dissolved National Council 1975

"... The ideological classification of the blocs of the National Council had a major role in the differences within the Council, since the ideas between most members often differ by 180 degrees, despite the fact that everyone knows the distribution of these informal blocs. However, these designations and distributions are only written in newspapers or mentioned in conversations only. "

Ali Saleh Al Saleh.

Al Mawaqif (Attitudes) Newspaper.

9 December 1974.

"It was imposed on all the parties involved to understand the security situation in the region, to try to shoulder its responsibility, and to put this matter in the Council, after the agreement with the government on the quality of presentation, especially that now some sort of challenge by members of the Council have appeared among them! "

Jassem Murad.

Al Mawaqif (Attitudes) Newspaper.

16 June 1975.

We had stopped at the time of the Constituent Council and the accompanying paradoxes, and we took a quick look to a certain extent at the prevailing colors of the political Bahraini spectrum through the analysis of the political and ideological attitudes in the Constituent Council.

Needless to say, this Council, was only a constituent stage on the road to democracy, which His Highness the late Emir Sheikh Isa Bin Salman Al-Khalifa wanted and before him His Highness the late Sheikh Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, and who the work of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister, had established, consolidated and formulated, as head of the executive authority and as a friend of His Highness the late Prince. He had received his master governance, politics and the administration from his father, His Highness the late Sheikh Salman.

In this regard, Mr. Ahmad Al Omran, who witnessed the days of His Highness Sheikh Salman, said that the idea of the Shura Council was recurring to His Highness Sheikh Salman, who often expressed this desire in his public and private meetings. Al Omran recalls: "At one point, His Highness Sheikh Salman, mercy upon his soul, said to me: Mr. Ahmed, I have a desire for the establishment of a certain Shura Council. You are an educated man and close to the people, please see the views of the people in this regard; register the opinions of the people of setting such a council.

Al Omran adds that His Highness Sheikh Salman had announced this desire during a speech he made in one occasion. The British confronted this idea with their style and behind the scenes, especially though the special adviser of the government, who realized that the Council will pull some of his powers. Thus, he deliberately spread his ideas among a number of members of the ruling family in order to influence His Highness Sheikh Salman, arguing that such a council will cause the withdrawal of a large part of their powers and influence.

When His Highness Sheikh Isa Bin Salman and His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman started developing administrative organizational plans and the organizational structure of the state institutions, the top priority was the establishment of an elected parliament by the people. This has been confirmed by the Kuwaiti Politics newspaper published on the first of May 1970, that is four years ago before the founding of the National Council In an article in the newspaper entitled " A Constitution and a Parliament for Bahrain ..." It said: " yesterday morning the Bahraini delegation left Kuwaits airport with the chairmanship of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al-Khalifa, President of the Council of State in Bahrain, returning to the brotherly country with a reply letter from the Emir to His Highness, King of Bahrain".
The paper added that information sources informed us that the task of the delegation was limited. It said: "The delegation, among its total claims from Kuwait, asked for the use of its political and non-political laws and regulations to make use of it in the near future phase.

These sources have also mentioned that Bahrain expressed its desire to use the expertise and the experts of Kuwait for the preparation of the constitution of the new state, which will be applied after independence.

It is likely that Kuwait will submit its experiences and experts in this regard. On the other hand, other informal and indecisive information have stated that Bahrain will soon (or the delegation might have already asked) request the use of Kuwait's expertise for the organization and finishing of the establishment of a democratic Bahraini Parliament.

The Bahraini people were being asked to participate in the government since its early formation in the era of independence.

It also dealt with the earlier elections of the Constituent Council, with complete neutrality, which seemed clear during the formation of the political and ideological spectrum that the elections of the formation of the Constituent Council have produced.

Since the era of the Constituent Council, the presence of political and ideological spectrums, which considered the access to the Constituent Council as an opportunity to government and executive authority harassment, has been clear. Although the impressions of the ruling establishment, then, on the performance of the Constituent Council, were not positive, however, His Highness Sheikh Isa Bin Salman, and His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman did not ignore or forbid the people's choice and right of an elected legislature, despite the many warnings that reached Prince and his brother, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa.

Members of the First National Council.

On the 11th of July 1973, the prince has issued a decree in which he stated "the National Council election rules." According to the first article of this decree: "The National Council consists of 30 members elected by the people through universal suffrage and secret ballot. The ministers are members of the National Council ex officio."

In the subsequent articles of the decree, it specified the conditions to be met in the electorate, the procedures to be followed for the completion of the electoral process and how to make appeals.

To apply these provisions, the Prime Minister had announced a decision to set the "regions and constituencies" in the 16th of August of that same year. On the same day, the Minister of Municipalities and Agriculture issued a decision on setting a date for the judicial dispute of the election schedules. Thus, the country has become ripe for a critical era in its history on the road to the establishment of the National Council. The morning of the seventh of December 1973 has witnessed the launching of the electoral process, where 114 candidates, representing all groups and trends of the Bahraini people, competed to win the Council seats, while the number of the registered on electoral lists was 27000 voters, compared with about 22000 registered in the elections to the Constituent Council.

It was a great day when the Bahraini crowd went out to exercise their voting franchise and chose its elite to carry the task of the legislative authority in the country. Apart from the celebration events, which accompanied the election process, the processes of the election were working well without any disturbing incident. All the observers agreed that the elections were being held neutrality and impartiality. These elections have also witnessed a large number of voters. According to what was planned, elections were closed at eight o'clock the same day, since the sorting operations began directly.

Then next morning, Radio Bahrain announced to its citizens the names of those who won the trust of the people and who were chosen to bear the responsibility.

The list of winners included the following:

-Sheikh Ibrahim Bin Salman Al-Khalifa, Sheikh Abdel Amir Mansour.

-Sheikh Abbas Muhammad Ali-Sheikh Issa Ahmad Qassem.

