Minister highlights government, parliament cooperation

Information and Parliament Affairs Minister Isa bin Abdulrahman Al Hammadi affirmed that the Government and the Council of Representatives stood on a common ground in and have convergent views on the nation's higher interests.

In his remarks during the Council's session, the minister said the government is ready to cooperate, listen to all viewpoints and comply with any constitutional decision passed by the MPs regarding on ways to deal with the financial situation.

He stressed the government's appreciation of the Council of Representatives discussions, which emanate from the MPs' keenness on preserving citizens' interest. "The government is also keen on the nation's interests as we stand on a common ground," the minister said.

The Kingdom of Bahrain's Constitution allocated certain powers to the executive and legislative branches, Al Hammadi said.

"If we look at the democratic process in Bahrain, since HM the King initiated the reforms process, the powers granted under the constitutional amendments have increased the Council's powers throughout the legislative terms. We appreciate the monitoring and legislative roles undertaken by the Council that contribute in the interest of the nation and all citizens," he said.

The decision regarding the change in the prices of oil was taken on Monday by the Cabinet and according to the constitutional powers granted to it, the minister added.

"There is a financial situation that imposes challenges not only on the Kingdom of Bahrain, but also on the entire region. We live in a new reality. We should deal with it through a sense of national responsibility. Everyone trusts that whenever an idea or any opinion is tabled for discussion regarding the economic situation, the common public interest is taken into consideration. We need the sustainability of the financial situation in order to be able to continue to fulfil all our commitments in the interest of citizens in the kingdom," he said.

Bahrain is not isolated from what is going on in the region. The Gulf states, who are more bountiful than us in terms of natural resources, have taken tough decisions at a time of challenges that are clear to all.

"When the situation was different in past years, there were decisions passed by the legislative branch and related to a considerable bundle of social assistance programmes that observed the principle of subsidies to all commodities and services. They were implemented by the government. However, today we live a new reality that imposes on us considerable challenges and we have to deal with them through a sense of national responsibility in order to achieve the sustainability of the financial situation."

"The government is ready to cooperate, listen to all viewpoints and comply with any constitutional decision passed by the legislative branch regarding how to deal with the current financial situation whether by increasing revenues or reducing expenditures.

The government presented its action plan and the public budget which was approved as an implementation tool. We have overcome considerable challenges. When the budget was decided, the price of oil was higher than today. Nevertheless, today, we live a new reality, and the price of oil will be less than $30 per barrel. This, as everyone knows, means new considerable challenges. Therefore, tough decisions have to be taken to achieve the sustainability of the financial situation and to protect the interests of citizens," he said.