Working in a newspaper’s newsdesk, we always needed a bank of stories for ‘dry’ days when the world moved slowly and there was nothing newsworthy to splash on the front page. A good newspaper always had relatable and relevant issues that could be the core of such news items.
Now it looks like MPs in Bahrain too are trying to adopt this method – but regrettably, in their case it’s about snatching the low-hanging fruit instead of the real issues. They seem to believe that offering bizarre suggestions involving the curbing of expat rights is a good way to stay in the limelight and give their voters the impression that they were fighting for them.
Protesting in the Lower House about expat labourers wearing sarong-style ‘lungi’ in their worker camps and suggesting that they should be moved to faraway places to safeguard the modesty of Bahraini ladies in the neighbourhood; suggesting linking expat driving licences to the term of their residence permits (and making it difficult for expats to smoothly transfer this document in other GCC countries); suggesting that expats should not be allowed to leave the country if they had outstanding bills – even utility bills ... these are some of the hotly-debated recommendations of MPs.
Thankfully, we have always seen that the government has a much more inclusive view of the role of expats in Bahrain’s prosperity and so does the Shura Council or Upper House where there is no pressure to score a brownie point with the voting public. So, most of these virulent, expat-baiting sanctions bite the dust before they become law, thereby safeguarding Bahrain’s human rights record and reputation as the best place for expat enterprise.
Like all countries, Bahrain definitely has to put its nationals first. But the world has changed – unlike the ‘seventies and ‘eighties, we are more globally connected and today, millennials who make up the majority workforce demand inclusivity and respect for all. To deliver this while balancing the pro-nation approach we need one major link which is missing in Bahrain’s decision-making process: solid, scientifically collected and analysed data.
Take the proposal made by MPs a month ago that expats would not be able to get driving licences ‘unless their jobs demanded it’. The idea ostensibly was to cut back on Bahrain’s traffic snarls. Now, the pitch is peppered with so many questions: who gets to decide which job requires a driving licence. A home-maker or a stay-at-home mum doesn’t qualify as an employed person but boy! I can’t think of any job that requires as much driving around (of kids to their various activities, home-running chores, etc).
Secondly, is there any study to prove that taking a chunk of expats off the road will cut back on traffic congestion? Has any organisation bothered to do an analysis of car-owners’ nationality in Bahrain?
Finally – and this is the BIG question: does all this even matter? Is it not a violation of a person’s right to mobility, notwithstanding nationality, profession or income-group, to make such a suggestion?
In the ‘seventies, I remember a South African friend telling me that the reason apartheid was worse than any other form of discrimination was that it had government sanction. Thank goodness in our Bahrain, the government works swiftly to quash discrimination so that all nationals’ rights are respected.
meeraresponse@gmail.com
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