Bold steps needed to revitalise BCCI: Tojjar Bloc

Manama : Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) currently has a weak, diminished role and only ‘bold steps’ can help bring back its strength and influence, according to members of the Tojjar Bloc who are in the BCCI poll fray.

There is a disconnect between BCCI and the business community, said a member of the Tojjar bloc at a press conference held to announce details about their election campaign yesterday. 

According to its mission statement, the bloc aims to transform BCCI into an influential partner in economic decision making by making it dynamic and effective representative for its members.  

BCCI has an outdated and bureaucratic structure which has made it unable to provide value and support to its members, according to the group. The members of the group are, Sameer Abdulla Nass, Waleed Kanoo, Dr. Abdulmajeed Alawadhi, Mohammed AJM Kooheji, Aaref Hejres, Uzair Usman, Sonya Janahi, Batool Dadabhai, A Hamid A Hussain Al Asfoor,  Dr. Waheeb Alkhaja, Jameel Alghanah, Khalid Najibi, Fareed Ghloom Bader, Basim Mohammed AlSaie and Dr. Mohammed Juman.

“The bloc aims to find progress in all areas of business,” said Sameer Nass. The fact that the members of the bloc come from various background such as real estate, industrial, engineering, construction, investment and services, is a significant advantage, he said.

“Once we are elected as a majority group we will have the ‘100 days plan’ for the first 100 days, within that we have whatever solutions necessary to support the local business community in Bahrain as well as correcting the part of the chamber of commerce,” said A Hamid A Hussain Al Asfoor

“The current administration have missed out on reaching out to the local business community, there has been a big gap. There has not been support or a partnership between them and the local business community because of that gap a lot of things were missed out,” he said.

“Our strategy does not come from catchy words as some of the others. We have gone through detailed strategy of finding where there are weaknesses and where there are urgent decision that need to be made,” said Basim Al Saie.

“In the next five years, we will witness major economic transformation in the private sector. The private sector will be tasked to grow to share and contribution to the country’s GDP. The State is adopting mechanism to reduce dependence on oil as the world shifts to clean energy. The chamber with its current form is unable to contribute and influence decisions in raising additional revenues to tackle budget deficits from taxes levies and fees. Nor is it able to present and argue on behalf of the private sector,” the bloc said in a statement yesterday.

“There are many thorny economic files that need to be addressed with a revitalized chamber. A chamber leadership not paralyzed by indecision, inner quarrelling, and power struggles but one with qualified and competent leadership that is focused and committed to provide solutions. It is necessary to highlight the role of the chamber in the next session in joining hands with the legislative and executive branch to address these challenges and dangers,” it stated.

‘A change needed’

Mohammed Dadabhai, a prominent businessman, who was present in support of the bloc has said that the Chamber badly needed a change.  

“I speak as a Bahraini merchant when I say we need a change. A change because the chamber has been looked at as a monopolized house of some people who have been there for a long time. I have seen them young and now they are old, I want to ask them what they have done so far.  The Chamber is the voice of the people and should serve that,” he said during an interactive session of the press conference. 

“This should not be a monopolized house of the same people. I see the same faces every year. Our government is very transparent, the leadership always listens to us, but in the case of the elected BCCI officials, we only see them every four years when they need our votes. We need a change, enough is enough,”  he added.