Against the backdrop of Bahrain’s chronic traffic congestion, our MPs have approved yet another ‘innovative’ proposal: restricting licences to expatriates.
Bahrain is a respected and trusted member of numerous international conventions, agreements, and covenants.
It is often said that those intent on breaking the law always stay a step ahead of those trying to close doors.
In this context, one must ask: what happens when expatriates arrive carrying international driving licences issued by their home countries? How will such cases be addressed in practice?
Despite the long-standing and genuinely necessary slogan of Bahrainisation, our MPs appear to have lost sight of the broader consequences such a step would have on the image of Bahrain, regarded as one of the most welcoming states in the region.
Bahrain continues to import skilled manpower.
Would a medical specialist, a civil aviation technician, an executive banker, or a critically needed air defence technician accept employment here if they knew they could not drive their children to school or take their families out for weekend recreation?
This old man–educated not in some American-named kindergarten but in a fee-free municipal school—fails to understand why these people never pause to consider a crucial question.
While every Bahraini is undoubtedly patriotic, how many of our MPs themselves employ expatriates as family drivers, shop assistants, or medical technicians for their homes and businesses, including for travel to Parliament?
When news of the proposed licence ban appeared in this newspaper, it coincided with coverage of International Public Transport Day.
This juxtaposition highlights the broader context within which traffic solutions are being discussed.
While Bahrain possesses a good, efficient, and economical—yet still evolving—network of Red buses, it has not reached the universally accepted definition of a comprehensive public transport system. These services are used predominantly by labourers and lower-middle-class expatriates.
Can we imagine professionals such as bank managers, CEOs, and corporate executives driving to transit hubs, parking their cars, and commuting by public transport as is common in Western countries?
We need aggressive awareness campaigns, lasting at least a decade, to promote our public transport.
Well, if there is a genuine concern over the enormous number of collective man‑hours being wasted nationwide, then a few essential first steps merit serious consideration.
With some refinement, these could include: (a) increasing the minimum driving licence eligibility age to 24; (b) allowing the purchase of new vehicles on instalments only with a mandatory minimum down payment of 50 per cent; (c) restricting driving licence eligibility to individuals earning no less than BD600 per month; and (d) linking public sector employees’ annual salary increments to the requirement of commuting to work by public bus at least once a week.
All such measures, however, must be applied without any discrimination between citizens and residents.
Muhammad
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