A SENIOR sitting MP who arrived with his four grandchildren to file his nomination for a Parliament seat last night pledged to reverse the taxes imposed on people.
Veteran Yousif Zainal is running from Northern Governorate constituency nine (Hamad Town West).
The 72-year-old, who has won all elections except the 2011 polls, is confident of winning a Parliament seat this year as well.
“My heart is green and young, beating for Bahrain and I am healthy and vibrant as ever,” Mr Zainal, who underwent an open-heart surgery earlier this year, told the GDN.
“My victory every term is an evidence of people’s trust in me, I have always been by their side.
“Two things have affected my performance – one is Covid-19 which impacted everyone and the other being my open-heart surgery. I had to stay away for two months following the operation.
“Now, I am fit and fine and looking forward to this poll.”
A member of the High Commission for drafting the National Charter, Mr Zainal pledged solidarity with His Majesty King Hamad’s political, economic and social reforms.
If elected, he said he would work on pension for retirees and the Value Added Tax (VAT).
“We have to do our best to help pensioners,” he said.
“I am against increasing VAT – I hear that it could go up again – I understand that any levy including VAT should have a limit.
“The state needs resources, but we have to make calculations for how long we need to have taxes. Endless tax is tough.”
Meanwhile, his grandchildren – one-year-old Shaikha, six-year-old Khalid, nine-year-old Yousif and 10-year-old Mariam – who were left to the care of their two nannies also shared their joy with the GDN.
“We go every Friday to Ramli Mall to play while grandpa sits for coffee with his friends, we love him,” said ‘junior’ Yousif. “He buys us pizza; gives us his phone to play with, he is fun.”
Mariam said her grandfather was ‘the wisest man ever’ and that they all loved him.
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