‘Economy will recover soon’

V L Srinivasan
Manama (Bahrain), March 21:

Bahrain may have lost an estimated $1 billion in various sectors due to the recent unrest, however the economy is now on the path to recovery, captains of industry said yesterday.
Although final figures are yet to be confirmed, the hospitality sector is believed to have been the worst hit by the crisis, with many hotels registering a room occupancy ratio of less than 10 per cent. A major blow to this sector was the postponement of the Formula One Grand Prix, which would have fetched millions of dollars for companies across the Kingdom.
The tourism sector contributes nine per cent of Bahrain’s GDP and this is expected to grow to 11 per cent by 2020.
“It is unfortunate that businesses have taken a full hit but we are confident that they will rebound with much vigour as the situation is improving,” Chairman of the International Trading and Investment Company and President of the Bahrain Businessmen Association, Shaikh Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa, told DT.
Shaikh Hisham explained that businesses thrive in a congenial atmosphere and with security being restored in the Kingdom, the industry can now look to the future with confidence.
Leading banker and BBK Chairman Murad Ali Murad added that signs of stability are now visible, although it will require a few more days for the situation to fully return to normal. “Once people get the confidence of security, they will start work and life will continue as usual,” he said.
The retail and commercial sectors have also been affected as a vast amount of people stopped using their credit and debit cards. Others, who may have been planning to make large purchases, such as buying a house or a car, put their plans on hold. “This had an adverse impact on the banks, which provide services to these sectors,” Mr. Murad explained.
He added that although the loss has been substantial, the country will recover in no time as the government will soon begin working on housing projects and this will have a positive impact on the economy.
Mr. Murad explained that the royal gift of BD1,000 distributed to every Bahraini family by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa a few weeks ago will also help with the recovery as through these gifts more than BD120 million will enter the economy.

Ahsan hits back at critics

V L Srinivasan
Manama (Bahrain), March 11:

Founder and President of the Bahrain-based Western Gulf Advisory Asset and Wealth Management (WGA) Ahsan Ali Syed has vowed to silence his critics by seeking legal recourse.
In an exclusive interview with DT on the allegations levelled against him by Australian-based real estate developer Johnson Property Group (JPG) and other vested interests, Mr. Syed said: “The accusations are baseless and frivolous. JPG has approached WGA seeking funds for its project in New South Wales. However, as per our policy, we offer loans only after getting due diligence reports from an independent agency.”
A copy of the due diligence report on JPG, which was made available to DT, showed that it was very risky for WGA to park its funds in the Australian company. “They should have some credibility to secure the loan without which not only WGA but no bank would lend (them) money,” he said.
On claims made by JPG and published in the Australian media that $81,000 was paid as a non-refundable fee and another $3.8m was paid as an establishment fee to WGA to secure a $155m loan at 4.07 per cent interest, Mr. Syed categorically denied that JPG has ever invested money in his company.
“All prospective clients are asked to conduct due diligence report on our company and only after they are satisfied with our antecedents, will there be scope for further negotiations. When JPG failed to meet the requisite norms set by our company, we decided not to fund them,” he said.
However, he added, the Australian real estate developer paid commitment fees to WGA for the due diligence report on their firm (WGA). “We told them repeatedly – to be more precise on seven occasions – to take back the commitment fees from us. But they still insisted on going ahead with the deal. JPG is only making claims but we have documentary evidence to prove our stand,” he said.
Mr. Syed added that he wants to know why JPG did not tell the Australian media about the reasons for WGA’s refusal to provide a loan. “They only want to use pressure tactics on WGA to secure a loan and we will not allow this to happen. JPG also did not disclose its past to us when applying for the loan,” he said.
Mr. Syed questioned which law in the world would say that WGA should park its money in a risky asset or a nonperforming asset. “Even if you apply for a credit card, the bank concerned will make 100 enquiries and the applicant has to sign 100 papers before the card is issued. If this is so, how can we pay $155 million to a company whose due diligence report is not satisfactory?” he said.
Mr. Syed stressed that he never spoke about JPG in public as this would have breached the non-disclosure agreement. “But they were upset with us as we refused to fund them. They have gone to the media blaming us and we are forced to speak out.”
“This is not the only company whose applications were rejected, there are many like this,” he said.

