Bahrain PM passes away

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

By order of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Royal Court mourns His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister, who passed away this morning at Mayo Clinic Hospital in the United States of America.

The burial ceremony will take place after the repatriation of the body, and the funeral will be limited to a specific number of relatives.

HM the King ordered the announcement of an official mourning for a week during which flags will be flown at half-mast.

Government ministries and departments will be closed for three days starting Thursday.

May Allah rest the soul of the deceased in eternal peace. From Allah we come and to Allah we return.

His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Honorable Prime Minister, was born on 24 November 1935.

HRH started learning the Holy Quran at the hands of one of the most famous Sheikhs in Bahrain at that time. It was only a short time before he began his formal education. His father, HH Shaikh Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Ruler of Bahrain, appointed a group of the most qualified teachers at the time to teach him basic subjects before joining the Government School. In 1957, he was sent to study in Britain at intervals until 1959.

Positions and Tasks Assumed By HRH The Prime Minister

• March 1953 - Assistant in the Office of his father the Ruler
• 1 Sept 1954 - Member in the Committee of discussing the problems of rents
• 22 March 1956 - Member of the Education Council
• 13 Jan 1957 - President of the Education Council
• 30 Dec 1957 - Member of the Electricity Committee
• 26 Aug 1958 - Acting Secretary of the Government of Bahrain.
• 11 Nov 1958 - Member of the Committee charged with discussing the affairs of the Government Employees
• 16 Nov 1960 - Director of the Government's Finance
• 19 Nov1961 - President of the Irrigation Council
• 15 May 1962 - Mayor of Manama
• 9 Dec 1964 - Chairman of the Monetary Council
• 9 Aug 1965 - President of the Foreigners’ Migration and Residence Issues Council
• 2 May 1966 - Chairman of the Administrative Council
• 19 Jan 1970 - Chairman of the State Council.
• 15 Aug 1971 - Prime Minister
• 8 Dec 1973 - Chairman of the Supreme Defense Council
• 6 Nov 1980 - Chairman of the Supreme Council of Oil
• 18 April 1982 - Chairman of the Civil Service Council
• 4 May 1982 - Chairman of the Water Resources Council
• 5 Aug 1995 - Chairman of the Supreme Council of Civil Aviation
• 1 April 2000 - Chairman of the Supreme Council for Economic Development

Hobbies and fields of Interest

HRH regularly exercised walking and prefers this particular sport to allow him the opportunity to meditate and think about the issues that concern him. Ancient artefacts, especially weapons and cars, were also among his interests. The hobby that HRH loves is drawing. HRH continued to follow closely all the new updates in this field. Agriculture, horticulture, and interest in birds and wildlife were some of HRH hobbies. Photography was also one of HRH’s favourite hobbies.

HRH was highly interested in international economic and political affairs as well.

