Row over ‘personal interests’

Manama : A query by MP Osama Al Khaja to Industry, Commerce and Tourism Minister Zayid Al Zayani on gold stamping fees sparked a row in the House of Representatives yesterday with accusations of the MP using the floor of the House for personal interests.

During the discussion, MP Khalid Al Shaer requested the Speaker of the House Ahmed Al Mulla to halt the discussion, claiming that it’s violating the council’s bylaws and serves the personal interests of the presenter of the question (Al Khaja).

“The bylaws of the council strictly stipulate that parliamentary questions should tackle public interests and should not be in the interests of the MP asking the questions or his/her fourth-degree relatives.  The council’s General Secretariat should look into the questions submitted by MPs and ensure that they don’t serve personal interests. This question, in my opinion, is of a personal nature. This discussion should be ended at once,” Al Shaer stated, interrupting the discussion between Al Khaja and the minister.

MP Ahmed Qarata criticised Al Shaer’s statements, commenting that “the Government should point this out and not an MP”.

Al Khaja also replied to Al Shaer, saying that he’s not seeking a personal interest when tackling a certain subject.

As Al Shaer hinted at Al Khaja’s history in the goldsmith and jewellery business, MP Mohammed Al Maarifi affirmed that “it’s important for MPs to have experience in certain fields”.

“We were elected according to our efficiency in different fields. If an MP is prevented from asking questions in the fields that he or she are specialised in, then these MPs are useless. In this case, we need a law to regulate the election process, stipulating that traders shouldn’t speak about commerce and politicians shouldn’t speak about politics, Al Maarifi commented.”    

The last person who was given the floor to speak was the council’s Second Deputy Speaker Abdulhalim Murad, who said, “As MPs we shouldn’t doubt each other’s intentions. We all swore here to serve the people of Bahrain. Al Khaja’s experience in this field, makes him closer to it and the people specialised in it more than any of us. They tell him their grievances and he conveys them to the government. I have been in this council for 11 years and this is the first incident where an MP opposes his fellow MP in regards to questions to the government.”

Soon, Al Mulla ended the debate and the council moved to discuss several other matters on the agenda.