Municipal councillors have alleged that government officials are repeatedly failing to attend scheduled meetings, demanding more respect and commitment from the relevant bodies and warning that continued absences could paralyse vital infrastructure and services projects across the country.
In an unprecedented move, the Southern Municipal Council yesterday refused to officially close its meeting, leaving it ‘symbolically open’ as a protest against what members described as ‘persistent disregard’ from certain ministries and authorities.
Services and public utilities committee chairman Ali Al Shaikh claimed that numerous public requests and development files have been pending for months as officials allegedly failed to show up.
“The law states that we must inform officials three weeks prior to attend committee meetings and at least one week before the general meeting,” he said.
“Despite following these procedures, we are still facing repeated no-shows. These absences have meant that many infrastructure and services projects are left unresolved.”
He noted that only four months remained in the council’s four‑year term, making it necessary to accelerate the pace of work.
“When we cannot deliver tangible results for citizens, how can we ask them to vote in municipal elections later this year?” he asked. “There is nothing personal against any individual. The problem is that there is no co-operation with us.”
Councillor Hamad Al Zoubi said that existing channels of communication had failed to produce meaningful outcomes.
“We want action, and people want action,” he said. “The systematic approach is not to directly call the concerned minister, but to follow proper official channels. Unfortunately, after repeated no-shows, we end up having to call the minister just to get things moving,” he claimed.
Councillor Mubarak Faraj questioned why some officials were willing to attend other government bodies, but not municipal council meetings.
The same officials who fail to attend our meetings are the very ones who sit in Parliament at times from 9.30am to 5pm,” he said. “If they can consistently show up there, why can’t they attend the meetings where their presence is required?”
Councillor Mohammed Daraj highlighted a range of ‘unresolved issues’ affecting residents across Bahrain.
“There are sewage, lighting, roads, water and electricity services that urgently need attention,” he said.
“We wait three weeks for officials to attend, then they do not show up. For example, officials from the Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture Ministry failed to attend meetings regarding waterproofing, and we have now been waiting for a year.
“Some do respond quickly – one body sends us eight officials per meeting and they are always punctual. But unfortunately, they are an exception.”
Councillors stressed that their protest was intended to reaffirm seriousness and accountability in handling municipal affairs.
They warned that without stronger co-operation between officials and councillors, public confidence in municipal work will erode, ultimately undermining the wider development agenda.”
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
Read more:
Young authors celebrate literary strides
From Bahrain to bestseller
Life through daily rituals
&uuid=(email))