledged Democracy, but changes none the less, throughout the Middle East & North African countries... there was HOPE ..

I'm pretty sure all the leaders were monitoring progress in Egypt, some immediately introduced minute changes by sacking and replacing senior government members, some distributed sums of money in the form of monthly aid, others agreed to continue subsidies of goods, all short term changes.. and all of them were still waiting the final outcome in Egypt..

While we were watching NEWS channels, reading newspapers & following blogs and Tweets from Egypt .. WE MISSED OUT ON THE BIGGER PICTURE.... which is .. WHO WAS ACTUALLY MANIPULATING WHOM there..

Protesters are still occupying Tahrir Square, and gatherings are still being held there, in reality i think they are exactly where the government wants them to be, corralled in an area very much manageable and under watchful eyes.

Businesses & Banks are slowly opening, life seems to be gradually going back to normal except for the protesters holding on to Tahrir Square.... unaware that as it currently stands, they may have won the battle ... But they have already lost the WAR ..(i hope to god i am wrong in this).

The interim government is now run by Vice President and former head of intelligence, General Omar Suleiman, a close ally of the US & Israel and the heir apparent to the Egyptian Presidency.. He will sit down with the opposition, he will promise political & economic reform, he may even introduce financial incentives.... all in the name of change.. whereas actually to cause a rift in the Pro change movement... divide and conquer.. or make sure their momentum is lost.. and with at least 7 months to go before the elections.. he will have placed himself as a front runner in the horse race....

WHY Would i say that... SIMPLE..

Hosni Mubarak may be staying on as an honorary role, his presence has ensured that the essence and structure of the ruling party remains after departing, even if changes are introduced...which i am guessing may not be significant enough.. and come election day...

it will be Business as Usual in Egypt but under New Management,

just as the US & Israel want it...

I so do hope & Pray i am Wrong .. This movement should & must not fade... all our futures depend upon its success ..

Prologue

By now everyone is aware of events in Egypt, it's on all the NEWS channels ..

Briefly:

regime change was triggered by Events in Tunis, but for Egyptians, 25th of Jan 2011 signified their stance against oppression.

Brave men, women and children gathered in Tahrir Square .. THEIR DEMAND.. .. resignation of President Hosni Mubarak..

With aspirations that regime change would lead to an end to 'Emergency law'... Positive and progressing changes to the constitution, Free and fair elections..Freedom of Speech, basic human rights..

in days that ensued, the number of injured exceeded a thousand. The official fatality count just below 20 (last i read).. BUT .. protesters, and witnesses contradict this and have stated that the dead may run in the hundreds..

i believe the names of all the fallen Heroes of the Egyptian 25Jan Revolution are being registered on a site...

The event is best described by 'SandMonkey', a prominent Egyptian blogger.. who was also a member of the Pro regime change movement

http://www.sandmonkey.org/2011/02/03/egypt-right-now/

The STANCE may have started off as a Leaderless revolution, going forward and to be taken serious, there must be a structure and an identifiable leadership .. to this effect 'Sandmonkey' shares his views and suggestions: http://www.sandmonkey.org/2011/02/06/the-way-forward/

Egypt, a significant ARAB nation & a KEY player in the MENA because of its close relationship with USA & Israel ...

Will their relationship Chang? I think not .. for an explanation read about the Closed door maneuvering by the Mubarak party and the foreign intervention as best described by Esam Al-Amin : http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article27411.htm ,in his article titled 'Mubarak's last Grasp'. (do not miss reading his summary titled "Likely scenarios: remember Marcos?"

The Military made its position very clear by announcing No intervention... WHY?

Well, no revolution is successful without the backing of the military, they tip the balance of power in favor of the Victor.... by being present but only as observers.. The pro Mubarak generals pulled a fast one over the protesters, pretending to be Neutral but actually continuing to support the regime not Mubarak himself.....

The defining moment for the Pro change movement was Friday the 4th of February 2011, know as the 'Day of his (Hosni Mubarak's) Departure' ..

I was expecting a Peaceful march on to the Palace, but they continued to stay in Tahrir Square...

resulting in .. NOTHING ... some NDP cosmetic reshuffling .. BUT STILL NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE... and this is where i believe the protesters lost momentum ..

Why? The government called their bluff and someone Blinked...