As the 2022 parliament has concluded its first year in office, public debate regarding the performance of the MPs is ongoing. The past year witnessed major developments on the domestic and regional level. In Bahrain a new and relatively young cabinet submitted a promising action plan that put into consideration the rising economic challenges and the main issues at stake for citizens. In addition, the regional geopolitical situation has been in turmoil due to the October 7th attacks by Hamas on Israel that unleashed a harsh retaliatory response which in turn affects the flow of matters across the region.
There is a general consensus amongst Bahrainis that this parliament is able to practice a higher level of freedom of expression, as many MPs openly criticise government policy and have been able to present and debate controversial issues. The diverse representation of independents and political societies inside the parliament has made this parliament widely interactive in a manner that is more pleasing to citizens than previous rounds of parliamentary work.
According to many Bahrainis, during the past year MPs have been vocal, critical, outspoken and productive, while some other citizens continue to press the parliament for its lack of tangible results. At the heart of all the observations by citizens is the parliament and its members’ lack of a communication strategy. It has been noticed that many citizens are unaware of the parliament’s activities and hence cannot evaluate its work. In many cases the positive work done by any MP is hard to be recognised in the absence of a proper outreach towards the public.
Some of the key issues discussed in parliament during the past period include unemployment, increment to public sector salaries, standard of living, public service fees, and taxation on foreign residents. The parliament also succeeded in carrying out a probe into the case of the national carrier (Gulf Air) sacking employees, following which the company reinstated the sacked employees. Such activity by parliament is widely viewed as positive despite concerns over the performance of MPs in some other areas.
Citizens remain to expect a functional and responsive parliament that adheres to their needs despite the ongoing challenges. Here is a look at what some Bahrainis think about the performance of the 2022 parliament in its first year.
“Outspoken and vocal MPs”
“ The MPs are very outspoken. Unlike their predecessors, many MPs are capable of bringing our issues to the table and being a true voice of the people” Khalid 32
“There is a positive dialogue between the parliament and government. Ministers seem to be responsive to all parliamentary enquiries. MPs are digging deeper into the issues of concern to citizens” Manal 28
“ This parliament has had a breakthrough with the number of positive debates with the government. Our MPs are way more vocal than the previous MPs and they are trying their best to get things done” Fatima 35
“ The parliament and government are not working hand in hand. There is a certain disappointment with the way the parliament functions. It still has limited powers” Abdullah 41
“ Some MPs have been a disappointment to their constituents, they hardly raise any issues and hardly speak during the sessions. Whereas there are a handful of MPs that have taken the lead in raising our concerns. We expect all the rest to be more vocal” Faisal 32
“ An interactive parliament ? ”
“ It is an interactive parliament; however, it still seems weak on so many levels. This can be due to the lack of parliamentary experience of majority of the MPs. People need more, more should be done for citizens through the parliament” Hamad 32
“ The parliament should become more interactive with the public. MPs do have their majlises open, but they do not communicate their accomplishments to the press or the public in a useful manner. And this why when asked what we think about their performance, we have no straight answer” Aisha 36
“ The Parliament has been active and quite diverse in its approach. I would say that this is a healthy parliament with different voices representing different communities and putting citizens first” Ahmed 38
“ Thankfully this parliament succeeded in completing a full year without approving any additional taxes on citizens. The economic situation is challenging and the least the parliament can do is not add any financial burdens on citizens” Mariam 32
“We hear about parliamentary committees; however, no one seems to understand the tasks of these committees. MPs should reach out to their constituents and explain the necessity of these parliamentary committees and the kind of work being carried out” Amal 28
“ MPs cannot be blamed for the failure of other bodies and institutions in being cooperative and responsive of their proposals. Even citizens should work better on understanding their civic duties and lowering their expectations towards the parliament” Hanan 36
“ Many complain about the failure of parliament to solve their housing issues or the unemployment of their children. While the parliament should raise these issues and discuss them openly, it is not an MP’s job to find employment opportunities for constituents. There is a misconception about the role of the parliament” Ali 30
“ Freedom of expression”
“ Freedom pf expression has levelled up in Bahrain through this parliament. The MPs are proving that we can constructively and openly criticise the government. While Bahrain is not an ideal democracy by western standards, this level of openness practiced by the parliament is commendable” Hassan 39
“ They still have a long way to go. The MPs have not made any remarkable accomplishments during their first year. The parliament is becoming simply a platform for complaining about government policies and decisions without any fruitful outcomes” Sara 32
“ The MPs and political societies represented in the parliament are working within the system. They should be commended for their efforts despite the challenges they face due to certain limitations” Salman 40
“Repetitive discussions”
“ The MPs are falling into the trap of being repetitive in their discussions. They dedicate a large amount of time for similar issues and that is disappointing. They need to approach things differently and address many other issues of concern to citizens rather than repeating the same issues” Mona 32
“ Many MPs seem to be promoting the issues that can secure them votes in the next elections. Issues such as the war in Gaza and others should be addressed once. We need not listen to the MPs complaining about the same issue session after session, while some of these issues are beyond their jurisdiction” Hala 36
“ Some MPs seem to be wasting time raising their voices during parliamentary debates, they are also trying to impose their agendas by such means. Government ministers on the other hand are mostly very well contained during these sessions. The MPs need to realise that they cannot get anything done just by raising their voices” Mahmood 29
“ MPs should present the government with strategies and plans for solving any issue of concern. In many cases the MPs would raise an issue, get their constituents and social media followers to hail them to no useful ends” Abdulrahman 34