AUG 94

AUGUST 1994 The Outrage of the Dispossessed Why Bahrain has so many jobless citizens? On Wednesday 29 Swle, some 300 jobless gathered at the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs with the aim of bringing their plight to the attention of the officials. The final objective was nothing short than getting a serious help from the authorities in order to find decent jobs. The Under-secretary who came to speak to the unwelcome guests (at the insistence of the group) found himself surrounded by people fed up of hearing nice concil iatory statements . These people rightly felt that they have nothing to lose further. Already, they have suffered a great deal. one thing for sure is that the group shared one common goal, namely that of getting employed. The mood among the unemployed was quite peaceful and this really positively influenced the authorities who found sincerity in the cause and process alike. The officials took pain informing the uninvited group that the Ministry is serious enough about finding solutions to their on-going troubles, but this was a hard sell argument. The mistrust level between the Ministry authorities and the people has reached unprecedented levels. This is due to the fact that many old promises made by he governmental officials have been broken time and again. Here are some examples of what some of those gathered had to say. one complained of his spouse threatening leaving home if the husband continues failing to find a job in order to sustain a reasonable living condition or with dignity. Another job’css complained that for a few weeks he had failed to change his underwear simply because he cannot afford buying due to the fact he has no source of income. Maybe the guy was exaggerating but he certainly drovc the point home. These stories were read out loudly; at times the group uscd to break in laughtcr just to ease the tense environment. The officials tried to entice some of the unemployed in order lo break their joint steadfastncss. When one was told LhaL he should give his full name and his case would be looked after, the lmcrnployed declined and declared that he likes to bc the last among the company to bc offered a Job. Such stories kept 1 i fting the morale of the jobless people. In ordcr to get rid of the uncompromising assembly, the Under-sccrctary then asked the uncvnployed to come back on Saturday to follow up on their cascs. The Undcr-secretary made a conscious decision. News of the events at thc Ministry became thc favourite topic at the Thursday evening informal meetings and gatherings in manyplaces . Thursday evening to Bahrain is like Saturday night to LondonW Still, the mood was that of happiness among in circles if only because the unemployed brought their pli ght to the attention of the officials in a very peaceful manncr. And morc importantly, the authorities, who were surprised by the move, rcacted in a manner not commensurate with the rulers’ style. Thus, the officials were good listeners, at least for this time. Offical newspapers for their part disguised ffie actual story. They headlined that the authoritibs will be finding jobs for at least 100 jobless in a matter of one week. One problem with the media in Bahrain is that it purposely cheats and attempts to deceive the public in every opportunity. Come Saturday 2nd of July and the story is that of an assault on a peaceful gathering. Having heard of the apparently positive outcome of the Wednesday meeting, many more people became early birds at the Ministry of Labour. Some people arrived late at the scene because they had to catch buses of Bahrain’s extremely poor public transportation system. Asked of their intention, the jobless declared that they have come here at the request of the Under-secretary who told them to come back on Saturday. But this time, the group was confronted with many police and members of the elite Special Forces. Suddenly, the police and soldiers brought Lheir wrath at the uninvited company and chased some of them into the busy Isa Town junction, only to have some of the jobless hit by passing cars. According to well placed sources, some of the jobless people raised slogans which the authorities found unpleasant. Some of the group had to perform their daily prayers. This is said to have bothered the Special Forces in particular. Consequently, some members of the group came under attack and many panicked. While fleeing, windows of acar belonging to aprominent security officer, Abdul Salam Al-Ansari, were broken by stone throwers. New s of the incident became the main topic at the luncheon break, the main meal in Bahrain. Still, one has to credit the authorities for keeping story from reaching many expatriates in the country. Newspapers on Sunday, the day after the events, declared that the officials are serious about the issue of local unemployment. and claimed that there would be a crackdown on companies failing to employ locals. As such, the real story was presented in a different fashion and the regime was given credit for a new tough policy against some firrns. Employing Bahrainis is not a problem with major finns such as Alba, Bapco and other giant concerns. The difficulty lies with the small and medium sized firms who employ primarily expatriates. Practically, there is little the regime can do. A member of the appointed Consultative Assembly was privatley asked about the inciedent. He provided the most honest answer by reversing the argument and stating: Do you really think that the Consultative Council will ever attempt to curb national umemployment? He continued: It is myself (a businessman), the rest of the Council members (mostly businessmen) and the members of the ruling fam ily who flood the country with cheap labour from the far east and sub-lndian continent. Do you want us to suggest something else that will reduce the rate of return on our business operations?’. Given the troubled economy and the need for foreign and local alike the authorities cannot apply pressure on these firms. The regime needs companies and especially international firms; hence, it cannot force them to employ Bahrainis. The trouble is that Rahrain’s regional rival, namely Dubai, is always ready to offer firms what Bahrain fails to grant them. Following the incident which has bothered and awakened the regime, officials at the Ministry of Labour took some bold initiatives from the very next day. We have learnt that the Under-secretary and many other top officials engaged at phoning activity lobbying the day after the incident. Theykeptcalling thepersonnel and top management figures at many Sirens begging them to employ some people. As an incentive, the authorities asked the firms to employ how many they so desire but do not pay them handsomely. Thus, they are to be employed in the private sector but be paid like those working for the government. A few days after the event at the Labour Ministry, the Amir met key members of the Kanoo family at the Riffa palace. The fact that the Amir met rich Kanoos at prime business time raised eyebrows among those who follow events closely . As it turned out, the meeting had to do with the Amir begging Kanoo to reverse a decision of sacking no less than ten Bahrainis. The Amir, in emotional terms, painfully described the urgency of the situation and how important it is to employ more Bahrainis let alone laying off others. The regime has itself to blame for the miserable unemployment problem. Bahrain’s arch political enemy, namely Qatar, keeps makx ing a point of such troubles facing Bahrain. Also, Bahrain’s arch business enemy, namely Dubai, does not fail to take note of such developments. The message is that unlike Bahrain, Dubai is a trouble-free environment. Many observers inBahrainstronglybelieve that the authorities made a strategic mistake. The policy a few decades ago was that of purposely making many Shiite Muslims unemployed. Ode Shiites make the majority among the local population. The objective was that of making many Shiites hungry enough in order to force them to listen to the regime. This may have worked in some cases. One way the regime carried out its goal w
as through opening up the doors to the expatriates who happen to be either better skilled or cheaper in terms of cost compared to the locals. For its part, the authorities made it a point to alleviate the case for Sunni Musli ns by employing them in the massive defence, intelligence agencies let alone other public entities. Maybe the regime is serious now with respect to alleviating the jobless problem; but the choices are limited and maybe there is little the government can do to remedy the problem. The government is in need of foreign firms and local investments hence it cannot force these companies to employ Bahrainis especially in the presence of Dubai, the main commercial enemy of Bahrain’s rulers. The prime minister was quoted in 1981 as saying: I will bundle every Bahraini Shia in a sack and throw him in the sea. He certainly managed to make the ratio of foreign to national workforce as 65% to 35%. The achievement of the rest of his promise and its consequences remain to be seen. The only advice for the premier iis that his policy may back-fire.

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