-Dr. Abdel-Hadi Khalaf Ibrahim Mohammed Hassan Fakhro.

-Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah civil - Dr. Abdul Hadi Khalaf .

-Dr. Abdel-Hadi Khalaf Salman Sheikh Mohammed.

-Ibrahim Abdel-Aal . Abdullah Ali Al Ma'awdah.

-Jassim Mohammed Murad Issa Hassan Al-Thawadi.

-Khalifa Ahmed Al-Banali-Abdul Rasul Ali Jashi.

-Khalid Ibrahim Al-Thawadi-Mohammed Jaber Sabah.

-Mohammed Abdullah Terres-Mustafa Mohamed Qassab.

-Alawi Mr. Makki Sharkhat-Abdullah Mansour Isa.

-Mohammed Salman Ahmed Hammad . Yousef Salman Kamal.

-Khalifa Ahmed Azahrani. . Mohsen Hamid Al Marhon. 14.2.16.39. Ali Saleh Al Saleh . AbdulAziz Mansour Al Ali.

-Hussein Ali Al Matoj . Hamad Abdullah Aple.

By this, the Council's image has been completed; the stage has been completely ready for representatives of the people to exercise their national roles for which they were elected. Upon this, His Highness Sheikh Isa Bin Salman has issued an Amiri decree on the 10th of December for the invitation of the National Council of to assemble at ten on the morning of Sunday the 16th of December 1973 for its first ordinary session of the first legislative term.

The Inaugural Session.

That morning is worthy of being different; the pleasant weather of December with its compassionate rainfall was transmitting optimism to the hearts of Bahrainis, those who lined the roadsides to submit their tribute to His Highness the Emir of the country, His Highness the Prime Minister and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. They were on their way to the opening of the first Parliament of Bahrainis through the long history of the country.

In the municipality building at Al Manama, the Building that had witnessed many historic days of Bahrain, at exactly ten and quarter, His Highness Sheikh Isa Bin Salman and His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman had taken their location on the main podium when His Highness Sheikh Khalifa, the Prime Minister, announced the opening of the session, which had the honor with a recitation of verses from the Holy Quran. Then His Highness the Prime Minister invited His Highness the Emir to deliver his royal speech, which stated: "In the name of God Almighty ... ... we open the first session of the first Legislative term of your revered Council.

We are pleased to welcome you as members of this Council and welcome you as brothers who will assume with us the responsibilities of governance and its consequences; we are pleased to speak to the whole nation through you, and you are being elected by the people to be in this Council. We will never forget our peoples hearty and sincere stand with us, taking the town from one era to another, exceeding their community an epoch to another and turning the role of the country to independence in the fullest sense of the word.

Our country emphasizes to the whole world its Arabism, and that it is part and of the Arab nation entity and reflects the desire of Bahrain to be an active member of the international family and a contributor to work for the good of humanity. It is a seeker of world peace and a denier of aggression and usurpation of rights and a rejecter of wars except in self-defense and for saving land and the victory of the right. Bahrains people are in favor of the liberation and self-determination. Bahrain establishes friendships with the peoples and nations of the world on the basis of equality, justice and mutual respect for sovereignty; it is loyal to its duties towards Islamic countries on the basis of brotherhood in religion and is working to consolidate the brotherly relations and closer cooperation between it and other neighboring Arab countries moving from the basis of unity of purpose and unity of destiny. "

The Royal speech goes on: "with the peoples sincerity and devotion, we have entered the era of independence; we have committed ourselves to our people to share the burdens of government and to work on the development of democracy and the shura and constitutional rule of the country, explaining the rights and helping in the duties, distinguishing the three authorities, emphasizing cooperation that is based on justice and reinforcing and guaranteeing freedoms. We have walked in this path and passed laws and decrees in the administrative organization; we have set the council of State that turned since the era of independence to the Council of Ministers.

This was the beginning of the transformation of progress; we preferred to be real and no walk in the dark; we preferred to work in steps. We have also developed the existing legislation and put new legislations dealing with affairs of the citizens. We have published a lot of legislations, and will work with your cooperation on the completion of our legal system because of its importance in the lives of the citizens and their living affairs. "

When His Highness the Emir finished his comprehensive speech, in which he set the stage features, the role of this Council and the duties of its members, His Highness the Prime Minister, started his speech: "Sir, His Highness the Emir of Bahrain, please accept our sincere thanks and gratitude for your great attendance at the opening of the first national council of the country in its first session. We hope that with your confidence, this council will be a fundamental pillar of democracy and to move towards better progress under your wise leadership and your auspicious administration. "

Then His Highness the Prime Minister invited the National Council members including ministers to enunciate the constitutional oath; His Highness was the first to begin: "I swear by God the Almighty to be loyal to the homeland and to the Emir and respect the constitution and laws of the State, uphold the freedoms and interests of the people and their assets and fulfill my duties with all honesty and truthfulness."

With the end of the ceremony of pronouncing the oath, the formal opening session ended and His Highness the Emir saluted the present whilst leaving the room accompanied by the Hi Highness the Prime Minister and His Highness the Crown Prince, who saluted him with all the hospitality and appreciation. Then His Highness the Prime Minister came back to announce the opening of the regular session with a speech:

"Distinguished colleagues: with the Name of God we announce the opening of the first working session of this term, and we ask God to bless it and make a good omen for our work in this noble Council. Let me Distinguished Members welcome you as sincere brothers, who are determined to work as colleagues at work with loyalty, sincerity, firmness and good spirit. We will be guided by the public interest for the welfare of the country following the democratic model curriculum. You are worthy of the responsibility entrusted to you all; we have great hopes in you that is why I ask you to choose the head of the council in its first term. "

The procedures for the election of the President of the Council began with nominating the contestants; Ibrahim Mohammed Hassan Fakhro nominated Professor Hassan Jawad Jashi and this nominations has been asserted by member Jassem Murad. But Jashi was nominated as the President of the Council by acclamation. Then His Highness the Prime Minister called him to the podium to take the presidency and congratulated him for winning and took his seat among Ministers, the members of the Council.

