Head of the Bahrain National Bloc
Member of the Permanent Committee for Foreign, Defence and National Security Affairs
Member of the Human Rights Committee (From Nov 2015)
Member of Mumtalakat Investigation Committee (April 2015)
Member of Government Action Plan Committee (Jan-Feb 2015)
Bumjaid has held a parliamentary seat since 2006 and won his seat in 2014 in one of the most hotly contested constituencies. He generally positions himself as a loyalist figure well within the mainstream of parliamentary opinions.
The Government plan for halting meat subsidies saw Bumjaid standing with the majority of MPs in opposition to the proposal. In autumn 2015 Bumjaid issued several statements voicing support for the local fishing industry and advocating the need to protect fishing stocks.
At the beginning of the new parliamentary term in October 2015, it was announced that Bumjaid would head an alliance of MPs called the National Bahrain Bloc. As far back as the beginning of 2015 Bumjaid and Ahmed Qaratah were reported as being affiliated with such a bloc. However, this proposal only seems to have been activated since mid-2015 and efforts to coordinate parliamentary positions over the chairmanship of the various committees.
During mid-2015 Bumjaid put out a flurry of statements condemning domestic and regional terrorism incidents, indicating the importance he places on his membership of the Defence Committee.
The administration of the American Mission Hospital has been a consistent issue which Bumjaid raised with ministers in the early months of 2015, raising concerns of the organization’s financial procedures and the alleged failure to abide by accepted procedures followed by other Bahraini entities.
Bumjaid was among the minority of 12 MPs who voted against the State Budget on 2 July 2015. He said that the Budget failed to implement the promises set out in the Government Action Plan.
Bumjaid is the only surviving member of the “National Independents Bloc” from the previous Parliament, which in July 2012 broke away from the “Independents Bloc” (of which Ahmed al-Mulla, Adel al-Asoumi and Isa al-Kooheji were members). Bumjaid was Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee during the 2012-13 parliamentary year.
ACTIVITY DURING 2015-2016 PARLIAMENT SEASON
Housing, services & infrastructure
Housing: Bumjaid on 30 Aug announced the commencement of projects to provide 18 new housing units for families in the Umm Hassam area.
During a parliamentary debate on 13 Oct in which the Housing Minister was present, Bumjaid called for greater consistency in addressing housing allocation, noting that there was a far greater backlogue in Manama than in parts of Muharraq.
Standards of living, health & education
Benefit payments: During their weekly meeting on 20 October MPs voted in favour of measures to enshrine counter-inflation payments into law and more clearly define who is entitled to them. Bumjaid stated that legislation was needed to guarantee continuation of these payments and reassure the public of their continuation.
Economy & employment
Tourism: Bumjaid called on the Tourism Administration to implement better monitoring over tourist areas to root out inappropriate practices, particularly in Juffair and Exhibition Road.
Ports: In press statements on 17 Oct Bumjaid criticized the lack of progress in providing services for local fishermen. He noted that as far back as 2009, there was a directive from the King for a port in his local constituency at Umm Hassam, but until now the work wasn’t complete.
Fishing: Bumjaid on 17 Oct was among the MPs warning of the consequences of unregulated fishing in Bahraini waters. He was a co-sponsor of proposed new measures for controlling fishing. Bumjaid said that Bahrain had much to learn from the experience of other nations in regulating fishing and supporting the marine environment.
Good governance & public finance
Subsidies: During the 20 Oct parliamentary session, Bumjaid (along with co-sponsors Qaratah, Turki, Dawoud and Al-Hammadi) put forward a proposal for doubling meat subsidies compensation to citizens. However, Bumjaid then withdrew the proposal after it was confirmed that there would be an open debate on the subsidies issue the following week.
During the 27 Oct open parliamentary debate on subsidy reform, Bumjaid said that the Government had sent a negative message to the public, because Bahrainis had believed that redirecting subsidies away from foreigners would benefit them. However, it has been Bahrainis who were worst affected, and no though has been given to compensating butchers. He asked why the Government hadn’t taken action to protect consumers from increasing prices in shops and restaurants.
MPs Abdulrahman Bumjaid, Ahmed Qaratah, Ibrahim al-Hammadi, Jamal Dawoud and Isa Turki have put forward a motion calling on the Govt to double levels of meat subsidy compensation. This is slated to be discussed during the 3 Nov parliamentary session.
Bonuses: Bumjaid on 12 Nov welcomed the Govt’s agreement with the parliamentary proposal for halting bonuses for local authority officials for two years, to reduce Govt expenditure.
Policing & regional security
Terrorism: Bumjaid on 6 Aug condemned the mosque attack in Abha Saudi Arabia.
Bumjaid on 13 Aug issued a statement praising the Interior Ministry for apprehending those accused of involvement in the recent Sitra attack which killed two policemen. Bumjaid on 31 Aug strongly condemned the Al-Karranah bombing which killed one policeman. He said that such an attack simply made Bahrain more determined to combat terrorism.
