Bin-Hamid: “Any Muslim who understands the tolerance of his religion will not accept these vile attempts to undermine the nation’s stability”
Member of the Permanent Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs
Deputy-Chairman of Parliamentary Human Rights Committee
Member of Government Action Plan Committee (Jan-Feb 2015)
Businessman Adel Bin-Hamid, a new MP, has quickly emerged as a confident parliamentary player who speaks out on a range of issues. He pledged to take a less confrontational approach than his predecessor Ali Shamtout, but since his election has been willing to be outspoken in raising the interests of his constituents.
Bin-Hamid has been willing to advocate the cause of businesses and promote issues affecting ordinary voters, such as his successful campaign for a new girls’ school in Sanabis. This dualism is important in a constituency encompassing both the business and commercial district of Seef and poorer pro-opposition areas like Sanabis and Daih.
Bin-Hamid has consistently raised a broad range of issues related to the economy, including the need to prioritize Bahraini workers for employment and provide them with the necessary skills for the workplace. Bin-Hamid’s proposals for a fishing port in his constituency was agreed by Parliament on 12 May.
Bin-Hamid has strongly criticized the proposal for removing meat subsidies, saying that the proposal violated the promises of the Government Action Plan that no measures would be taken which infringed on the benefits of citizens and condemning the lack of consultation with Parliament.
ACTIVITY DURING 2015-2016 PARLIAMENT SEASON
Standards of living, health & education
Food safety: Bin-Hamid on 10 July proposed forcing shops and restaurants to announce the source of their foodstuffs in order to protect customers. On 30 July he discussed his proposals further to the media, stressing the importance of food safety and regulation of the sector.
Meat products: Bin-Hamid on 28 Oct in a statement drew attention to the dire situation of butchers, which he said required urgent intervention, following meat subsidy reforms.
Elderly: Bin-Hamid on 6 July proposed the establishment of a centre for the elderly in his 3rd Capital constituency.
Retirement: Bin-Hamid on 28 Sep spoke out against possible measures for increasing retirement age.
Economy & employment
Property development: Bin-Hamid on 21 Nov strongly criticized new registration fees for property development projects, which he described as “unannounced taxes”. He warned of the possible impact for the construction sector.
Good governance & public finance
Subsidies: Bin-Hamid on 6 Oct told Al-Bilad newspaper ministerial interrogation could be an important parliamentary tool for addressing the subsidies issue after the “hastily taken ministerial decision without consultation with deputies”.
During the 3 Nov parliamentary session, MPs voted to increase meat subsidy compensation to BD 10 to each Bahraini citizen. MPs also voted in support of compensating butchers and investigating the situation facing them. During the session Bin-Hamid said: “The chaos in the meat central markets now is all because of the subsidy removal. The Government solely took the decision and it’s obvious that they didn’t study its consequences. Even after it was implemented, the Government didn’t take any further action.”
Audit report: Bin-Hamid on 6 Nov said that officials found to have been involved in violations cited by the Financial Audit Bureau report must be held to account. Bin-Hamid said that he would support the interrogation of any minister found to have wasted public funds.
Bin-Hamid on 14 Nov was the interview guest on the Inside Parliament programme on Bahrain TV. He talked extensively about procedures for following up the Financial Audit Bureau report in Parliament. He stressed the importance of the report, noting that no other GCC state had such an initiative.
Policing & regional security
Terrorism: Bin-Hamid on 28 July condemned the recent attack in Sitra which killed 2 policemen.
US: On 9 Sep Al-Watan newspaper canvassed MPs’ views about US “interference” in Bahrain. Bin-Hamid stressed the harm done to Bahrain’s reputation as a result of the systematic publication of false claims in the US media.
Yemen: Bin-Hamid on 7 Sep praised the role of Bahrain’s troops in Yemen, in particular those who had died in action in recent days.
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. Only two former Committee members succeeded in hanging on to their seats (Mohammed al-Jowder and Mohammed al-Maarifi, with 22 and 23 votes respectively), while former Chairman Al-Shaer and his deputy Adel Bin-Hamid failed to get sufficient votes.
Parliament role & constituent engagement
Private bills: During a parliamentary debate on 13 Oct, Bin-Hamid criticized the Govt’s refusal to implement a number of private bills from MPs, saying that these proposals represented the aspirations of citizens.
During the 3 Nov parliamentary session, MPs reacted angrily to the Govt’s rejection of a number of private bills put forward by MPs. Bin-Hamid said that everybody had opposed the health fees imposed on foreign workers, but that the Govt had insisted. He added: “The Government’s haughtiness will not serve it and will not serve the higher public good.”
