Saturday, February 21, 2009
Passport discrimination
Shame it is only high profile cases like this that make news, when thousands are discriminated based on the passport they carry... like, the unfortunate Iranian student from British School of Kuwait who was refused entry to the Young Musician of the Gulf competition in Bahrain because he was on an Iranian passport! It will be little consolation to him that the three other members of the quartet competed without him and won their category in the competition.
Update - seems like UAE authorities have learned their lesson somewhat by letting in an Israeli for the men's tennis competition.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Human trafficking at the Crossroads
So whilst one Government Ministry is sponsoring this upcoming conference in Bahrain, where I'm sure lots of nice words will be said, sadly the Council of Deputies are heading off in the other direction and through their actions supporting human trafficking... and if it seems like I'm using a leap of logic here... ensuring the abused is viewed as a criminal, rather than the abuser, means that not only are a runaways human rights being denied, but it is encouraging human trafficking to continue unabated, as an underground network is required to circumvent the legally enshrined human rights violations...
So, is this Conference just a talking shop to demonstrate to the rest of the world that Bahrain is serious about stopping human trafficking, with the underlying reality being that those in power aren't really serious about stopping human trafficking, as it suits too many vested interests? (Kind of like the "Business Friendly Bahrain" PR... reality is very different from a PR campaign). Or, will some concrete proposals for action come from this conference?
As for the MPs and their proposal to fine the runaways... I guess this is what can be expected from people who yearn for the good old days when slavery was legitimate. The GDN has a good editorial on the issue in today's GDN - 18 Feb. 2009 - but unfortunately the GDN doesn't make editorials available online.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
It was a clerical error, M'Lud
Forger 'made clerical error'
By NOOR TOORANIA government employee accused of forging visa applications could have issued the visas due to a clerical error, a defence lawyer argued yesterday.
The Bahraini woman is standing trial at the High Criminal Court for forging visa applications and accepting bribes.
Her co-defendant, an Indian man who pleaded not guilty, is accused of bribery.
The woman, who works for the General Directorate for Nationality, Passports and Residence, allegedly accepted BD200 to forge information on several visa applications.
She issued visitor's visas to several people from different nationalities and accepted BD200 for each visa, it is alleged.
Defence lawyer Fatima Al Hawaj argued that the issuance of the visas could have been a result of a clerical error, claiming the information entered could have been a mistake.
She cross examined four witnesses at yesterday's hearing and later claimed their statements were contradictory.
The investigating officer claimed the woman issued 41 visas to several people and put them under the sponsorship of different family members.
"Our sources received information that the woman was issuing illegal visas and accepted BD200 for each visa," he told the court.
"She forged the information on the visas and didn't get approval from her senior supervisors.
"We confiscated 41 visas that she issued to different people which she put under the sponsorship of different family members."
A government employee, who works with the defendant, claimed she forged two visa applications while another witness told the court that the defendant forged 20 visa applications.
She admitted to the charges during interrogation, but later changed her statements and pleaded not guilty. The court adjourned the case to March 25 to summon further witnesses for cross-examination.
Yeah right. A clerical error... she accidentally pocketed BD200 from each applicant for a forged visit visa. I guess you have to have a good sense of humour to be a defence lawyer. The sad thing is that often people have to resort to bribes, because that's the only way to get things done when the law/bureaucracy stops you from doing the sensible thing.
BD500 fine is urged for runaway workers despite objections
Hopefully the Shura Council will throw this one out. What is the overwhelming reason people runaway from their employers? Because they are mentally or physically abused, treated as slaves or not paid what they have been promised, or not paid at all... this is well-known. Yes, occasionally a person will runaway because they get a better offer... but that usually means that the first employer is probably not paying the market wage, and there is probably no power for the worker to negotiate... Maybe a runaway is dishonest, but that is the employer's risk in hiring... maybe they should be more selective in their recruitment, and there should be a legal system that caters for these cases anyway, rather than a broad brush approach to fine all runaways, when in the majority of cases it is the employers/slave masters that are the ones that should be punished.
BD500 fine is urged for runaway workers despite objectionsRUNAWAY workers could soon be fined up to BD500 if caught before being deported from the country.
