April 2005

26/04/2005
Website clamp a step backwards
Vol XXVIII NO. 37 Tuesday 26th April 2005

By Amira Al Hussaini

It is disturbing news that Bahrain has decided to clamp down on websites, just as the country celebrates World Book Day.

Yesterday's stern warning to all webmasters to either register their sites or face legal action, has sent shockwaves down my spine.

To camouflage a law bent on infringing on the rights of people to express their opinion with clichés like protecting public freedom and safeguarding the rights stipulated in the 2002 reforms initiated by His Majesty King Hamad, is worrying.

It makes me and many others wonder what type of democracy we want to tell the rest of the civili-sed world we have.

Do we have a real democracy, or a tailor-made one under which people can do, say or think anything they want, as long as it falls in with the official line?

Instead of taking the opportunity of World Book Day to encourage people to read and write, express themselves and expand their horizons, the Information Ministry has now appointed itself as custodian of the worldwide web (www) and has created new restrictions to a service which provides people with information and entertainment at the click of a button.

The amusing question is how does the ministry think it can monitor and control all that appears on Bahraini or Bahraini-related websites, which number anywhere from 6,000 to 10,000 and which can double in size overnight?

In the cyber world, which acknowledges no boundaries, censorship or secret police, where the word pours out from the heart and goes directly to the people, how does Bahrain expect to enforce this law, particularly on websites hosted by domains in other countries ?

What signals are the authorities sending to the rest of the world about democracy and freedom of expression and human rights in this country?

How will it punish people who refuse to register their on-line diaries, especially if they are personal or frivolous, such as details on their everyday lives, or the antics of their pets?

Why is Bahrain stubbornly disrespecting its citizens and refusing them space to breathe and develop and learn to respect themselves and others in the process?

Democracy is not born overnight.

It is a long learning process and trial and error are acceptable as long as mutual respect and the will to make things work for the benefit of all are there.

Is freedom of expression just a sound bite under our own version of Bahraini democracy?




09:15 Posted in Current Affairs , Miscellaneous | Permalink | Comments (12) | Trackbacks (17) | Email this

24/04/2005
Rediscovering our rich past, but alongside modern-day litter
Vol XXVIII NO. 35 Sunday 24 April 2005

By AMIRA AL HUSSAINI


Bahrain's rich traditions were splendidly showcased in the annual heritage festival, which celebrated old weaponry and falconry this year.

The festival, which attracts thousands of visitors from Bahrain and abroad each year, is always a great opportunity for the young and old to rediscover the country's vibrant past.

It is hosted in a mock village, especially designed to take visitors to the old alleyways, homes, mosques and courtyards which made up Bahrain's neighbourhoods before the discovery of oil and the development it has brought with it.

As we toured it, the smell of kebab and khanfaroosh led visitors to a line of women preparing the delicacies in a corner in the village.

Traditional craftsmen could be seen going about their business, preparing everyday items the way they have been made for hundreds of years, with the skills passed down from one generation to another.

It was with this nostalgia for the simple days of Bahrain of the by-gone era that I took my five-year-old nephew to the heritage festival, which ended on Friday.

Yes, it was a very successful theme, with a lot of things related to weaponry and falconry available in abundance.

We found the women preparing the traditional Bahraini kebab and the falconers posing with their birds of prey.

We saw the camel, the donkey, the pony and the horse - things which would excite any boy of my nephew's age.

But he would not be tempted to ride any of them. I tried to bribe him with a kite in the colours of the Bahraini flag.

I offered to buy him a talking parrot. I even bought him lots of trinkets... but he was adamant that he wanted to leave.

"I want to go home," he grumbled.

"Don't you like the music and the animals?" I asked.

"I do, but this is a very dirty place," he replied.

I took a deep breath and then a look around me. It was a dirty place indeed.

There was waste paper and plastic bags flying in all directions.

In fact, litterbugs were everywhere while litter bins were rare.

I wasn't surprised that my nephew wanted out.

On our way out, he pointed to the waterfront.

"Look at all the rubbish here," he said.

"Why are you bringing me to dirty places? Let's go to Seef."

So much for an educational outing to instil some pride in a youngster about his country's heritage and history!



09:18 Posted in Current Affairs , Miscellaneous | Permalink | Comments (1) | Trackbacks (0) | Email this

06/04/2005
MPs must learn true meaning of democracy!
Vol XXVIII NO. 17 Wednesday 6 April 2005


BY AMIRA AL HUSSAINI

At first, they wanted a democracy. Then, they got a democracy. And now that they have a democracy, they are not sure whether they want to deal with it and the freedoms and "decadence" it could bring or not. The fundamental principle behind a democracy is freedom, a concept some of our MPs and many others in our beloved kingdom are obviously not familiar with.

They are claiming to be democratic, but are not yet ready to deal with society in a mature way and allow people to make their own choices.

Will limiting people's freedom ensure that the principles of democracy are upheld in Bahrain?

Will infringing on the rights guaranteed by the Constitution and the United Nations Human Rights Charter instil the teachings of democracy?

These are all redundant questions. The real question is who is behind the motion to drag Bahrain back to the dark ages?

Freedom means that individuals are free to do whatever they want, provided their action doesn't break the law or trespasses on the freedom of others.

The key motion our honourable MPs should promote is enhancing freedom and not curtailing it.

But this seems to be an impossible feat for the majority of the 40 MPs selected by the people, for the people of Bahrain.

Most people are asking: What has the parliament achieved in more than two years?

What have our MPs done to instil and enhance the doctrines of democracy and freedom?

What difference has a parliament really made for Bahrain?

The answer is simple. Nothing much.

Some of the highlights of the parliament are as follows: causing mayhem over the Nancy Ajram concert; chasing out Big Brother from Amwaj Islands; causing an uproar over co-education at Bahrain University; trying to halt a project as grand as the Bahrain International Circuit, which just hosted a thrilling Grand Prix, and giving lots and lots of empty promises to the people of Bahrain. Remember the BD500 "bonus" promised last year? Well, I guess this is the last we will hear of it.

Our MPs should be busy drawing up laws which protect and enhance people's freedom within a framework which maintains law and order, instead of squabbling over limiting people's freedoms.

It is high time our parliamentarians woke up and had a long and frank discussion among themselves: Do they want to function within a democracy, or continue to shove dictatorial motions down people's throats?

If they can't understand the meaning of a true or even an experimental democracy, then they should spare us the ridicule of the developed world and step down.

People would not lose much. In fact, the money being spent on their maintenance, cars, salaries, proposed pension scheme and pompous lifestyles could be donated to charity and help improve the conditions of their downtrodden Bahraini brethren.


10:55 Posted in Parliament Bashing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (112) | Email this