Committees: During the 14 October vote concerning membership of the Finance Committee for the new parliamentary term, Adel Bin-Hamid won 34 votes from MPs for inclusion in the Committee.
During the 10 November vote on committee membership, three MPs pulled out of the Palestine Committee (Isa al-Kooheji, Adel Bin-Hamid and Majid al-Majid), leaving behind only former Chairman Mohammed al-Ammadi, Ahmed Qaratah and new member Mohammed al-Ahmed.
Affiliation: According to several media sources on 13 October, around 13 MPs are moving to form a parliamentary bloc. These are Jalal al-Mahfoudh, Ghazi Al Rahmah, Nasir al-Qaseer, Abbas al-Madhi, Khalid al-Shaer, Adel Bin-Hamid, Majid al-Majid, Majid al-Asfour, Isa al-Kooheji, Jamila al-Sammak, Fatima al-Asfour and Ali al-Aradi, with Hamad al-Dossary indicated as being the head of the bloc, with “unanimous” agreement.
On 15 Nov, Al-Dossary told the media that he would be heading a new bloc of 10 MPs, with Adel Bin-Hamid as his deputy.
Delegation: Bin-Hamid from 17-22 Oct is participating in the International Parliament event in Geneva.
ACTIVITY DURING 2014-2015 PARLIAMENT SEASON
Housing, services & infrastructure
Housing: Bin-Hamid on 11 January has requested that the Burhama housing project in his local constituency be speeded up.
Adel Bin-Hamid, Jalal al-Mahfoudh, Isa al-Kooheji, Ghazi Al Rahmah and Nasser al-Qaseer on 14 May proposed a housing project in Daih in Bin-Hamid’s constituency.
Road safety: Following a tragic accident in Kuwait which killed several Bahrainis, Bin-Hamid on 31 January called for measures to protect Bahrainis travelling abroad by land.
Frozen construction projects: Bin-Hamid during the 17 March parliamentary session stressed the negative impact on the economy and those affected by stalled projects, including those who have purchased property, investors, and Bahrainis having to put up with these eyesores. Bin-Hamid noted that such projects were a major deterrent to future investors.
Standards of living, health & education
School: On 26 January Bin-Hamid proposed the establishment of a girls’ primary school in Sanabis. On 12 March Bin-Hamid warned of “dire consequences” if urgent measures weren’t taken by the Education Ministry to address the collapsing buildings at Sanabis Girls School. He promised to increase his activity to address this issue and push for the building of a new school. MPs during the 5 May parliamentary session approved the construction of a model girls’ school in Sanabis.
University: The media noted on 28 April that the Education Minister had attended Parliament to respond to a Bin-Hamid question regarding medical students at the AMA University, but Bin-Hamid had failed to attend.
Health fees: Bin-Hamid (17 February) criticized the Health Ministry for not consulting Bahraini businesses before imposing health fees on non-Bahraini workers.
Health: During the 3 March parliamentary session on revisions to the public health law, said that substantive changes needed to be made to the old law, in order to reflect the current situation.
Meat subsidies: Regarding the Govt’s plan to halt meat subsidies and replace them with cash payments to Bahraini citizens; Bin-Hamid on 20 May said that Parliament “completely rejected” the Govt taking these measures without it being consulted. He said that the proposal violated the promises of the Government Action Plan that no measures would be taken which infringed on the benefits of citizens. He said that there should be “transparency” in the Govt’s dealings with Parliament.
Bin-Hamid on 21 May criticized the low levels of payments which families are reportedly to receive following the removal of meat subsidies. He said that the proposal was “totally rejected” by MPs, with “no room for discussion”.
During the 26 May parliamentary discussion, a majority of MPs spoke out against the Govt’s plan for halting meat subsidies. Bin-Hamid said” “The Government’s way of dealing with us is unacceptable. The Government should stop its statements about cooperating with us. The Government’s announcement of halting subsidies marginalizes us in the Parliament and infringes on the benefits of citizens.”
Economy & employment
Bahraini workers: During the 24 February parliamentary debate concerning the Shura Council’s rejection of proposals to prefer Bahraini workers for jobs, Bin-Hamid said that Bahraini workers shouldn’t be the “weak link” and that the proposals had aimed to reform the jobs market.
Public sector employees: During the 19 May parliamentary session a proposed bill for making the public sector fully Bahraini within five years had to be withdrawn for further discussion after many objections from MPs. Bin-Hamid noted that foreigners only made up 14% of the public sector, but said that this was a significant proportion. “Even if the expense of training Bahrainis is high, this must be done”.