Iran: Bumjaid on 23 July condemned statements by the Iranian leadership concerning Bahrain, which he described as interference in Bahrain’s internal affairs. He described these as attacks on Bahrain’s sovereignty and international norms.
On 21 Sep Bumjaid called on the international community to do more to stop Iranian interference in events in the region.
Bumjaid on 6 Nov called for a united GCC stance against “Iranian terrorism” through military coordination and sharing of information.
Saudi Arabia: Bumjaid on 11 July conveyed his condolences on the passing of former Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal
Foreign policy: In a 22 Sep statement marking the international day of peace, Bumjaid stressed Bahrain’s efforts to reinforce regional peace and stability.
Rights & freedoms
Human Rights Committee: Reports over recent weeks have indicated that up to 15 MPs were competing for the five seats in the parliamentary Human Rights Committee. There were criticisms that the Committee, formerly led by Khalid al-Shaer, hadn’t been sufficiently assertive in promoting Bahrain’s human rights record on the world stage. After failing to reach agreement, the matter came to a vote during the 10 November parliamentary session. New members, Majid al-Asfour, Abdulrahman Bumjaid and Nasir al-Qaseer were voted in, with 25, 22 and 20 votes respectively.
Human rights: On 23 Nov Bumjaid strongly criticized the new Human Rights Watch report concerning Bahrain. He said that Bahrain had done its utmost to implement the BICI recommendations.
Parliament role & constituent engagement
Affiliation: At the beginning of the new parliamentary term in October 2015, it was announced that Bumjaid would head an alliance of MPs called the National Bahrain Bloc. As far back as the beginning of 2015 Bumjaid and Ahmed Qaratah were reported as being affiliated with such a bloc. However, this proposal only seems to have been activated since mid-2015 and efforts to coordinate parliamentary positions over the chairmanship of the various committees.
On 17 October Ahmed Qaratah announced to the media the establishment of the Bahrain National Bloc, to be headed by Abdulrahman Bumjaid. The bloc will reportedly include Mohammed al-Jowder, Ali Bufarsan, Ibrahim al-Hammadi and Ahmed Qaratah – all of whom were previously reported as being part of such a bloc – along with new additions Mohammed al-Ahmed and Mohammed al-Ammadi (Minbar).
Private bills: During the 17 Nov MPs once again responded angrily to a new set of responses from the Government rejecting almost all of their proposals which had been submitted as private bills. Bumjaid noted that the state of most health services in Bahrain was poor, especially after foreign workers were transferred to the regular health centres, which led to overcrowding.
ACTIVITY DURING 2014-2015 PARLIAMENT SEASON
Housing, services & infrastructure
Housing: During a 17 March debate about housing rights and benefits, Bumjaid rejected the criteria of precedence for prioritizing requests, saying that each locality had different needs.
Planning:On 16 April Bumjaid met the Works Minister to discuss the needs of his local constituents.
Standards of living, health & education
Health fees: Bumjaid challenged the Health Minister during the 10 March parliamentary session, saying that the imposition of these fees was unilateral and unconstitutional, having been introduced without consulting the business community.
Economy & employment
Ports: During the 31 March parliamentary session the Minister of Communications responded to questions from Bumjaid regarding the system of oversight for shipping in Khalifa Port.
Medical staff: Bumjaid, Ghazi Al Rahmah and Abbas al-Madhi on 20 April issued a joint statement quoting statistics showing that more than half of doctors and nurses are foreigners. Bumjaid questioned how Health Ministry staff could claim that there weren’t any unemployed medics in Bahrain. Bumjaid called on the Ministry to revise its recent statements in line with statistics held by the Parliament.
Good governance & public finance
Action Plan: Bumjaid on 2 February stressed that the central criteria for accepting the Government Action Plan should be whether it addresses the aspirations of citizens. He emphasized the importance of a continued parliamentary role in guaranteeing tangible results from the Action Plan, saying in Parliament on 3 February “Your oversight of the plan is the guarantor of its implementation”.
National debt: On 27 March six MPs, including Bumjaid, issued a statement voicing concerns at rumours that the parliamentary decision to limit the debt ceiling would result in cutting services like housing benefit, inflation support and support for pensioners. They noted that the Prime Minister had committed himself to increasing standards of living and the Government had committed itself to the pledges of the 2015-18 Action Plan. They noted that Parliament’s judgment on the National Debt was in line with the National Bank’s recommendations that borrowing shouldn’t exceed 60% of GDP.
Budget: Bumjaid on 10 April that the constitutional period for submitting the State Budget to Parliament had elapsed. He warned that if the Budget was submitted as an urgent bill for immediate handling, MPs would have insufficient time to analyze the Budget.