MPs yesterday voted in favour of the amendment to the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) law, despite objections from Labour Minister Dr Majeed Al Alawi, who said that it was against conventions Bahrain had signed and implemented.
The government-draft is based on an earlier proposal by parliament.
Dr Al Alawi said that under the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions, running away or leaving work was not a crime.
"We can't force a criminal charge against runaway workers or those who leave their jobs, because it is against ILO agreements that we are obliged to follow," he said.
"Deporting them is the only thing we can do, considering that we are obliged to ensure that there is no discrimination between expatriate and local workers."
He said that expatriate workers don't have BD500 to pay.
"They would prefer going to jail. Can our jails accommodate 3,000 plus runaway workers?
"Those who should be punished are sponsors and those who employ those runaway workers and that is enough."
Dr Al Alawi said that the LMRA was currently taking electronic fingerprints of labourers once they step into Bahrain International Airport.
"Our inspectors have mobile inspection units, in which they take the fingerprint of labourers at various sites, and if they are runaways, action is taken," he said.
"So far 35,000 runaway workers have been deported, before the introduction of the system, and there are 15,000 cases that we are investigating."
Parliament chairman Khalifa Al Dhahrani said that many sponsors were being forced to pay for the tickets of runaway expatriate workers after five years of disappearance.
"It is unfair to be punished for their disappearance in the first place, as the business gets affected, and then they have to pay for them to go back home.
"It is not right to pay fees to bring the worker and then he easily moves to someone else for free. This means that in the end the businessmen are losing."
Mr Al Dhahrani said that Bahrain was wrong in signing every agreement without knowing its impact on the country and whether it could be implemented.
"We are not obliged to follow everything, just look at the West, they have special laws for Arabs and Muslims as they enter their countries, which they don't follow here, despite those countries coming under international agreements and treaties," he said.
Mr Al Dhahrani said that the fingerprint system was outstanding, but the numbers of inspectors were low compared to the work.
Services committee secretary Ibrahim Busandal said that Bahrain already had a different system for both Bahrainis and expatriates.
"Businessmen don't need a permit for Bahrainis, just for expatriates, and there are punishments for runaway Bahrainis. So don't come here and speak about equality, because it does not exist and is difficult to make it exist," he said.
Also under the law, those who employ or hide runaway workers will be fined up to BD500. Housemaids also come under this law.
The draft law will now be presented to the Shura Council for approval, and if passed, will be ratified by His Majesty King Hamad.
Monday, February 9, 2009
MPs call for ban on pork
"The first thing Jesus Christ - the saviour of all mankind - would do is break the cross and kill the pig," Mr Al Mawaada told the GDN yesterday.What is this guy on? First, he acknowledges Jesus Christ is the saviour of all mankind. Yep, can't agree more with this... so if you acknowledge it, why don't you actually read and meditate on what the saviour of the world says and does. Hmmm, might actually conflict a tad with your beliefs, me thinks. But what's this about breaking the cross and killing the pig... what's he actually trying to say... beats me! He must have some warped idea of Jesus... I think he really needs to read a bible, if he can, if he wants to understand the nature and character of Jesus.
Times are a changing...
As I was saying, times are a changing in Bahrain, but if you were to read the papers it would appear to be for the worse as it slides down that slippery slope to be yet another Saudi Arabia... First it's an attempt to ban alcohol on Gulf Air flights, then ban alcohol at the airport, and now it's the turn of banning pork! Next it will be compulsory hijab for women, no driving for women, and no reason to come to Bahrain for the weekend to leave behind that repressive islamic regime... well, I suppose that's one good thing to come out of it. Bahraini's will get back their roads & shopping malls in the weekend, many grotty hotels that don't deserve their 2, 3, or 4 stars will close down, and professional workers in the male entertainment industry will leave. On the flip side, lots of retailers will have to shut up shop, and more legitimate businesses will have to cut back, when expats if they want to continue to work in the region will head to where the real demand for jobs is.... in Saudi! Visitors for the Formula One and any other international event at the Bahrain International Circuit will decide to give Bahrain a miss... and this in an economy that is suffering and struggling to diversify from declining oil reserves.
So, are the trinity hoping that the loony rantings of the MPs will ensure they get voted out next time around, or are they going to accede and allow the islamists to have their way... I hope the former, more and more I am expecting the latter.