Bahrain’s political disquiet‏ – Bahrain Freedom Movement

31/08/2010 – 2:01 am | Hits: 661

August 31, 2010 Bahrain is one of two countries in the Gulf region — Kuwait being the other — that can boast some of the trappings of a democracy, including a directly elected parliament, universal suffrage, and a constitutional monarchy. But recent developments raise concern that this could be short-lived.

King Sheikh Hamad bin Isa al Khalifa hoped that the limited political reforms he introduced in 2002 would help to appease his restive people. Uniquely for a region of Sunni kingdoms, two-thirds of Bahrain’s million-plus population is Shia. The sectarian divide between the rulers and the ruled has been the source of much tension in the country. This was one reason why the ruling family decided its interests would be better served by opening up the political system. But eight years and two elections later, Bahrain’s Shi’ite population believes that the reforms, while allowing the Sunni elite to show a democratic face, have brought no real changes. The 40-member elected Council of Representatives is offset by an upper chamber called the Shura council, appointed by the King. The royal family effectively runs the government by holding on to a majority of Cabinet positions. Shia groups allege demographics have been manipulated to favour Sunni political forces at the polls. Reflecting the extremes of the divide, elections have tended to favour Shia and Sunni religious groups that are not as interested in democratic governance as in their narrow sectarian interests. Not surprisingly, the unrest has come to the fore again as the country approaches its third election in October 2010.  

The regime in Bahrain has responded in a manner that indicates a fear of even a half-democracy and its limited freedoms. It sees the country’s Shia population as closely linked to Iran. In 2003, Bahrain was designated by the United States as a “major non-NATO ally”; it is home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet. The Sunni ruling class is worried that the U.S.-Iran standoff could feed into local discontent, adversely affecting its own grip on the country. Over the last two weeks, several Shia political and civil rights activists have been detained in a wide crackdown. Newspapers have been barred from reporting these arrests as the investigations proceed. The unrest has evidently strengthened sections of the ruling Al Khalifa family that are against democratic reform. But as Bahrain deals with the challenges of the situation, it may want to consider that rolling back the reforms will only worsen the unrest.

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/article604246.ece?sms_ss=facebook