Accolades & Honorary Degrees Of HRH The Prime Minister

• 3 April 1952 - The First Class Order of the Two Rivers (or Wisam Al-Rafidain ) , Iraq .
• March 1958 - The National Order of the Cedar, the highest honour in Lebanon, bestowed by HE Sami El Solh; Prime Minister of the Republic of Lebanon.
• 24 Sept 1960 - The First Class Commander Order of Dannebrog, Denmark.
• 19 Dec 1976 - The Order of Al Khalifa (Al Khalifa Collar); the highest order in Bahrain by Amiri Decree No. 8 of 1976, bestowed by the Late Amir HH Shaikh Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, Amir of the State of Bahrain.
• 30 Jan 1999 - The Supreme Order of the Renaissance bestowed by Prince Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein, Crown Prince of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. It is the highest Jordanian Award.
• 4 Oct 1999 - The Order of Shaikh Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa (Wisam al-Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa), first Class, by Amiri Decree No. 20 of 1999, bestowed by His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
• 30 Jan 2001 - Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm, bestowed by the King of Malaysia.
• 31 Jan 2001 - An Honorary PHD Degree in Political Science from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).
• 16 Nov 2001 - The Order of Sikatuna, (Orden ni sikatuna) bestowed by H.E. Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo, President of the Republic of Philippines.
• 7 Oct 2003 - Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College Surgeons in Ireland
• 3 Dec 2003 - The Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the most Exalted Order of the White Elephant, Kingdom of Thailand.
• 21 Feb 2004 - The National Order of the Legion of Honour, Order national de la Légiod'honneur, bestowed by H.E. Jacques Chirac, President of the Republic of France.
• 21 Feb 2004 - An Honorary PHD Degree from the Indira Gandhi National Open University, Republic of India.
• 23 Mar 2004 - The Order of Ouissam Alaouite, bestowed by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, King of the Kingdom of Morocco.
• 2 Feb 2005 - The Union Medal, bestowed by HH Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates.
• 13 Apr 2005 - The Outstanding Achievement Medal, bestowed by the President of the Council of Representatives in the Republic of the Philippines.
• 4 Jan 2007 - The Order of Lakandula with rank of Supremo (Grand Collar); the highest Filipino Order given to leaders and head of states and governments. Bestowed by HE Gloria Macapagal - Arroyo President of the Republic of the Philippines.
• 2 July 2007 - "2006 Special Citation of the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour” from the United Nations Human Settlements Programme in Geneva, Switzerland.
• 24 Jun 2008 - The Degree of Doctor of Humanities from Lawrence Technological University - United States of America bestowed from the President of the University.
• 11 Apr 2009 - Order of King Abdul Aziz (King Abdulaziz Medal) which is the highest Saudi rank bestowed by H.M. King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
• 13 Aug 2009 - Honorary Doctorate Degree in Political Science from Prince of Songkla University in the Kingdom of Thailand, bestowed by the President of the University.
• 12 Oct 2009 - UNESCO Avicenna Gold Medal, bestowed by the General Director of UNESCO in Paris, Republic of France.
• 19 Oct 2009 - Golden Shield from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Paris, given to leaders and heads of states.
• 21 Oct 2009 - HM the King of Bahrain granting HH the title of “His Royal Highness Prince”.
• 20 Nov 2009 - Visionary Award 2009 of the Union of Arab Banks.
• 13 Dec 2009 - King Hamad Order of the Renaissance 1st class ( Wisam al Nahda) bestowed by HM King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, marking the Celebration of the Kingdom of Bahrain on the National Day and the accession to the throne.
• 4 Apr 2010 - Golden Shield, which is the Arab Jurists Union’s, top Award, bestowed by the Union’s Permanent Bureau members.
• 19 Sept 2010 - Millennium Development Goals Award from the United Nations.
• 8 Oct 2012 - African Union Shield, bestowed by Dr. Jean Ping, Chairman of the African Union Commission.
• 20 Nov 2013 - European Award for International Relations Personality of the Year 2013 by the Union of Arab Economists and Administrators in the European Union.
• 14 Dec 2013 - Statesman Award from Asian Business Leadership Forum in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
• 8 June 2014 - The International Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPW International) President’s Gold Award.
• 29 Feb 2016 - The Information and Communication Technology in Sustainable Development Award by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in the United Nations. HRH is the first Arab Prime Minister to be honoured by ITU, being among leaders who strongly support the use of ICT in achieving sustainable development goals.
• 22 Mar 2016 2016 - International Leadership Award from the International Federation of Training and Development Organizations (IFTDO). The award is reserved for leaders who have an impact on the masses. H.R.H is the first person to be honoured with a new international award for leadership.
• 30 Mar 2016 - The Flame of Peace Award from the Association for the Furtherance of Peace, Austria, thus becoming the First Arab Prime Minister to have received such a prestigious Award.
• 22 Oct 2016 - The Order of the Golden Fleece from the Royal Habsburg family and Hollabrunn City Council, Austria.
• 11 April 2017 An Honorary PHD Degree from Al-Quds Open University. Bestowed by HE Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian President during his visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain.
• 19 April 2017 The Arab League Shield for Leadership in Arab Development from the Arab League. HRH became the first Arab leader to be honoured with a pioneering regional award.
• 18 May 2017 UNESCO Peace Medal carrying the word “ peace” in all official languages of the United Nations, which are English, French, Arabic, Spanish, Russian and Chinese, Bestowed by Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director – General during her visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain in HRH’s Palace in Riffa.
• 22 May 2017 The Arab Parliament Shield from the Arab Parliament. Bestowed by Dr. Mishal Bin Fahm Al Salmi, Presient of the Arab Parliament, during the Arab Parliament delegation visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain
• 20 Sept 2017 The World Peace Culture Award from the Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL). Bestowed by Dr. Hong Tao –Tze, President of the Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL) in New York.
• 12 Dec 2017 His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa , King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, visited the Southern Governorate where he launched the “ Khalifa Town” , a milestone which combines the Southern Town Housing projects, linking Askar, Jaw, Al Dur and their suburbs. The new city named after H.R.H. The Prime Minster, is in recognition of the HRH’s landmark achievements and valuable contributions to the nation.