Following the Crown Prince’s important initiative for encouraging the sides to return to Dialogue; we were disappointed to hear a very negative response from the Al-Fateh Coalition (viewed as a loyalist grouping).
Their 19 January statement stated the grouping’s objections to returning to the National Dialogue, unless a number of preconditions were met – including rejecting any preconditions from the other parties.
It is understandable that there be concerns about any one party imposing their agenda on everyone else; but we would certainly have hoped to see a more constructive response to one of the most important initiatives for addressing the crisis in some time.
By responding in a negative manner which amounts to a rejection of returning to the Dialogue, the Al-Fateh Coalition give Al-Wefaq and other opposition groups the perfect excuse to also respond negatively and to keep the unrest boiling away on the streets of Bahrain.
Al-Fateh and others have just as much right to put forward their vision for the Dialogue as Al-Wefaq and anyone else; and we were disappointed when the opposition published their “vision” for the Dialogue late last year, pro-government groups failed to provide any vision of their own for emerging from the crisis.
Therefore we expect all these political groupings to be taking the lead in setting out their aspirations for Bahrain’s future and engaging Bahrainis in a process of discussion about how we can emerge stronger and more unified from three years of unrest.
We share Al-Fateh’s concerns about the opposition trying to impose its agenda in advance on any new round of Dialogue; but we respect the opposition’s right to have a viewpoint about the nature of this Dialogue; and we certainly would oppose any sides which try to destabilize the Dialogue, or poison the political atmosphere to the degree that constructive talks become impossible.
Bahrain is currently going through a spell of cold and wet weather. Let’s not allow this unusually cold and bleak atmosphere to cool down expectations and aspirations towards what will inevitably be a very difficult process.
All public figures and leaderships of the major political groupings on all sides should be giving their full support to efforts to recommence the Dialogue; and they should be mobilizing their supporters to do the same.
We have stated our view on countless occasions that Dialogue is the only solution to Bahrain’s current problems. If we fail to see a recommencement of Dialogue in 2014, then this is likely to cause further harm to Bahrain’s society.