The article in yesterday's (7th July 2007) LA Times has put the spotlight back on to our country, the last time this happened was with the Bandergate incident.
Transparency, Trustworthy & Accountable; three words that do not come into the picture when talking about entities within the Government.
Why is there still a division?
Well, for one, there are many economical, social & political reasons leading to the continued division;
Some of the more apparent causes are:
a) a high rate of unemployment, even if the Government entities dispute the calims, the figures they release can't be confirmed or refuted by an independant body,
b) continued discrimination of shia majority in Government positions that are considered too sensitive,c) The mistrust by the Government in its population believing that external bodies are influencing their decisions, thus the target populous can't be trusted or depended on,
d) The previous two points leading to the government continuing to employ foreigners in its Civil services & Armed forces'
Quote"Independent observers have criticized the government for regularly staffing security forces with non-Bahraini Sunnis."Unqoute
e) A widening gap between the poor and the rich,
f) A low standard public education system that has not been updated to today's requirements
and many more.
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A blogger mentioned in an article earlier this year that the only way forward, was if the Government come out and accepted responsibilities for the role it played in past events, and sincerely apologised for the tragic deaths of many civilians and the torture of prisoners. This would not clear the slate clean but it would prove their seriousness in moving forward and enable progressive dialogue to ensue, with the aim of a better future as one nation. It is not enough to say that we are one nation; we should actually feel like one nation, and not a nation within a nation.
I wholeheartedly agree but also, as the article rightly states;
"King Hamed bin Isa AlKhalifa, the ultimate authority in Bahrain".
Yes His Highness is the ultimate authority in Bahrain and he has on many occasions clearly stated his wishes, both in the past and by reiterating it again on the 20th of June 2007,
QUOTE from another blog
His Majesty King Hamad vowed yesterday that Bahrain’s human rights clock “will never turn back”. He told members of Bahrain Human Rights Society and Bahrain Human Rights Watch: “We will not tolerate any injustices or violations of Bahrainis’ or expatriates’ rights.”
“Our doors have remained open from the beginning for all to report their grievances,” His Majesty said.
With His Highness, the King in the forefront, and assistance from the Prime Ministry, His Excellency Shaikh Khalifa Bin Slaman Al Khalifa, and backed by our forward minded Crown Prince, Shaikh Salman Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, i hope these factions are convinced that the best way forward is together as one nation, we can not and should not support the hard line ideology nor should we as a county, replicate the events that are occurring in countries around us like Saudia Arabia, Afghanistan & Iraq where fundamentalism is rampant or an Islamic state such as Iran or Saudi Arabia; this may lead to the break down of the fabrics of our Society; this is a fact that has been realised by some of these Government who are now having a difficult time combating the movements.
Our loyalty remains with God (Allah), our King (His Highness King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa) and our Country (the Kingdom of Bahrain), it is high time the rest of the faction realize this and allow the cycle of healing to commence. We need to go forwards not backwards.