Officials demolish ‘dangerous’ houses

V L Srinivasan
Manama (Bahrain), March 7:

The demolition work of nearly 28 dilapidated and vacant buildings in Manama has reached its halfway mark, a senior official of the Manama Municipality said.
The decision to pull down the structures was taken after the roof of one such building collapsed earlier this year, killing one person and injuring another. Municipalities  Affairs and Urban Planning Minister
Dr Juma Al Kaabi, who visited the house on the day, announced all such old buildings to be identified for demolition to prevent recurrence.
In an interview with DT, Inspection and Follow-up Manager in Manama Municipality Mohammed Saad Al Sehali said 12 buildings had been demolished already and the remaining 16 would be brought down soon. Almost 75 buildings had been demolished last year; most of them were at least four decades old.
“Though Manama Municipality has 70 blocks and 46,000 buildings (according to 2010 census), we are focusing on old structures located in blocks ranging from numbers 301 to 305. However, this does not imply that we are ignoring dangerous buildings in other areas,” he said.
While administrative decisions were taken with regard to some houses, officials were given court orders to demolish the others. Either the owners can demolish buildings at their cost or leave it to the Municipality.
While most owners are okay with the decision to demolish their buildings, officials are currently dealing with an owner who refused to vacate his building.
“Local authorities are helping us evict tenants and get the job done,” said Mr Al Sehali. “We appeal to the people living in old houses to inform Municipal officials about dangerous buildings for necessary action to be initiated.”

Opposition groups set terms for talks

V L Srinivasan
Manama (Bahrain), March 4:

Six opposition societies yesterday presented a set of demands, including removal of the present government, as a precondition to national dialogue initiated by Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa a few days ago.
Leaders of the six societies – Ebrahim Sharif Alsayed (National Democratic Alliance Society), Sheikh Ali Salman (Al Wefaq National Islamic Society), Dr Hassan Madan (Progressive Tribune), Fadhel Abbas (National Assembly Association), Hamood Al Ghasra (Nationalist Democratic Association), and Moosa Al Ansari (Brotherhood Association) – also acknowledged the receipt of invitation for the talks from the Crown Prince's Court three days ago.
Speaking to reporters at NDAS headquarters, they announced the demands which included removal of the present government, scrapping the Constitution which was adopted in 2002, release of remaining 90 political prisoners and the “proper and independent” probe into the death of seven persons who died in the unrest in the Kingdom since February 14.
They also want that people who stage protests be protected and called upon the five GCC member states not to extend any financial support to the present regime as they should wait for the transition government.
The right of people to have a “truly elected Parliament” should be established and an interim government with high quality and integrity should take the country on par with developed nations in terms of human rights after all these years. The other demands include freedom of media and a commitment to all assurances made at the national dialogue.
To a spate of questions, the groups claimed that the government has naturalised 60,000 people in the last ten years to change the country’s demography. They also dismissed the suggestion to have a referendum on the various issues raised by them.
“We don’t want to be part of Iran, but we are calling for constitutional monarchy. We are also opposed to discrimination of people based on sects. We want an end to the tribal rule and want to be a civil society,” they said.
To another question on the absence of Haqq movement representatives, the six leaders said they will work together as the opposition had a common agenda of removal of the government. “Though we have some differences, they are small and will not affect the progress of the talks,” Mr Ebrahim Sharif said.

MP urges new power tariff

V L Srinivasan
Manama (Bahrain), March 2:


Independent MP Abdulhameed Jalal Al Meer has proposed a new power tariff system that would reduce
costs for consumers as well as commercial establishments. 
In a proposal submitted to Parliament, the MP suggested reduced electricity tariffs for commercial establishments that are majority owned by Bahrainis. He also proposed that the existing tariff system in place since 2005 be changed to ensure that consumers pay no more than 9 fils per unit of electricity.
According to the current system, consumers pay 3 fils per unit for the first 3,000 units of electricity used. This increases to 9 fils for the next 2,000 units consumed and then rises to 16 fils for every unit of electricity over 5,000 units.
Commercial establishments pay a flat rate of 16 fils per unit of electricity.
“I have requested the government to remove the third bracket for domestic consumers. I also suggested that the charges for commercial establishments in which Bahrainis have more than 50 per cent share, be slashed from 16 fils to 9 fils per unit so as to ease burden on them,” Mr. Al Meer told DT.
The government has already provided additional subsidies for food and other basic commodities, however reduced tariffs would go a long way in helping citizens cope with the rising cost of living, the lawmaker explained.
He added that the reductions would also provide an added incentive to businesses looking to invest in Bahrain.
The proposal is to be forwarded to the concerned Parliamentary committee for debate. Members of the committee will discuss the matter with government officials and once cleared by the committee it will then be voted upon and referred to the Cabinet for approval.