After that the President of the Council has led the process of nominating a Vice-President; he asked the members of the council to nominate their candidate. Two members were nominated: Khalifa Ahmed Al-Banali and Jassim Mohammed Murad. The first was nominated by the member Mohammed Abdullah Hermes and again by member Mustafa Qassab; the second was nominated by member Ibrahim Mohammed Hassan Fakhro and again by member Alawi Sharkhat Mr. Makki Al Sharkhat and Salman Sheikh Mohamed Sheikh Nasser. After counting the votes with the help of two of the members: Abdullah Ali Al Maawdeh and Sheikh Ibrahim bin Salman bin Khalid Al Khalifa. The member Khalifa Al-Banali obtained 22 votes and Jassim Mohammed Murad got the same number of votes. Therefore, the President of the Council called for repeating the election, as provided for in article 45 of chapter II of the Constitution. In the second round, member Khalifa Al-Banali won 23 votes compared to 21 votes obtained by the member Jassim Mohammed Murad. Thus, the President called Al-Banali, who won the position of Vice-President, to sit in the podium and take his seat alongside the President.

After that, the President asked the members to elect a Secretary. Sheikh Abdul Amir Al-Jamri nominated the member Abdullah AlSheikh Muhammad Ali Al Madani, and the member Abdel-Aziz Al Ali too nominated him. The member Ali Rabi'ah and Jassem Murad nominated Dr. Abdul Hadi Khalaf. The result of the ballot was the winning of Abdullah AlSheikh Muhammad Ali Al Madani with 26 votes whereas Dr Abdul Hadi Khalaf obtained 18 votes. Thus, the member Abdullah AlSheikh Muhammad Ali Al Madani was named as secretary of the Council, and was asked by the President to take his place on the podium.

After the end of the selection procedure, the President of the National Council made a speech beginning his Council presidency: "His Highness the President of the Council of Ministers, His Highness the Crown Prince, the Minister of Defense and the Commander-in-Chief of the Bahrain Defense Force, the Your Excellencies the Ministers ... Distinguished fellow members and guests, believe me if I tell you I would have preferred to be one of the votes among your, discussing freely and without restriction. But you have, with all kindness, voted for me and chose me as a President of this Council, the first in the history of Bahrain. Therefore, I accepted this honor with your will that represents the will of the people who brought you to this Council. I have used to be where the people want me throughout my life; I am from the people and for them. "

Then the council reviewed Ordinance No. (2) for the 1973, containing the formation of the new government ... Then the members turned to discuss the scheduling of the meetings. The member Jawad Salim Al Aread, the Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, to held the sessions at Nine oclock every Sunday morning. However, the member Jassim Mohammed Murad proposed to have two sessions each week in order to be able to complete the work and the many tasks that lay ahead. The member Youssef Al Sherawi, the Minister of Development and Engineering Services, suggested postponing the determining of the number of weekly sessions to the next session, which is to be held next Sunday. This proposal was approved and the President has announced the adjournment of the meeting, pointing out that the date for the next meeting is Sunday the 23rd of December 1973, at exactly nine.

How the Council addressed the state security law?

The following Sunday session was not a successful beginning; it was delayed for about 45 minutes from the scheduled date, which is considered the first practical session in the history of the Council. This delay was due to the practices of some members of the council that were peculiar to the global parliamentary norms.

These practices have led to the disruption of some of the functions of the Council and almost to destroy it, if it were not for the skill and experience of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa, who had been striving to restore things, in the following meetings, to normal.

The case of the Council remained as is, fluctuating and filled with sterile discussions, in addition to the attempts of some members to disrupt the role of the Council and to interfere in the duties of the government. This continued until the end of the first session of the first legislative term, when the session was ended on the morning of Wednesday the 23rd of October 1974, the date of the second session.

At the exact moment in time, the Council began its second session, which was inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Isa Bin Salman Al-Khalifa and the presence of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister and His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Minister of Defense, the Commander-in-Chief of Bahrain Defense Force. In the same building, the municipality building at Manama, and after reading verses from the Holy Koran, His Highness the Emir announced the opening of the in the following words: "In the name of Allah and with his benevolence, we open the second annual session of the first Legislative term of the National Council. "

This session had witnessed a state of tension that remained in control of most of its meetings from the outset. The parties evolved in this tension were some members of the Council on the one hand and the government and its supporters on the other hand. This tension reached a peak when the Law of the State Security Measures, issued on early October 1974, was laid for discussion.

With reference to this law and its considerations and the hot points, which aroused a dispute between the government and a number of the opposition members, we will present the testimony of the member Jassem Murad during an interview with a journalist from the Kuwaiti newspaper "Al-Qabas", and quoted by the Bahraini magazine "Al Mawaqef" issued on the 9th of December 1974.

Mr. Jassim Murad says: "to speak frankly and with the logic of complete impartiality between the pros and cons, Bahrain has a special security situation; it is islands in a wavy Sea amid all the events and effects of the Gulf, as well as the possibility of infiltration that could threaten the security of Bahrain from the inside. All this necessitates the need to provide a special security protection of these islands. In return, we in Bahrain have begun democratic practices that we hope to see continuing and gaining momentum. Democracy seeks more freedom and rejects any restrictions; the optimal state security law is the one that matches between the necessities of internal security considerations and public freedoms, and its growth and the growing practice of democracy.

