‘Foreigners preferred over Bahraini bizmen’

Traders at Manama Old Souq has alleged that the government is favouring foreigners over Bahraini businessmen, which is harming the local retail business in Bahrain. 

Owner of the biggest garments store in the old souq, Abdul Karim Al Fulaij, said it is unfortunate that the Ministry of Industry and Commerce is giving more importance to the foreigners and providing them with all the facilities required to do business here, and at the same time blaming the Bahrainis for lack of business. 

Fulaij said he had intimated the four committees in the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), explaining the problems the retail businesses in the old Souq were facing due to Dragon City and Autumn Fair. He pointed out the new MOIC management has extended the number of days for the Autumn Fair to ten days this year. He alleged the purpose of this one-day extension is to make sure the foreigners make “one million Dinars extra” and then take the money out of Bahrain.

“I can say that each exhibitor sells about BD2000 worth commodities daily and there are about 750 exhibitors. So their aggregate daily sale is about BD1500,000,” he said.

Fulaij added he had requested the organisers of the Autumn Fair to give at least one million Dinars to the old Souq committee for the development of the market.

He suggested that the BCCI committees should meet the Industry minister to give him an accurate idea about the lack of business in the old souq and also the lack of support from his ministry.

He also requested the BCCI to be partner with MOIC to promote the cause of the business community in Bahrain.    He said both the Autumn Fair and the Dragon City were inaugurated on salary dates to let the people spend their salaries there. “The flow of people was being diverted to those places and as a result the business activities at the Manama Souq also decreased,” he claimed. “It is an old demand of the traders that the Manama Souq should be rebuilt retaining all the architectural elements, as it has lost its old beauty and charm and nothing special has been preserved to attract foreign tourists,” he stated.