Bahrain ministers snub MPs on free visa issue

Manama: A parliamentarian has accused the Ministers of not cooperating with the Council of Representatives. During the weekly parliament session yesterday, Legislative and Legal Affairs Parliamentary Committee Head MP Ali Al Ateesh claimed that “the authorities delay the work of the Council’s investigative committees by ignoring their requests.”

“We requested to meet Ministers for over two months, but we received no reply. This contradicts with the directives of the Prime Minister HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa,” Al Ateesh stated.

In reply to Al Ateesh’s allegations, Parliament and Shura Council Affairs Minister Fadhul Al Buainain said, “The government is obliged to cooperate with the representatives of the people of Bahrain. We have received 14 requests from MPs so far and 13 were replied. The Prime Minister is always keen on maintaining positive cooperation between the Legislative and Executive Authorities. If there are any issues in this regard, you can directly refer it to the Premier.”

This came while discussing a request submitted by the parliamentary investigative committee into the illegal employment (free visa) phenomenon, asking to delay the submission of its final report.

During the discussion, some MPs criticised the committee for delaying their final conclusion for a third time.

The Committee head MP Adel Al Assoomy explained that “the committee couldn’t reach a solution to the free visa issue yet and that is the reason behind the postponement of request.”

Meanwhile, MP Majeed Milad clarified that “constitutionally and according to the bylaws of the council, investigative committees are obliged to submit their final reports within four months of forming the committee. However, it’s for the remaining MPs to vote for or against committees’ postponement requests.”

Majority of MPs voted for Al Assoomy’s request and ended the lengthy discussion.