Bahrain MP urges to review unemployed support scheme

Manama: A Bahraini MP has urged the Government to reconsider its support schemes to the unemployed and focus more on enhancing citizens’ livelihoods.

MP Ali Al Ateesh called upon the authorities to halt its procedure to deduct one per cent off citizens’ wages to finance the unemployed support fund.

“Recent reports showed that there’s a surplus of BD0.5 billion in the unemployed support fund. These huge amounts could be invested in financing vital projects. Plus, the 1pc shouldn’t be deducted from citizens’ salaries,” Al Ateesh stated.

The lawmaker also claimed that “the Representatives Council’s members previously passed a law decree to cancel the 1pc deduction out of citizens’ wages, but the proposal was delayed by the other part of the legislative authority (Shura Council) for years.”

“Shura Council members are not expected to pass the law decree soon, especially while the government expressed its rejection to changing the deduction mechanism. That’s why we call upon the Wise Leadership to interfere and push Shura Council to pass this important proposal,” Al Ateesh explained.

However, Al Ateesh is the not the first MP to make such harsh accusations against Shura Council, as several MPs expressed their rejection and criticism to the “sluggish” attitude of their counterparts in the legislative authority, claiming that “they’re deliberately delaying law proposals and decrees.”

Such statements were made by Parliament’s First Deputy Speaker Ali Al Aradi and MP Adel Al Assoomy during the past few weeks.

They came in reply to Shura Council Chairman Ali Saleh Al Saleh’s decision to suspend the council’s weekly session on the pretext that “no sufficient matters are referred by parliamentarians to Shura Council.”