brick over blood

It was the penultimate insult. It took six years to spew out but it was finally hurled, for and behalf of the ruling circles of the land, by Khalifa al-Dhahrani, their favourite chum. The head of the minority-takes-more-seats-than-majority House of Deputies is proposing to compensate proprietors for properties affected during the Trouble years of the 90’s.

It was a strong enough jolt to spring a thus far sedated al-Wefaq into upright consciousness, with Mohammed al-Mez’el leading the charge. After all, this is a government about to set a milestone. A government rushing to make amends for damaged and burnt bricks but not for damaged and burnt lives. They couldn’t have managed a greater insult. A nation of families of the fallen, survivors of torture and returnees from long and dark years of exile was reduced to arsonists. A struggle era was reduced to a burnt tire.

Rhodesian MP’s rushed to back al-Dhahrani, and so did Rhodesian columnists. One of the latter revealed the motive behind the motion. “Criminals and terrorists” (of the other sect)were unduly rewarded by gaining their freedom in 2001. What did (Sunni) landlords who were on the side of law and unmitigated order gain in exchange?

Yet it was a high office first to use the C word. About five years ago, a group of former exiles met with an adviser to the King. One of them uttered the word compensation in passing. The adviser bristled. He won’t hear any of it. The higher-ups won’t entertain it for a moment. He wants the end of it. Victims of torture were repeatedly told the official line: that that was bygone era. Case closed. But here is Mr. Al-Dhahran, the government favourite chum and beneficiary, opening the books and gates again. Will Al-Wefaq and other civil rights groups capitalize on this official blunder?

Something never changes, House in or out.

Speaking of what appears to be less sedated al-Wefaq, here is another story worthy of a question period. Now that the PM has announced an increase in workers pension premiums to 18%. And to ensure that pension funds are there for their retirement time and ours, would any of their honourable MP’s care to ask Minister of Finance about why did the Undersecretary of Finance instruct Bahrain Development Bank (whose funds come in part from the two schemes of pension funds) to grant unsecured loan of BD 200,000 (two hundred thousands dinars) as urgent cash injection to Al-Watan newspaper two months ago? Why was the mandatory BDB Board approval of this transaction only secured after the fact?

At least to prove that they, unlike the BDB board, do make a difference.