Conduct certificate mandatory for foreign workers
Manama : Parliamentarians yesterday passed a proposal making certificates of good conduct mandatory for foreign employees entering the Kingdom.
The majority of the MPs voted for the proposal saying “it will contribute to enhancing the country’s security”, even as the Services Committee in the House of Representatives rejected it citing issues.
“It is our right to protect our country,” said Dr Majeed Al Asfoor warning: “Receiving foreign workers with records of felonies and crimes will harm our security.”
Backing the opinion, another MP, Dr Jameela Al Sammak said, “The proposal would prevent the entry of people with criminal records.”
Dr Al Sammak, however, viewed that it is difficult to verify the authenticity of the certificates produced. “There’s no solid guarantee that these certificates are not counterfeited”.
“Some are even managing to produce new passports with fake information to obtain reentry. So procuring a fake good conduct certificate won’t be difficult for them,” Dr Al Sammak warned.
Meanwhile, referring to the ‘grinder murder’ incident occurred a few years back in which a Bangladeshi national killed a Bahraini man using a grinder, presenter of the proposal, Mohammed Al Maarifi said, “We must oblige them of submitting a certificate. In case it is fake, the authorities should officially hold the country responsible.”
On his part, Committee Chairman Abbas Al Madhi said, “All foreign workers recruited in Bahrain are inspected by Interior Ministry. This matter should be addressed to the immigration and passports law and not to the labour law. This is a legislative authority. We are not making a salad here. There should be order in tackling issues.”
Labour Market Regulatory Authority CEO Ausamah Al Absi supported the committee’s decision to reject the proposal, stating: “In case the proposal is approved, this will mean that we request this certificate for each employee despite their designation and country, be it Asian or European.”
“Requesting to verify the good conduct certificate by Bahrain missions abroad is difficult, as the Kingdom doesn’t have diplomatic representatives in all countries. At the authority, we have a fingerprint database of all foreign workers who violated the laws in Bahrain and were deported. This includes those who committed crimes in GCC countries to ensure that they don’t enter Bahrain. Five to six cases are weekly reported at Bahrain International Airport, thanks to this mechanism.”
The proposal was passed as the majority of MPs voted for it and will be referred to Shura Council for review.
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