Audit report: During the 14 April parliamentary debate concerning the annual Financial Audit Bureau report, Bumjaid noted the growing talk about the reports year after year, stating that this time Parliament must make its role in addressing violations clearer by referring violations to the Public Prosecution. He criticized ministers for claiming that they didn’t possess the necessary budget for some projects, but that even when the budget existed the projects still didn’t get implemented.
Minister interrogation: During the 5 May parliamentary session an insufficient number of MPs voted in support of interrogating the Health Minister over issues raised in the Audit report (23 supported, below the 2/3 quota of 27 MPs).Bumjaid voted in favour of the interrogation.
During the 12 May parliamentary session Bumjaid noted the presence of two similar proposals logged with the Legal Committee concerning proposals to amend the interrogation procedure. He questioned why they couldn’t just be combined. He said that there was no need for the Parliamentary Administrative Office to judge the constitutionality of interrogation proposals, because that was what Parliament was there for. He said that the main problem was with the need for two thirds of MPs to agree on such a proposal.
MPs’ benefits: On 12 May, Parliament voted to delay two weeks the vote on modifying retirement payments for MPs. Bumjaid said that the MPs who entered Parliament during the 2011 by-election must be allowed to benefit because some of these “now have nothing to live on… we reject a raise of the ceiling (above 4,000 BD)” and under the current regime, those who haven’t served a full parliamentary term aren’t entitled to the full benefits.
Policing & regional security
Prison riot: Buhassan praised the security forces on 13 March for dealing with the recent rioting in Jaw Prison.
Bumjaid on 19 March praised the opening of two military bases at Hidd and Jaliyah by the King. He spoke highly of the King’s support for the military institution and efforts to upgrade Bahrain’s military capabilities.
Rights, freedoms & religion
American Mission society: On 2 March Bumjaid sent a question to the Minister for Social Development concerning the activities and agenda of the American Mission Society. The Civil Service Chamber on 8 May responded to questions from Bumajid regarding the organizational structure and status of the American Mission in Bahrain.
During the 12 May parliamentary session, Bumjaid once again raised the issue of the American Mission hospital and its administrative procedures. He said that the Social Development Ministry hadn’t provided him with financial records for the organization. The Social Development Minister told him that the hospital was a special case because its administration was made up of foreigners. Bumjaid retorted that they should also be subject to Bahraini law.
Women’s rights: During mid-February Bumjaid participated in an Arab Parliament conference, where he stressed the importance of the Arab Charter for Women’s Rights.
Quran: During the 17 March parliamentary debate about the proposal for setting up an inquiry committee over the reading of Quranic verses during a talent contest, Bumjaid questioned what purpose such a committee would serve and said that there should be more concern for the traumatic effects on the child involved.
Human rights: Bumjaid on 1 April praised the growing reputation of Bahrain in the human rights domain, especially after receiving membership on the International Parliament Human Rights Committee.
Religious freedoms: Bumajid successfully proposed a parliamentary statement to the EU regarding religious freedoms in Bahrain. He stressed that “Bahrain is the land of religious freedoms” and noted that the MPs’ response should list Bahrain’s achievements.
Youth, culture & sport
Sport: Bumjaid was one of 10 MPs who on 16 March proposed an open parliamentary debate with the relevant minister to discuss what the Government was doing to promote Bahraini sport and athletes. During the 7 April open parliamentary debate about sport Bumjaid questioned that with 35 youth centres already existing and proposals for 12 more, whether Bahrain really needed so many centres.
Parliament role & constituent engagement
Affiliation: Bumjaid is reportedly part of a new four-member National Bahrain Bloc in the Parliament (14 February). Little has been heard of this Bloc since then.
Private members’ bills: During the 7 April parliamentary session MPs voted to commit the Government to a time limit for implementing proposals submitted by MPs and agreed on by Parliament. Bumjaid said there was no “hint of unconstitutionality” to the proposal.
Effectiveness rating
- Standards of living, health & education – 4
- Housing & services – 5
- Policing & regional security– 5
- Good governance & public finance – 4
- Economy & employment – 5
- Supporting constituents & youth – 4
- Rights & freedoms – 4
- Constructive Parliament role – 4
- Public visibility – 4
- Progressive/reformist credentials – 4
Results of 2014 elections – 4th Capital
Areas covered: Fateh, Juffair, Ghuraifa, Mina Salman, Umm Hassam, Abu-Ghazzal, Adliya
Housing blocks: 324, 325, 326, 327, 333, 335, 336, 337, 338, 339, 340, 341, 342, 343, 373
Registered voters: 7,014; Percentage 1st round voter turnout: 62.3%
First round votes:
Abdulrahman Bumjaid (MP) – 1773 (42.6%); Ibrahim al-Mannai (Mithaq) – 738 (17.7%); Hassan Bukhamas (MP) – 678 (16.3%); Ammar al-Banai – 649 (15.6%); Adnan al-Nuaimi – 103; Fadhil al-Badu – 223
Second round vote:
Abdulrahman Bumjaid (MP) – 2052 (59.6%)
Ibrahim al-Mannai (Mithaq) – 1394 (40.5%)
Profile of election campaign: Abdulrahman Rashid Abdulrahman Khalaf Bumjaid
Bumjaid has held a parliamentary seat since 2006. His election slogan “Al-Bahrain tasta’ahal” loosely translates as “Bahrain rises to the challenge”.