In my view, to reach a formula to achieve this compatibility is not a difficult process, but the debate was stirred when the government issued a decree of the states new security law. This means that the National Council can only reject the law as a whole or accept it as a whole, unlike the case if the government submitted the draft law, then the Council could have resorted for dialogue and mutual parliamentary debate with the government to amend some articles in the law. In the end the Council and the government will achieve the goal of an integrated law which can no one can argue."

Mr. Murad added: "On the other hand, there is no doubt that the new law is much better than the old law issued in 1965, and this supports the government's point of view in that it aimed at the public good and did not attempt to minimize the scope of the democratic experience. But some believed that this law, in some of its articles, contradicted with the Constitution, though others did not believe so. If we had a constitutional court, then this matter could have been resolved constitutionally and say its final word, whether the law was in line with the Constitution or not. But in Bahrain we did not complete the democratic construction with its full heel and the Supreme Constitutional Court on its foremost."

About his democratic parliamentary experience in Bahrain after two years of its start, Jasem Murad says in his answer to a question posed by the editor of Al Qabas in this regard:

No doubt the democratic approach is necessary, and there is no other solution except democracy; the problems of democracy are only solved by more democracy and more freedom of opinion. I think that the democratic experience in Bahrain was successful, and if there were remarks from some about it and issues related to it, then I sure like lay down some aspects and factors that have need to be considered so we do not misjudge the experience, and in order to recognize its importance and vitality. The first of these considerations is the fact Bahrain is the abode of diverse cultures, Western, Arab, Indian, Iranian and others. It is also the abode of many languages, religions and ideologies, especially if we know that the Bahraini youth completed their education in the West, east, Kuwait, Egypt, Iraq among other countries.

All this has made some Bahrainis under the influence of some ideologies, cultures and approaches, though they did not lose their national characteristic and their acknowledgment of the local and regional public well. In addition, our country is a developing state, with the full sense of the word, and according to the requirements of development, and the stability it requires.

The other consideration is that Bahrain has three categories that resemble three perspectives within the National Council. The first is the rightist standpoint; the second is the leftist standpoint, which has not evaluated taken these requirements and conditions of this era into its consideration to make its programs more practical and more appropriate for our private and objective conditions. The third is the moderate standpoint, which is a national approach liberal I nits thought and opinions and can always provide practical and real solutions without being extreme. I think that the success of this democratic experience by practice takes place when the two standpoints move to the moderate direction.

In the same issue of Al Qabas newspaper, an interview was published with Mr. Ali Saleh Al Saleh, member of the National Council and the current Minister of Trade. In fact, I have included the point of view of Mr. Ali in this regard I my first book Khalifa bin Salman the Man and the Making of the State. If we repeat his viewpoint here, it is only to say that his view is considered one of the best analyses of the National Council experience in Bahrain. Mr. Saleh says: There are no experiences without negatives, and the negatives of our experience were expected especially with our lack of experience in this regard and the openness of the whole society on the democratic and parliamentary freedom.

Before addressing some of the negatives we felt during the sessions democratic and objective dialog. The most sever of these negatives is:

As for the National Council, there have been needless excess in the discussion and negotiation of some secondary issues, which lead to the hindering many of the vital projects and the current laws projects.

As for the government, which is considered as the executive authority, was not used to handling and receiving all these criticisms addressed to it by the parliament members. This has caused some tension in the beginning which soon vanished, and the executives became accustomed to accepting the criticism but even at times were welcoming it.

As for the people, the majority of the individuals was in a hurry and wanted all there demands to be fulfilled especially that the elections period has witnessed many promises from voters. This has created deep frustration and disappointment for not fulfilling most of these promises.

I think that the main reasons that led to disputes in the National Council are not due to the diverse views of the government and the members of the Council, which we do not claim nonexistent, but not the way some have portrayed. The ideological classification of the National Council coalitions played the primary in the difference within the Council, where ideas and views differ in 180 degrees. Though everyone knows the distribution of these unofficial coalitions, naming it is only written in the media.

Paradoxical Political Spectrum.

About these ideological classifications, which have been previously mentioned by the Council member Jasem Murad and later by the Council member Ali Saleh Al Saleh, Al Qabas Kuwaiti newspaper has written the viewpoint of one of the members of the National Council, from the moderate party who did not declare his name, in its issue of the 1st of March 1975, that: the moderate party is the largest in number; it includes 14 or 13 members. These are: Ali Saleh Al Saleh, Rasoul Al Jashe, Jasem Murad, Hamad Abel, Ibrahim Fakhro, Hasan Al Khayat, Abdullah Mansour, Alawi Al Sharkhat, Yousef Kamal, Khalifa Al Banali, Khalifa Al Dahrani, Mohammad Abdullah Hermes, and Ali Ibrahim.

The fourteenth member, as the news comments, was Sheikh Ibrahim Al Khalifa, who wavered between this party and the the peoples party or the communist party, as the Bahraini Al Adwa newspaper in more than one occasion described it, and they did not object to it. The fourteenth member might be the president of the Council, but his name was obscured to neutralize him towards the other three parties in the National Council.

The moderate party member adds: there are ongoing communications to attract members from the other parties. It is clear that this party includes some Islamic members or those who pledged to join the Islamic part in the Council.

He explains: the colleague Hamad Aple has declared his objection on naming the party as moderate, and said that this title has been used by media to differentiate between the parties; it divided the members into leftist or rightist, and put the rest in the moderate standpoint. It seems that the aim of the newspaper in doing this unspecific simplification in naming the directions within the Council was aimed at not mentioning the real names of these three parties.

These names represent its real ideological classification because Bahrain and the region are not willing, at least at this stage of its political and democratic development, to accept it. Therefore, it was necessary to choose words with care.

The speech of the moderate member needs some clarification especially for those who did not live this epoch; the rightist was called on the Islamic direction or trend, and media used this word has used this word, rightist, to avoid to use the blank name. The word leftist refers to the group of members, who named their party the peoples party, and these are of Marxist or national backgrounds. The moderate party, or those who called themselves the democratic liberal party, has been described by media as being moderate to distinguish them from the leftist and the rightist.

