Urgent proposal as MPs call for fixed Mazaya instalments for remaining 77%

TDT | Manama

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Three thousand Mazaya households got a BD100 reduction, but MPs now want the monthly bill fixed for the remaining majority, warning that repeated renewals keep pushing costs up.

The urgent proposal calls for the monthly instalment under the old Mazaya scheme to be fixed for the group not covered by the Prime Minister’s latest decision.

It also asks the Cabinet to look at a non-refundable grant for those left outside the recent cut.

Move

MP Abdulhakeem Al Sheno told the chamber that the latest move helped about 23 per cent of beneficiaries, with instalments falling from BD527 to BD427 and then held at that level.

He said the remaining 77 per cent still face higher payments that rise with each renewal, adding that the increase can recur every two years alongside new costs.

The proposal was submitted by Al Sheno, Jameel Mulla Hassan, Ali Saqer Al Dosari, Bader Al Tamimi and Hamad Al Doy.

Rule

They argue that a single rule for the old scheme would remove the gap between groups and ease pressure on household budgets.

In the explanatory note, the MPs cited constitutional principles on justice, social solidarity and equal opportunity, as well as the state’s duty to provide housing for low-income citizens.

They also welcomed the Crown Prince and Prime Minister’s earlier direction to lighten the load for some Mazaya beneficiaries and said they hoped the same help would extend to the rest.

Mazaya is one of Bahrain’s main home-financing routes, run through bank partnerships and designed to give citizens more choice over where they live.

MPs said it has helped many families move away from waiting for housing units while easing the waiting list, but said the split in support has left a large share of beneficiaries still facing rising monthly instalments.