Foreign labour: Bin-Hamid said on 2 March that the summoning of ministers to Parliament to discuss the issue of unregistered foreign labourers was the beginning of intense parliamentary activity on this issue. Bin-Hamid said that there were “economic and security dangers” associated with this issue. During the 3 March parliamentary debate on the so-called “free visa” system”, Bin-Hamid described the issue as a “time bomb” and warned of the gangs engaged in human trafficking.
Fishing: Bin-Hamid on 3 March called for the construction of port facilities for fishermen in Karbabad in his local constituency.
During the 12 May parliamentary session around 15 proposals previously submitted by MPs were approved in a series of votes. These included establishing a fishing port in Bin-Hamid’s 3rd Capital district.
During the 19 May parliamentary debate on the fishing industry, Bin-Hamid stressed the importance of fishermen to the economy, but added that there had been protests, strikes and rallies to try and draw the attention of officials. He called for compensation for fishermen affected by the six month ban on shrimp fishing.
Unions: During the 24 March parliamentary session, Bin-Hamid said that the proposals for updating the law concerning union representation needed reconsideration because “the draft bill gives no limits to the Cabinet’s powers to choose the representative” for the unions.
Central Market: Bin-Hamid on 12 April tabled a question for the Municipalities Minister about developing the Manama Central Market. He questioned why no progress had been made 3 years after a deal was signed for starting work.
Vocational training: Bin-Hamid during the 14 April parliamentary session claimed that many unemployed Bahrainis had complained to him that training programmes offered to them weren’t suited to their qualifications. He stated that two thirds of unemployed held degrees. Bin-Hamid criticized the Labour Minister’s response which lacked any details about the training provided, sarcastically questioning whether this was a state secret.
Oil derivatives: Bin-Hamid on 27 April stressed his opposition to any ministerial decision to raise the price of oil products, noting that any minister taking such a decision could be held to account by MPs.
Trade: Bin-Hamid submitted a question to the Trade Ministry regarding the measures to be taken concerning 10.7000 registered trading companies which had not renewed their registration after having ceased to do business.
Good governance & public finance
Action Plan: On 13 January, Bin-Hamid was critical of meetings between MPs and ministers on the Government Action Plan, saying that ministers had not been forthcoming with precise information about proposed projects.
On 20 January, Bin-Hamid spoke in Parliament of the need for greater clarity from the Government Action Plan.
Public debt: During the 10 March parliament session Bin-Hamid stressed the importance of the draft parliamentary bill that proposed limiting the Government’s debt ceiling to 40% of GDP (the Shura Council increased this to 60%). During the 24 March parliamentary session to discuss a possible rise in the debt ceiling, Bin-Hamid was one of only six MPs who abstained and did not support the measure to reject an increase in the debt ceiling.
Bin-Hamid was among the deputies who strongly welcomed the Prime Minister’s pledges that essential public services and benefit programmes would not be affected by the parliamentary vote limiting the debt ceiling. (1 April)
On 23 March, following the 22 March Finance Committee meeting with the Finance Minister, Bin-Hamid said that the Government over the past few years had borrowed 2.5bn BD, which he said was far more than required. Bin-Hamid said “a lot of mystery surrounded the fate of billions of dinars which had been borrowed”.
During the 24 March parliamentary session on raising the debt ceiling, Bin-Hamid questioned disparities in what had been reported about debt levels in previous years. He declared: “Bahrain can’t stand more financial gambling”.
Bin-Hamid on 3 May said that continuing to borrow in order to address the “large expected deficit in the Public Budget for the state remains the only option. We have to address this as the reality that we cannot escape from”.
According to Al-Watan on 14 May Bin-Hamid was one of the 20 MPs who said that they would give conditional support to raising the debt ceiling to 7bn BD.
Audit report: During the 31 March parliamentary debate in which it was decided to delay further discussion on the Financial Audit Bureau report because key ministers had failed to attend; Bin-Hamid cut short his comments because of the “chaos” during the parliamentary debate.
Budget: Bin-Hamid on 20 April criticized the “unjustified” delay in submitting the annual Budget to the Parliament. He said that the two houses of Parliament would need several weeks to discuss the draft and that this delay was contrary to Bahrain’s economic wellbeing. Bin-Hamid on 7 May criticized the fact that the Budget still hadn’t been delivered to Parliament, several days after it had been finalized.
Bin-Hamid on 11 May said that “with the Budget in this manner and this form, it is in principle impossible that it will be passed, if it infringes on the attainments of citizens”.
Planning: A majority of parliamentarians on 21 April voted in favour of the Legal Committee’s recommendation to reject the proposal for a new Planning Authority. Bin-Hamid expressed his regret at the Committee’s recommendation, noting the need for greater forward planning.