That was the general political scene that attracted people, simple and politically conscious, at that period of time; it is he same scene that got its spark from the disputes and discussions of the National Council. People realized that it concentrated on trivial and dialectic matters and issues, and only added more difficult days to Bahrain. Those it was considered a hazard on the present of Bahrain; the wisdom of the two brothers: Isa and Khalifa; the ability of the first to contain all these disputes and differences with a caring fatherly affection, and the ability of the second to set things right and have the initiative to disperse disputes to prolong the process of giving and building.

What is going on in Bahrain?

Aprils cool breezes and spring weather were not enough to cool the heat in the National Council atmosphere and in Bahrain, especially when some members expressed their intent to push the government to take some communist systems. These appeals have been confronted strongly by the other members, which turned the Council into an arena of real dispute and heated discussions. During my search in this years papers, I will read to you the editorial column of Al Mawaqef magazine in its issue on the 14th of April 1975 written by a member of the National Council and secretary Mr. Abdullah Al Madani, entitled Ownership and Capital between the Desires and Moods.

Al Madani says: when some members of the National Council have started to discuss the states political policy by hinting the advantages of connecting Bahrains economy with the Communist econmy, and how the Minister Yousef Al Sherawi protested on Mr. Ali Rabea, using article nine of the constitution, which does not allow the following of the communist or socialist economic regime. Upon this Sheikh Abdel Amir Al Jamri said: in this regard, I would like to address a question to the minister and another to my colleague.

My question to my colleague Ali Rabea is: what is the position of this call form the journey from capitalism to communism? What is the position of this call from article nine of the constitution that states: ownership, capital and work are dealt with according to the Islamic justice and considered the main bases of the states social entity and the national wealthetc. why did my colleague depart from what the article points out when he sworn to respect upon his previous oath to respect the constitution?!! My question to the minister is: what is the degree of the governments attachment with the aforementioned article that affirms that the government should apply the Islamic legislation in the economic real?

Here memory takes us back to the story of this article in the constitutional Council and how it is found in the constitution. Originally, the article did not specify the criterion that the pillars of economy in this country will follow. The democratic national party has submitted an adjustment that makes the direction of economy follows the moods and desires; it came in a very flexible expression that he communist or the capitalist can use and explain as he wishes. It said: ownership, capital and work, according to the social justice, are primary principles for the entity of the state etc.

This expression: the social justice is an open-ended phrase has no specific connotation; the Islamic members in the constitutional council have warned the government of the danger of this phrase, which the leftist use frequently to direct economy in a communist direction, which is endangering the law and the country. The Islamic members have submitted the amendment that won the voting during phrasing the constitution. The article became in its last form as follows: ownership, capital and work, according to the principles of the Islamic justice, are primary pillars for the countrys social entity and the national wealth.

When the government agreed to the Islamists amendment of the article and voted in its favor, Mr. Ali Sayar and Mr. Rasoul Al Jashi withdraw in protest against the governments position. This Islamic meaning of the article has shut the way on the communist leftists to call for openly for communist socialist approach. At the same time, this has forbidden going through the direction of the capitalist economy.

This is what the councils secretary has admitted who reports the news from inside the council who informed us the some members are working to drag the systems towards communism and socialism. This has been a hazard to the course of the country; these members wanted to use their parliamentary immunity to declare their affiliations that are strange and inappropriate with the countrys religion, history and people. This is one part of a long series of issues discussed at National Council.

May be the story of the arrangements of the state security law deserves to be a model for the trend that spread during the sessions of the National Council, and the sensitivity and severity tht prevailed the members discussions.

What is the story of this law? How did it start? What are its consequences? Lets see the documents of the Council.

Before Sunday the 8th of June 1975, there was a feeling among most the citizens in Bahrain that this session will be the most dangerous of all. This assumption as correct and the events before the session prove this to be true. The council was waiting to discuss the arrangements of the states security law put by the government and issued by a royal decree, which mean that is in the application process.

The government knew that some members were already against this law; therefore, it asked to postpone it to another session. In return, some members insisted on discussing and approving it in this session, whereas the defense, internal and external affairs committee rejected this law and asked the council to refuse it.

Three opposing poles clashed since the beginning of this session, which witnessed a massive public attendance. From 9 till 12pm, the session did not start officially while discussions were active between the government and the council members to reach a middle ground.

In the end, each part insisted on its position, and the government withdrew, which meant the end of the session.

In those three critical hours, the government was trying to win the positions of a number of flexible members, and in spite of its success with some, its meetings with the members of the Islamic party ended with failure as the members of the party refused the justifications of the government of the necessity of postponing the law discussions.

Later, one of the council members upon its enormous attempts to convince the members of the Islamic party to postpone discussing the law, it promised to restudy it and to initially withdraw it. Despite this, the members of the Islamic party insisted on their position, and claimed that the governments situation is evidence on its feeling that it lost a winning card.

In response to the governments position and its withdrawal, the members requested meeting in the councils hall to register their reservation on the absence of the government. In this meeting, the councils president said that the session is not considered official because of the absence of the government or any of its representatives.

There are roots for this issue that did not stem from these events; the story goes back to 31 October 1974. On that day, the president of the council sent this law with its approving decree to the defense, internal and external committee to discuss it and give its opinion of it. The committee set four working sessions in which it listened to the opinion of the Interior Minister and the Ministrys counselor Mr. Mohammad Lotfi Mohammad Refat. The Minister declared that reasons behind issuing such a law and discussed some of its articles in two meetings held on the 7th and 25th of November 1974.

This law has initiated massive and sever discussions and negotiations in the council and in the public arena; some say that there was an agreement between the related parties in the council to postpone discussing this law to another opportunity that provides more dialog between all the parties. This law had effects on the democratic experience in Bahrain by its discussions and debates.