MP seeks more health specialists

V L Srinivasan
Manama (Bahrain), Feb 28:

Independent MP Abdulhameed Jalal Al Meer representing Constituency Two in Muharraq came up with a pragmatic solution for the problem of overcrowding of patients at Kingdom’s Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC).
He said specialist doctors should be appointed and the latest equipment should be provided in all health centres across the Kingdom.
To begin with, three specialists for common diseases should be posted in each of the three round-the-clock health centres located in Umm al Hassam, Muharraq and Hamad Town, he said. Once it proves to be successful, it can be extended to four medical centres that are open till midnight every day.
“The decentralisation of specialised medical care will definitely reduce the steady rise in the patient rush in SMC where doctors can then concentrate on people who are in serious conditions,” Mr Al Meer told DT.
He is aware that a significant amount of money would be required to implement his suggestions. For that, he is planning to raise the issue in Parliament either tomorrow or next week. By doing so, SMC can be converted into a referral hospital with health centres serving as base hospitals.
He feels that the suggestion can be considered keeping in view the benefits that would accrue to patients who need not come all the way to SMC.
“It will be like providing quality medicare to people at their doorsteps,” he averred.
On an average, doctors at SMC treat between 850-1,200 patients every day. Even though the bed strength in the complex is 1,070, authorities are forced to reserve a few beds to meet emergency situations, since SMC is the only major hospital in the public sector.
However, during the recent crisis, doctors had a tough time treating dozens of injured brought in at the same time.
SMC officials also welcomed the suggestions made by Mr Al Meer as they believe it would reduce strain on hospital staff.
“There is a need to change people’s mindset and educate them that they can visit health centres in their respective areas for ailments like fever, stomach pain and so on. But still, they repose confidence in us and we cannot turn them away,” a source from SMC told DT.

Al Wefaq MPs quit Parliament

V L Srinivasan
Manama (Bahrain), Feb 28:

Eighteen MPs from the Al Wefaq bloc yesterday resigned en masse from the Council of Representatives.
The decision to resign from the Parliament was conveyed in a letter to the office of the Chairman of the Council of Representatives Khalifa Ahmed Al Dhahrani who called a meeting with the MPs at 12.30pm tomorrow to discuss the matter. However, the Al Wefaq lawmakers promptly turned down his request for a meeting. “We are writing another letter to Mr. Dhahrani to inform him that we cannot attend the meeting and our decision to resign from the Parliament is final,” MP Matar Ebrahim Matar told DT.
The 18 MPs previously announced their withdrawal from the Lower House in protest against the crackdown on protesters earlier in the month.
Mr. Matar added that according to Parliament protocol the Chairman should reply to the MPs within three days and if the MPs stick to their decision to resign the matter will be referred to the Parliament where a majority of MPs must approve the resignations. “Once the decision is approved, fresh elections have to be held to fill the seats of the resigned MPs,” he said.
“If the resignations are not accepted, the Council will lose its legitimacy as the 18 MPs represent 64 per cent of the electorate.”
Echoing similar sentiments, MP Dr. Jassim Hussain said that political issues should be resolved with political solutions and not through the use of force.
“Bahrain should be a role model of democracy in this part of the world as we are educated, cultured and have a long history,” he said.

State budget ‘will not be affected’

V.L. Srinivasan
Manama (Bahrain) Feb 20:
 
The political impasse currently being faced in the Council of Representatives is not expected to have any affect on the state budget for the next two years, a senior member of the Shura Council said yesterday.
The main opposition bloc in parliament, Al Wefaq, which holds 18 seats in the 40-member Lower House, announced earlier this week that it was suspending its participation in Parliament following deadly clashes between protesters and security forces. The Al Wefaq MPs say they want amendments to be made to the Constitution.
The draft budget proposals for 2011 and 2012 were introduced last month and were being discussed by the members of the Shura Council and the Lower House. Some of the amendments proposed by the Parliament were agreed to by the Government and a final debate on the budget was expected to be held in the coming days.
“We hope that the issue will be settled and that the opposition members reconsider their decision and return to fulfill their commitments,” Shura Council member and Chairman of the Council’s Financial and Economic Affairs Committee Khalid Al Maskati told DT.
He said that Al Wefaq’s decision to withdraw from Parliament is not a good sign and sends the wrong signal to voters. He added that the Lower and Upper Houses of Parliament should work together to ratify the budget proposals and ensure prosperity and welfare for citizens.
Member of Parliament and Vice Chairman of the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee Othman Mohamed Al Rayes also expressed confidence that there would be no hitch in passing the budget as the Parliament must approve it within six weeks of beginning the budget debate.
The budget proposals, announced by Finance Minister Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa last month, say that the Government will spend BD5.3 billion over the next two years. The budget is based on the estimate of oil prices being around $100 per barrel.
Subsequently, His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa issued directives for an additional BD155 million to be added to the budget to fund welfare programmes. Priority has been accorded to key sectors such as housing, which has a budget of BD240 million, healthcare, with a budget of BD534 million, and education, for which BD660 million has been allocated. An additional BD341 million will go to infrastructure development.
 