Policing & regional security
Terrorism: Bin-Hamid on 9 May condemned the attempt to smuggle explosives into Saudi Arabia across the Causeway. He said: “Any Muslim who understands the tolerance of his religion will not accept these vile attempts to undermine the nation’s stability.”
Youth, culture & sport
Grand Prix: Bin-Hamid on 16 April praised the importance of the Formula 1 for Bahrain’s economy. He stressed parliamentary support for all initiatives to boost Bahrain’s economy.
Parliament role & constituent engagement
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. Bin-Hamid criticized the high number of proposals that had been agreed on by the Government and not implemented. He said that the Government should stipulate when it would implement a particular proposal, rather than just claiming that it would feature in the next Action Plan.
Sectarianism: On 23 May Bin-Hamid condemned the use of sectarian insults by some figures in the Parliament which “reached the level of accusations of treason”. He criticized the “casting doubts over national loyalty of others and accusations using all manner of offensive descriptions just because of differences in positions and opinions”. He warned that such actions made efforts to achieve national unity very difficult. He specifically condemned the “despicable attack” against the Parliament Chairman and his First Deputy, Ali al-Aradi.
Effectiveness rating
- Standards of living, health & education – 7
- Housing & services – 6
- Policing & regional security– 4
- Good governance & public finance – 7
- Economy & employment – 8
- Supporting constituents & youth – 8
- Rights & freedoms – 6
- Constructive Parliament role – 7
- Public visibility – 7
- Progressive/reformist credentials – 7
Results of 2014 elections – 3rd Capital
Areas covered: Sanabis, Karbabad, Seef
Housing blocks: 402, 404, 406, 408, 410, 412, 414, 422, 424, 426, 428, 430, 432, 434, 436, 438, 592
Registered voters: 10,225; Percentage 1st round voter turnout: 9.8%
First round vote:
Ali Shamtout (MP) – 246 (29.1%); Adel Bin-Hamid – 203 (24.0%); Abbas Siraj – 123 (14.5%); Abbas Kayid – 107 (12.7%); Ammar al-Mahari – 84 (9.9%); Hashim al-Aradi – 54; Mohammed al-Mawali – 29
Second round vote:
Adel Bin-Hamid – 394 (65.0%)
Ali Shamtout (MP) – 212 (35.0%)
Profile of election campaign: Adel Bin-Hamid Abdulhussain Jaffar
Adel Bin-Hamid is president of the administrative council of a major construction company. He noted the importance of the next Parliament in facilitating construction licenses and major investments.
Adel Bin-Hamid has succeeded in removing the incumbent MP Ali Shamtout who won the seat in the 2011 by-election. Shamtout won this by-election on a historically low turnout. Ali Shamtout had pledged that he wouldn’t spend 4 cents on his candidacy campaign. Where Shamtout has gained a reputation for being confrontational, Hamid has pledged to “build bridges of communication with state officials in order to address the problems facing the constituency”.
During the contest Bin-Hamid said that the constituency had lost out badly in recent years, in terms of infrastructure and services, with no serious attempt to address these issues. As an example of the “neglect” the area had suffered, Bin-Hamid noted the fact that the roof of the Sanabis girls school was on the point of collapse, with no action having been taken.
Bin-Hamid said that the areas of Karbabad, Sanabis and Daih had been “greatly wronged” when it came to the housing issue. Regarding unemployment, he said that other deputies had been successful in seeking employment opportunities for local young people.
In an interview with Al-Wasat newspaper, Bin-Hamid said he sought to represent people from all parts of the political spectrum “I respect all views regarding the elections. I reject calling those boycotting the elections ‘traitors’.”
Bin-Hamid said that national unity was the most important prize that deputies should pursue; strengthening people’s sense of citizenship and the value of “justice for all”. His campaign slogan loosely translates as “If we are together… our nation can be more beautiful” – a slogan that attracted a certain amount of ridicule in some circles.
Constituency demographic
This district is a strange combination of the fashionable Seef District which features several of Manama’s most popular malls; alongside localities like Sanabis and Karbabad which have been hotbeds of opposition rioting. The boycott has split this community, with many criticizing Al-Wefaq’s boycott for depriving locals of proper representation.
On 22 November this was one of the constituencies with the smallest turnout, as local militants threatened shops and businesses, warning them to stay closed and heed the boycott, and urged constituents to remain at home and avoid the voting stations. The 9.2% first round turnout is no great surprise in a district where active campaigning was virtually impossible, with any promotional material being quickly subject to vandalism.
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