Mr. Tareq Al Moayad, the Minister of Media at that time, expressed the viewpoint of the government in a press conference on Monday the 16th of June 1975, by saying: the government would like, stemming from its faith in the democratic approach it is following in our political life and in dealings between the people and the government, to explain t the citizens and elucidate the reasons behind practicing its right by attending the session of the National Council yesterday morning.

The government, which is working in the restoration of the democratic life within the constitution, has used to reconsider all the applied laws to be consistent with the constitution. Te government has touched the reservations of some members of the National Council on the general security law for the year 1956, and in response to this wish, the government has prepared the draft law that takes into consideration the viewpoints of the National Council members and the countrys need for a law and a juridical monitoring to ensure justice upon its application.

Then the government, during the summer vacation, consulted all the members of the National Council and discussed the articles of this law before issuing it and added amendments that encompass the diverse directions till it became in this form.

The government issued this law with a royal decree in order to simplify the steps of issuing it and for the countrys need of it. Therefore, issuing this decree has fulfilled the constitutional and legal conditions.

But during the beginning of this current term, the government has touched the desire of some of the members to reconsider the law and to rephrase it. Upon this it was agreed to postpone discussing this law to enable the government to reconsider some of its articles to reach well-phrased texts that please all and that does not affect the relation between the two authorities or endanger the interests of the country. The situation remained as is until the last two weeks when the government was shocked by the desire of some members of the Council, for different reasons and considerations, to discuss this law during this session.

Due to the importance and sensitivity of this issue to Bahrain and the security of the whole region, the uselessness of discussing this issue in an open session and the willingness of the government to cooperate with the National Council and to agree on the basic points away from disturbs, the government has decided to postpone discussing this issue until all parties agree on an acceptable phrasing that reserve the countrys security and stability.

Mr. Jawas Salem Al Aread, the Minister of the Affairs of the Ministers Council, explained the dispute between the government and some members of the council in a meeting published in Al Mawakef magazine in its issue published in the 23rd of June 1975. We quote from the dialog between the minister and the editor-in-chief, the member of the council, Mr. Abdullah Al Madani:

Question: what is the point the ministers absence from the meetings of the National Council for the third time?

The answer: I would like to declare that the government is willing to keep the democracy and that any break of democracy in this critical and short phase of its age, will be fatal. The government is intending to make this democratic experience succeed and to preserve it at our first attendance of the Council, we felt that the atmosphere is not fit for discussing this decree, which entails providing guarantees for the stability and safety of this country, therefore, the government decided not to attend in order to reach a more agreeable phrasing of this law away from the tension and passions and in an atmosphere of utter calmness. In spite of the governments absence, the communications with the members of the Council continued.

Question: the representatives of the Council parties have submitted a phrasing to get out of this crisis, why did not the government present such attempts, what is your comment?

Answer: not true. The first phrasing was submitted by the government when it announced reconsidering the law in the summer vacation and promised to reconsider the law to reach a more agreeable phrasing that preserves the countrys integrity and stability under a law that satisfies all.

Question: the parties representatives have reached a settlement on all the points that reserve the dignity of the Council and the government, but one point remained unresolved because the government did not approve it, i.e., giving an official characteristic to the agreed upon points, so what is your explanation for the governments rejection?

The answer: first of all, the government did not refuse discussing the phrasing presented by the representatives of the parties, and the government approved two points including attending an open session along with promising to reconsider the law during summer time. The representatives were rigid about the point that wants to register a document and the signature of the government on the final agreement document. Moreover, the government thinks that this is not an approach for cooperation between the two authorities, because there should be a mutual trust; this happened before in the constitutional Council when the members of the council disagree with the government about an article and the council returns it to the government to rephrase it again. The rigidness in asking for a written signed agreement with the government is inconsistent with the spirit of cooperation; therefore, the government postponed this issue till summer to give everyone an opportunity to reach a phrasing acceptable by all.

That was how they valuated the experience.

From these declarations and answers we can reach the truth.

The government remained intent to reach a solution that would satisfy all parts, and it continued in pursuing its meetings and discussions and providing moderate proposals and solutions that reserve the dignity and independence of the council. At the same time, the government was keeping and performing its right to attend or absent the sessions of the council.

The government did not try to fight the Councils decision or its freedom when it asked for a secret session, because every country has its secrets and privacies and security requirements. On the overall, the government proposal did not deserve the rigidness of the council members. The governmental refusal to attend the sessions for three successive times continued though the dialogue avenues were open. In spite of that, there was no subordination from the members of the Council for the sake of the safety and security of Bahrain.

Why did the Council do this? What are the advantages gained by the rigid members of having open sessions for discussing the law? Are there any of kind of advantages what so ever for discussing the law in an open session, a law that is considered one of the most serious laws of the State?

Lets read the viewpoint of the members of the Council, who is known for his nationalist history and neutrality and objectivity. Mr. Jasem Murad says, in a special statement to Al Mawakef magazine in the issue published on the 16th of June 1975: the Council should have understood the security conditions and should have assumed its responsibility, and to discuss this matter after agreeing with the government on the approach to do so, especially that some sort of defiance have initiated among the members of the Council!!!

We are a small nation living in a sensitive region and we have to evaluate the situations, our strength and ability to give and take. Our democratic experience is a special experience; the strength of the government from the strength of the Council, and the strength of the Council is a foundation for the government. The government justified its withdrawal from more discussions, and we do not disagree with it on this matter though we wished for the continuation of these sessions, even if were convinced in delaying discussing the security arrangements law.

The member of the Council and its secretary and the editor of the Al Mawaqef magazine in the editorial column in the issue published on the 1st of September 1975 said that: what is going on in Bahrain? Is it a revolution against the National Council? Is it a revolution on the complicated composition of the National Council and a revolution on the obstacles hindering the government approach and work in the constitution and the elections law?

