MP Highlights Delayed Benefits, Humanitarian Visa Cases and Fishermen Association Dispute

TDT | Manama

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During the seventeenth ordinary session of the Council of Representatives, convened within the fourth ordinary annual term of the sixth legislative term, MP Jalila Al Alawi delivered a wide ranging parliamentary intervention addressing unresolved employment files, social insurance reform, humanitarian residency cases, housing pressures in the Capital Governorate, and outstanding issues linked to the fisheries sector.

Al Alawi began by expressing formal appreciation to the Ministry of Health for its coordination with the Civil Service Bureau in resolving obstacles related to the absorption and regularisation of citizens working within the ministry’s workforce. She also acknowledged the efforts of other government bodies that had contributed to resolving or expediting pending cases affecting citizens, while stressing that similar challenges remained unresolved across other ministries.

She drew attention to a significant gap affecting hundreds of medical professionals, noting that a large group of doctors remained outside any compensatory or insurance coverage. In this context, Al Alawi raised concerns regarding the electronic system of the General Organisation for Social Insurance, calling for substantive technical reform to ensure the timely disbursement of entitlements, particularly pensions owed to the families of deceased contributors. She further emphasised the need for tangible changes in the organisation’s investment practices to enhance long term sustainability and service efficiency.

Addressing residency and visa procedures, Al Alawi supported proposals calling for the acceleration of visa and residency services for spouses of Bahraini men and women. She framed the issue as a humanitarian concern rather than a procedural one, citing cases involving children and families stranded outside the Kingdom due to prolonged delays arising from administrative or medical circumstances. She affirmed her readiness to submit documented humanitarian cases to the relevant authorities for urgent consideration.

On housing and social stability, Al Alawi addressed the issue of bachelor accommodation in the Capital Governorate, stressing that the objective was not limited to safety standards for occupants but extended to safeguarding long established residential communities from social and behavioural impacts. She criticised official responses that focused narrowly on safety compliance while overlooking broader living and community concerns.

Turning to fisheries and food security, Al Alawi noted that a substantial proportion of proposals before the session related to the marine sector. She highlighted the dispute surrounding the fishermen’s association headquarters in Sitra, criticising the government’s decision to reclaim the facility and contesting claims that it had been inactive. She cited documented activities and partnerships undertaken by the association as evidence of its operational role, calling for a genuine resolution that restores the facility to its rightful stakeholders.