Election 2006
Central Governorate – Constituency 4
Constituency four under the Muharraq Governorate, which includes the northern part of Muharraq, Amwaj Islands and Galali village, is a heavily populated place in the governorate. In addition to their major issues, proper housing projects, unemployment and poverty, a “war of parking” is very predicted to happen soon especially in block number 208. Another issue was getting the citizenship for those who were born and grown up in the country, writes Fadhel Hasan. Four candidates are contesting for the Chamber of Deputies, Abdulrahman Al Nuaimi, Ahmed Sanad Al Benali, Isa Ahmed Abu Al Fateh and Zahra Mohammed Haji Muradi while the fight for the municipal seats is nine-cornered by Abdulmajeed Abdulrahman Akbar, Ahmed Abdulrazaq Mohammed, Hussain Ahmed Al Jowdar, Isa Ali Saad, Moammar Isa Al Manaie, Mohammed Jassim Dakheel, Mohammed Jassim Hamada, Rashid Ibrahim Al Qassab and Wafa Ahmed Abol.
Election 2006
Central Governorate – Constituency 4
Constituency four under the Muharraq Governorate, which includes the northern part of Muharraq, Amwaj Islands and Galali village, is a heavily populated place in the governorate. In addition to their major issues, proper housing projects, unemployment and poverty, a “war of parking” is very predicted to happen soon especially in block number 208. Another issue was getting the citizenship for those who were born and grown up in the country, writes Fadhel Hasan. Four candidates are contesting for the Chamber of Deputies, Abdulrahman Al Nuaimi, Ahmed Sanad Al Benali, Isa Ahmed Abu Al Fateh and Zahra Mohammed Haji Muradi while the fight for the municipal seats is nine-cornered by Abdulmajeed Abdulrahman Akbar, Ahmed Abdulrazaq Mohammed, Hussain Ahmed Al Jowdar, Isa Ali Saad, Moammar Isa Al Manaie, Mohammed Jassim Dakheel, Mohammed Jassim Hamada, Rashid Ibrahim Al Qassab and Wafa Ahmed Abol.
Picking up the pace
With 14 days to go for the parliamentary and municipal elections, it is time for some serious introspection. By both the candidates and the electorate.
First the candidates. Many are first timers pitted against veterans seeking reelection to the parliament as well as the five municipal councils.
Have they got their messages across? Have the agendas gone down well with the electorate?
At this juncture one would have imagined a little more visible activity. But it seems the last week will show a marked increase in the momentum.
The success largely depends on how much the voters are convinced about the agendas as the candidates go about canvassing. And in the balance will be the seriousness of the promises they are making and how much sway they hold on the electorate.
The 2002 elections in which women also cast their ballot, were at the core of democratic reforms launched by His Majesty the King in 1999. Candidates ran as individuals in the 2002 elections, but were organised in parliament as members of de facto political parties known as ëpolitical societies.’
This time around, the race is tight as the four opposition parties that boycotted the 2002 election are also taking part. A record 217 candidates are in the fray for happy default even before polling began when her two opponents withdrew). And as many as 171 are contesting 40 seats in the five municipal councils. For some, it can be smooth sailing. For example, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Dhahrani, may retain his seat. Among the newcomers, Al Wefaq leader Ali Salman is likely to make it to the Lower House. Former Harvard academic, Dr Munira Fakhro, a professor at the University of Bahrain, leading member of the Supreme Council for Women and co-author of the Arab Human Development Report is also set to win the suburban Isa Town seat.
But, the first-timers, and there a large chunk of them, must get down to serious business. Do they need to adopt the middle-of-the-road strategy? Do they have the flexibility to reconcile? Populist measures sway the voters, especially the youth and those who are exercising franchise for the first time following the lowering of voting age to 20. But these often prove counterproductive when the going is tough.
Thirdly, the candidates must be able to judge the voter mood and enthusiasm. Have the latter found the promises sensible and practical that could be fulfilled by their elected representatives?
Coming to the other side of the fence, voters have become wiser. The literate ones are aware of the pressing issues whether personal, familiar, communal and national– and will match the candidates promises with their requirements. The youth have high hopes. The womenfolk are waiting to have their issues resolved. And the less educated and disadvantaged are looking up to their representatives to bring about a change for the better in all spheres of their activities.
After all, the parliament, the elected councils, democracy per se, has only one aim and that is to help nation-building and improve the lot of the citizens and residents in all walks of lives.
The candidates speak…
Citizenship issue has to be resolved: Zahra
A first-timer who depends a great deal on what she called the fruitful results of the good work she has done for society for more than 15 years. Zahra, recently supported by two Islamic societies, hails from a religious family and has been very active in the formation of several Islamic societies like Amal and Al Wefaq. She is also known for being an active volunteer in human rights as well as in the Islamic education fields. In a free wheeling conversation she spoke to the Bahrain Tribune providing details about her agenda.
What do you think are your chances of winning ?