This was always seen as one of the most hotly-contested constituencies, with two incumbent MPs – Hassan Bukhamas and Bumjaid – standing against each other and several other well-known contestants. However in the days leading up to the vote, it was Bumjaid’s image that seemed to dominate around the area and he seemed to be one of the most vigourously-campaigning candidates.
In the event Bumjaid won around three times as many votes as his three closest rivals in the first round, which meant he had to face a second round against Ibrahim al-Mannai from the Al-Mithaq Society (part of the Al-Fateh Coalition). Bumjaid won the second round convincingly with around 60% of the vote.
Constituency demographic
This district includes the area around Bahrain’s central Al-Fateh Mosque, the popular coastal Juffair area and the culturally-significant locality of Adliya.
This region contains a diverse range of demographics: Middle class and working class; a broad range of political affiliations and a mix between Sunni-majority and Shia-majority areas; including Ajam Bahrainis of Iranian origin, who are often loyalist in orientation.
The 62.3% first round turnout can be considered a good result for a constituency with such a mixture of affiliations, and is certainly in part due the strength of the competition between candidates in this district.
Know your deputy: MPs profiles
Adel al-Asoumi – 1st Capital
Chairman of Permanent Committee for Public Utilities and Environment
Ahmed Qaratah – 2nd Capital
Adel Bin-Hamid Abdulhussain – 3rd Capital
Abdulrahman Bumjaid – 4th Capital
Nasser al-Qaseer – 5th Capital
Chairman of Parliamentary Human Rights Committee
Ali al-Atish – 6th Capital
Chairman of the Permanent Committee for Shari’ah and Legal Matters
Osamah al-Khajah – 7th Capital
Shaikh Majid al-Asfour – 8th Capital
Mohammed Jaffar Milad – 9th Capital
Nabil al-Balooshi – 10th Capital
Ali Bufarsan – 1st Muharraq
Ibrahim al-Hammadi – 2nd Muharraq
Jamal Buhassan – 3rd Muharraq
Isa al-Kooheji – 4th Muharraq
Mohammed al-Jowder – 5th Muharraq
Chairman of the Permanent Committee for Foreign, Defence and National Security Affairs
Deputy-Chairman of Parliamentary Human Rights Committee
Abbas al-Madhi – 6th Muharraq
Ali al-Muqla – 7th Muharraq
Abdulrahman Bu-Ali – 8th Muharraq
Chairman of the Permanent Committee for Financial and Economic Matters
Fatimah al-Asfour – 1st Northern
Deputy Chairwoman of the Committee for Women and Children
Jalal Kadhim al-Mahfoudh – 2nd Northern
Deputy Chairman of the Permanent Committee for Financial and Economic Matters
Hamad al-Dossary – 3rd Northern
Deputy Chairman of Committee for Youth and Sports
Ghazi Al Rahmah – 4th Northern
Chairman of Committee for Youth and Sports
Ali al-Aradi – 5th Northern
Deputy Chairman of Parliament
Rua al-Haiki – 6th Northern
Chairwoman of the Committee for Women and Children
Shaikh Majid al-Majid – 7th Northern
Dr. Isa Turki – 8th Northern
Abdulhamid Abdulhussain al-Najjar – 9th Northern
Mohammed al-Ammadi – 10th Northern
Chairman of Committee for Supporting the Palestinian People
Jamal Dawoud – 11th Northern
Jamila al-Sammak – 12th Northern
Khalid al-Shaer – 1st Southern
Mohammed al-Ahmed – 2nd Southern
Abdulhalim Murad – 3rd Southern
Second Deputy Chairman of Parliament
Mohammed al-Maarifi – 4th Southern
Deputy Chairman of the Permanent Committee for Services
Khalifa al-Ghanim – 5th Southern
Anas Buhindi – 6th Southern
Deputy Chairman of the Permanent Committee for Shari’ah and Legal Matters
Abdullah Bin-Huwail – 7th Southern
Chairman of the Permanent Committee for Foreign, Defence and National Security Affairs
Dhiyab al-Noaimi – 8th Southern
Mohsin al-Bakri – 9th Southern
Deputy Chairman of Permanent Committee for Public Utilities and Environment
Ahmed al-Mulla – 10th Southern
Chairman of Parliament