Hizbollah flags seized at Pearl Roundabout

V L Srinivasan

Manama (Bahrain), Feb 18:

Flags of Hizbollah, four fire arms, live ammunition, swords and knives and other incriminatory material were recovered at Pearl Roundabout yesterday.
In an interview with Bahrain TV, Interior Ministry spokesman Brigadier Taraq Al Hassan, who gave details on what happened at the Pearl Roundabout and how the riot police broke up the sit-in, said that these material were recovered from one of the tents of the demonstrators when security officials searched them after evacuating the protesters.
“As many as 50 security men were wounded in the clashes,” he said and pointed out that some of them were critical and two security officers were stabbed with swords.
"The gathering at the Pearl Roundabout started with limited demands.
However, they turned into illegitimate ones soon," Brigadier Al Hassan said while explaining about the illegitimacy of the gathering from day one.
"The riot police commander asked the crowd over loudspeakers to leave the place before any action was taken against them and police forces covered one side leaving the others for the demonstrators to quit," he said.
But one of the demonstrators deliberately mowed on the security officers injuring
many and leaving one with amputated fingers before he was arrested.
"The security forces progressed from North to South, from Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Highway, offering a way to the demonstrators to quit the area from South," he revealed.
He also dismissed allegations that the security forces prevented ambulances from reaching the area. "This contravenes our noble message. What happened is that some demonstrators stole an ambulance.
So, we checked the identity of every ambulance entering the area," Brigadier Al Hassan explained.
Among the 50 policemen injured, 27 were admitted to Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) Hospital and the condition of two of them was serious.
The others are undergoing treatment at the health centre in police headquarters.
Brigadier Al Hassan added security forces tried to be communicative with protesters to end the sit-in peacefully, to ensure legal practice within this institutional state.
“However, some protestors exploited this tolerant atmosphere to impose illegal practices and disturb citizens and residents by stopping them at checkpoints made for vehicles and passers-by in the surrounding areas of the Roundabout,” he said.
He called upon people to follow the constitution and the law while expressing their freedom of expression, and to show patriotism and concerns for the interests of the country.

Three killed, 125 injured

V L Srinivasan
Manama (Bahrain), Feb 18:


In a pre-dawn swoop, Special Security Forces personnel from the Interior Ministry stormed the Pearl Roundabout and dispersed hundreds of demonstrators from its vicinity early yesterday.
While the ministry confirmed two deaths in the operation that lasted for more than an hour, the main Opposition Al Wefaq claimed that three persons were killed.
On the other hand, the Government has also stationed the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) personnel in the Capital Governorate to provide further security and safety to people and their properties and called upon the people to avoid gathering in their own interest.
Operation Pearl Roundabout began with the security personnel arriving at the venue around 3am and asked the demonstrators, who had been camping at the site following the death of two people since Tuesday, to leave as it was illegal for them to stage a protest in the area. Most protestors, including women and children were sleeping in their makeshift tents around that time.
While some of the demonstrators heeded to the warning, others raised slogans and started clashing with police.
One of the injured protesters was in a critical condition while 82 others had been discharged after being treated for minor injuries. The others were undergoing treatment in Salmaniya Medical Complex.
Meanwhile, protestors alleged that four people were killed and identified the victims as Hussain Zayeb, Ali Khudeer, Mahmood Makki and Isa Abdul Hussain. They also pleaded for people to come forward and donate blood, as SMC reportedly did not have enough blood in their blood bank, to treat the injured.
On the other hand, the Shura Council and Parliament, which were scheduled to hold a special meeting to discuss the events that occurred in the Kingdom during the last three days, cancelled the meeting.
In a statement, Bahrain Airport Company (BAC) said all operations at Bahrain International Airport were running normally and all flights were on schedule. Air passengers or those wishing to receive passengers are advised to leave ample time for the journey to the airport to mitigate any possible delays or traffic congestions, the statement said.
A correspondent of ABC News Miguel Marquez was assaulted by men with billy clubs while covering the Pearl Roundabout protest rally.
Mr Marquez said he was not badly injured, but he was hit several times and his camera was pulled from his hands while he yelled, “Journalist, journalist!” — trying to show he was not a protester. He was on
the phone to ABC News in New York when the attack happened.