I am not going to say that I will solve all problems as some of the area’s candidates have claimed. It is almost impossible to do so. I was very honest with all and that is what I am depending on. I mean, being honest is what people trust and believe. This, I think, gives me credibility among the voters in this area. Being the only woman candidate seems to be an important factor. Concentrating on the issue of the residents who lived all their life in Bahrain and still did not get a Bahraini citizenship is also a factor I am relying on to win.
Who do you think is your rival?
I think that the sitting member, Isa Ahmed Abu Al fateh, might be one of the strongest, not as far as popularity goes , but for being fully supported by government to the extent that people in the area have been given the citizenship just to give him votes. So his chances to win are strong. Abdulrahman Al Nuaimi is a strong rival I believe.
Do you think that you will be able to help solve, especially the hot issues?
The fact is that the government is very strict about a number of regulations, especially those regarding citizenship. Bringing about changes is almost a fantasy for some candidates, but I think that this depends on the candidate’s strong urge to introduce changes. If the person believes that he could, then he or she will achieve it.
What do you think of the sitting member? Did he bring about any change?
I do not think so as his reactions for many controversial issues in the council were negative. Actually he stood up for the laws issued which were against the interest of people in the area. He also did not communicate very much with the people.
BD100 rent meagre for housing projects: Wafa
A second-timer and an independent candidate with a long experience in the financial field. Wafa Abol, who got the highest votes among 43 women in 2002, sees that her chances to win come from working to develop the financial part as, she believes, that this sector is the backbone of any development.
As the only woman candidate for the municipal council, Wafa hopes to be elected this time. These are her opinions in a chat with the Tribune.
What are the main issues in the constituency and what are the shortest ways to solve them?
There are a plenty of issues actually in the constituency. But there are some problems, which need an instant solution. The first is to get a higher financial help for the owners whose houses were demolished to be rebuilt and the second is making some car parking available in particular areas. About the first problem, BD100 is not sufficient to rent an apartment especially that the prices dramatically went up. The shortest and fastest way to solve it is to get a higher help. About the other problem, reclaiming the sea for proper car parking would be a proper solution.
What makes you different from other candidates?
The ability of creating instant and permanent solutions is what will make me different from other candidates. Being the only woman, well connected and experienced in this field serves me well.
Do you think that the sitting member has done a good job?
He was not up to the standards. This answer came from an incident happened last year as there were a number of houses in the area which were newly built and waiting to be electricity connected. They had to wait about 18 months to get connected after the house’ owners, and not the sitting member, filed an urgent complaint to the municipalities’ minister.
Voters have their say
Jassim Al Maleki, hoped for a real solution on the car parking issue. “This issue needs an urgent solution as it is turning into something like a war. People started to fight for a small park in the middle of the road. The roads in the area became very narrow to the extent that a person can barely drive his car in because of the number of cars parked on both sides. I hope that whoever wins will look into this matter,”
Ali Suwailem, an old Galali resident, said that it was sad to see one of the oldest places in Muharraq in this poor condition. “Look around you, does it look like that you are in Bahrain? Can you imagine that Bahrainis are staying here? The residents gave foreign names to this part of Galali. They are our neighbours, our relatives and friends and an instant help should be provided. My vote will only go to the candidate who will solve this issue,”
Ahmed Al Manaei, wondered if it was fair to give the citizenship to some resident who recently came to the country and leave out those who were born and lived all their life in Bahrain. “There is a large number in this constituency who were forgotten in regard to getting a citizenship. Both, the sitting Councillor and MP, did nothing about this despite being frequently informed. I expect that a large number of votes will go to the candidates who will offere solution.”
Off the beaten track
The car parking issue in this constituency can explain the meaning of the “Parking War”. You can see cars parked everywhere on both sides of the roads even over sewerage manholes. This made the inner roads very narrow which can be very dangerous for the residents especially children. What makes it worse is that these manholes get broken as a result of the parked cars or the careless cars passing by.
Issues
A large percentage of the residents in this constituency are of those who have been given the Bahraini citizenship despite the fact that they were born and lived in the country. The scene of collapsing houses became very normal in one of the places in this constituency, block number 208, and the car parking issue is the most demanding among the issues.
Swing Factor
Chamber of Deputies
Experience, popularity, veteran politician in politics since a teenager Vs inexperience and rookies. Zahra has some backing of the electorate.
Municipal Council
The competition is open for nine candidates despite that one of them is a sitting MP. This does mean that he has bigger chances; on the contrary, this makes his chances less. Eight candidates, all new in the fray with equal chances.
Straw Poll
CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES
Abdulrahman Al Nuaimi 55%
Ahmed Sanad Al Benali 15%
Isa Ahmed Abu Al Fateh 10%
Zahra Mohammed Haji Muradi 20%
Municipal Council
Abdulmajeed Abdulrahman Akbar
Ahmed Abdulrazaq Mohammed
Hussain Ahmed Al Jowdar
Isa Ali Saad
Moammar Isa Al Manaie
Mohammed Jassim Dakheel
Mohammed Jassim Hamada
Rashid Ibrahim Al Qassab
Wafa Ahmed Abol
All has almost an equal chance so far
Article from: Bahrain Tribune Newspaper- www.BahrainTribune.com