That is how Mr. Al Madani summarizes the puzzlement that is all over Bahrain regarding what was going on:

What is going on in Bahrain?

He answers himself saying:

In the previous National Council, some have used their parliamentary position for his personal interests, some intended to initiate disputes and trouble and not to solve problems the real honest representative does not work for his personal interests at the expense of the national interests, but the people might be cheated I choosing the dishonest representative. But the people watch and judge and can remote the unfaithful figures can the National Council tolerate all the mistakes of the parliamentary experience? Does not the citizen, who did not choose the fit representative or neglected the elections, have a share in the responsibility? Do not the governmental bodies and functions that put the elections law and the draft constitution share the responsibility? Everyone has his share in the responsibility and all should take part in restoring the damage done.

Sheikh Kalifa saves the vessel.

His highness Sheikh Kalifa bin Salman was undergoing his discussions and negotiations day and night to save this country from this crisis. With everyones testimony, His Highness the Prime Minister, remained until the last minute assured that the rigidness of the opposing members will loosen for the benefit of Bahrain, its welfare, stability and security. But this mans shrewdness deceived him this time.

This man, who does not know surrender, surrendered this time for the sake of Bahrains welfare and to preserve the democratic course. But even this surrender did not help him, whilst he was what Bahrain has built through rough years, about to vanish because of unfinished experience.

The decision was in the hands of the Emir of the country, who was watching all the events with a fathers eye, looking at his sons with kindness and sympathy and the wisdom of an assured leader. The Council was of a complicated structure, as one of the members admitted, and was including troublemakers, as another said. The council also included those who shoe defiance, as a third one says. Does Bahrain have to pay an expensive price for all that? That was the question.
His Highness chose to answer this question but with a knights way that is full of pride and arrogance, overcoming the pain for the sake of the countrys cause, and in order to reserve the countrys pride and the democracy; His highness decided to resign from his position.

On the 24th of August 1975, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman, the Prime Minister, presented a speech to the Emir of the country, which is considered a comprehensive and honest Bahraini document. He described with briefness the events surrounding the issues that are standing in the way of Bahrains development course.

In his speech we read: after our independence, you have seen and we shared your opinion. that your faithful people are worthy of participating in the ruling process. Upon your issuance of the constitution and executing the elections that led to the current National Council, we thought that we will aid the government in fulfilling its duty towards the country and overcoming the critical period after independence safely.

You have honored me with your trust to constitute the first ministry in this new era; I submitted to your orders because your orders must be obeyed and because the nation requires me not to delay in assuming the responsibility. The ministers with me are known for their nationalism, honesty and their insistence and work for the sake of the nation and the welfare of its people. We worked to maintain its Arab and national identity and its national unity. We have worked our utmost to resolve all sorts of disputes to provide the nation with a ruling regime that is known for its justice, assured that the people of Bahrain are content with what we have accomplished.

The Ministry had set it mind on resuming the necessary legislations for the independence era, benefiting from the wealth of our region, following the rapid renaissance process all over the Gulf region, and deepening the feeling of national unity in the people of Bahrain, thus making the sons of nation one hand. But the National Council did not give us support in this regard despite our massive and faithful efforts during the last two years; many strange ideas, which were odd to our culture and morals, prevailed the discussions of the Council. These ideas stirred disputes and hatred in the Council without caring for the damage it was causing to the National unity. This has twisted the parliamentary work from its right course, and hindered all the moderate viewpoints from fulfilling its effective role. Therefore, the government could not accomplish what it hoped to accomplish of achievements and projects that benefit all the citizens. Some have worked away from our values to undermine all our efforts.

I have postponed looking into this matter and thought that I should submit the resignation of the ministry to Your Highness to attend to this matter as you wish. I, and my colleagues, would like to thank you for your support. I remain yours faithfully. Kindly accept my gratitude and thanks.

In the next day, His Highness declared to Al Mawaqef magazine what came in the resignation letter and said: the people of Bahrain are capable of participating in developing life whether in his own homeland or in the region as a whole.

As for the disputes with some members of the National Council, His Highness said his famous word: we are not disturbed by democracy in its right sense, and we as a government admit after mistakes as they come, and we accept the constructive criticism and counseling among us in all matters. But we do not accept to e controlled and manipulated by the intruding approaches and trends; politics in our view and this is our belief. is the productive work for all the citizens however diverse their lives.

This night Bahrain did not sleep.

That is what the people who lived that night and came close to the consciousness of the people in the Bahraini street or in the house or at work say. The resignation was not an ordinary thing nr was the message of His Highness.

His Highness Isa bin Salman, the Emir of the country, has solid trust in his brother, friend and soul mate. His royal decree No. 2 for the year 1975 (on the 24th of August) came as a clear indication that His Highness ordered His Highness Sheikh Khalifa to constitute the next ministry. The royal decree stated:

Your Highness Sheikh Khalifa binSalman A Khalifa, the revered Prime Minister:

We have read your letter of the ministrys resignation for the reasons you have declared. We appreciate it and we would like to thank you and your colleagues for your faithful work, loyalty and the services you have done for this country. Therefore, we have issued our decree for Your Highness to follow up all the urgent issues until the new ministry isformulated.

His Highness goes on.

In the next day, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman submitted the names of the members of his new government to the Emir of the country. The letter His Highness stated:

The revered Highness Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the great Emir of Bahrain, after submitting our respect and gratitude with a heart filled with allegiance and loyalty, I have the honor to thank your thank Your Highness for your precious trust and for appointing me to constitute the new ministry. I have studied this matter extensively and decided that my loyalty and love for my country necessitates that I accept this honor with gratitude. I take support from God to enable me to handle these responsibilities. Moreover, as I have mentioned in my resignation letter, cooperation between the government and the National Council does not exist; therefore, I have consulted with my colleagues the ministers and agreed on the necessity to dissolute the National Council and make new constitutional amendments in order to make the National Council a truer representative of the whole nation. Therefore, the ministry will be honoured after its constitution to hand in a decree to dissolute the National Council.

Your Highness

The whole world is looking at the Gulf region that is witnessing an enormous economic movement and an industrial renaissance; Bahrain had to take part in it to follow the new and rapid progress. But the inability of establishing new ministries with specialized equipments and departments because the constitution prohibits this to minimize the number of the minister votes in the National Council, has forbidden us from constituting these new ministries. But after the dissolution of the National Council and postponing its constitution until after issuing the new elections law, the opportunity is available to add new specialised ministries to promote the performance of the government.

The challenges were at the utmost.

Bahrain had entered the modern era and surpassed among the countries of the Arab Gulf with its people and their capabilities and creativity to promote the development course.

If development and working for the future necessitate the ownership of the tools, thought and men then it also necessitate clearing the arena from all the obstacles that might hinder the progress cycle.

Therefore, on the 26th of August, the royal decree No.14 for the year 1975 was issued stating that: We Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Emir of Bahrain

After reviewing the article No. 56 of the constitution and for the reasons stated in the resignation letter and the answer of constituting the new ministry that is related to the cooperation between the National Council and the government. Upon what has been submitted by the Prime Minister and after the approval of the Council of Ministers, we have ordered the following:

Article One: to dissolute the National Council.

Article Two: the Prime Minister must execute this decree starting Tuesday. On the same day, His Highness the Emir issued the following decree No.4 for the year 1975: We Isa bin Salman bin Al Khalifa, the Emir of Bahrain, have ordered the dissolution of the National Council for the reasons that might threaten the national unity and the nations security. Therefore, we have ordered carrying out amendments in the elections law

By this decree things go back to normal. His Highness the Emir of the country and his brother His Highness the Prime Minister had to chose between a democracy owned by those who do not believe in it and only use it as a means to achieve ideological and personal aims and between a country capable of progressing with efficiency and achieving an outstanding status among the developed countries.

The two brothers have chosen to make Bahrain a country ready for the future.

For the welfare Bahrain now and in the future, the Emir of the country has approved, with his royal decree No.3 for the year 1975, on constituting the ministry with its members and functions as submitted by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa.

The decree stated:

We Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Emir of Bahrain, on the 6th of December 1973, and our order No.3 for the year 1975 issued on the 24th of August, have ordered the appointment of Skeikh Khalifa bin Salman as the president of the Council of Ministers and to give him he responsibility of nominating the members of the new ministry. Upon the submission of the Prime Minister in his letter on the 19th of August 1975, we ordered the following appointments:

His Highness Hamad Bin Isa as Minister of Defense.

Mr. Jawad Salemal Aread As Minister of The Council of Ministers Council.

Sheikh Khaild Bin Abdullah Bin Khalid as Minister of Housing.

Mr Tareq Bin Abdel Rahman Al Moayad as Minister of Media.

Sheikh Abdullah Bin Khalid Al Khalifa as Minister of Justice & Islamic Affairs, and as Minister For Commerce & Agriculture By Deputy.

Mr Majed Jawad Al Jashias as Minister of Construction.

Sheikh Mohammad Bin Mubarak Al Khalifa as Minister of External Affairs.
Mr. Yousef Al Sherawi as Minister of Development & Industry.

Mr Ibrahim Mohamad Hasan Hmedan as Minister of Communication.

Dr. Hussein Mohammad Al Baharneh as Minister of The States Legal Affairs.

Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Mohammad Al Khalifa as Minister of Education.

Dr. Ali Mohammad Fakhro as Minister of Health

Sheikh Isa Bin Mohammad Al Khalifa as Minister of Work & Social Affairs.

Sheikh Mohammad Bin Khalifa Bin Hamad Al Khalifa as Minister of Interior.

Mr. Mahmoud Al Saed Ahmad Alalawi as Minister of Interior.

The new ministry consisted of 15 ministers who carried the responsibility of 16 ministries, and it seemed clear that the diversity of these ministries and the new specializations added to this constitution was aiming at a huge national project that will be carried by this ministry. Perhaps the attendants of His Highness were wondering in private or in public about the patience of Skeikh khalifa bin Salman. They now realized that His Highness was performing his usual habit of contemplating the situation with all its tiny details with silence and quietness in order to reach a solid decision that is void of any errors of probabilities.

There has been a project in the mind of His Highness Skheikh Khalifa. The country has undergone since its establishment wide strides in establishing its first institutions. He had to accomplish the dream of the father, the late Emir of the country, which the brothers agreed to fulfill for the service of the country and the people.

We can remember now that His Highness Skeikh Salman was always carrying a national feeling to provide all the possible resources and services to the citizens of Bahrain. We can also remember the impressions of the neutral viewers about His Highness interests in the general services and his efforts that made Bahrain assume a very special status in the Gulf region and even in the level of the Arab World as a whole, and without exaggeration might be assuming an esteemed status among the whole world.

Perhaps here also we remember that His Highness Sheikh Khalifa has embraced this understanding and direction in a very early stage. He even expressed this when His Highness was entrusted with the mission of constituting the Board of Directors at the beginning of the era of Sheikh Isa bin Salman (on the 2nd of May 1966) and how he added new specializations to the Council and founded many service departments in which Bahrain was the pioneer in the whole region.

According to this comprehensive vision that aimed for the service and interest of the people of Bahrain, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa constituted his new government and set its agenda in the constitution letter. It was clear to all the observers from inside and outside Bahrain that His Highness was carrying out a major renaissance project, and that he wanted the new ministry to carry this mission.

The new government was constituted and Bahrain was promised a new decade of enormous and ambitious achievements.