Government keen on cooperation with parliament

The Bahrain government was keen on meeting all the requests presented by the two chambers of the bicameral parliament,  stressed by Information and Parliament Minister Isa bin Abdulrahman Al Hammadi.

He said that the government was keen on responding to the requests presented by the Council of Representatives that has numerous constitutional prerogatives that enable it to carry out its mission smoothly.

The minister, during the weekly post-cabinet briefing with the media, stressed that the government’s keenness in this regard was based on the constitutional principle for the separation of the branches and the cooperation among them.

Al Hammadi added that when the government receives any formal request related to a proposal, bill or question to a minister or even questioning, it cooperates and responds to it.

He said that the government has not yet received any motion for questioning from the lawmakers.

Al Hammadi said that the government action plan was clear regarding the fiscal policy it would pursue, particularly the revenues and expenses. The programme spelled out the actions to be taken by the government during the implementation phase, he added.

“In the past, there were a series of decisions with respect to an increase in revenues and a reduction of expenses,” he said. “The government started with itself and merged several authorities and departments. The directive from the cabinet today was clear regarding the reduction of expenses for officials. This is an additional initiative to further reduce and rationalize government spending in all respects. On the subject of cost cutting, the government has applied the initiative on itself through a number of decisions and programs related to the integration of some authorities and government agencies. We pointed to the decision as a first step that will be followed by other moves and measures in this regard. As for the task forces set up to study certain aspects of expenditures and which submitted its recommendations to cut 30% of the expenses, each recommendation was carefully assessed and passed through ministerial committees in preparation for its implementation."

In comments on the bilateral, regional and international relations after the Iranian nuclear deal, Al Hammadi said the ties that bind Bahrain with the United States was what really mattered.

“These relations are strategic and deep-rooted, extending for many years. They are still standing and there is more joint action not only involving the Kingdom of Bahrain, but also the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The relations are being developed in various fields,” he said.

“As we have announced previously, we are with the nuclear agreement if it will lead to the consolidation of security and stability in the Arabian Gulf region. We were not party to the agreement, but it carries a clause that obliges Iran to refrain from the use of nuclear energy for non-peaceful purposes. This is a good thing that is supported by all parties and countries. We hope that this agreement contributes to ending the direct and indirect Iranian interference in the region. In such cases, it will be welcomed by the countries in the region, particularly Bahrain since it has long suffered from such interference and taken measures to deal with it as required."

In comments on the Bahrain International Airshow (BIAS) to be hosted by the Kingdom on January 21-23, the minister said that "it has witnessed in recent years a remarkable development and succeeded in attracting major airlines.”

“The high-profile show now sustains itself financially, as announced by the Minister of Transportation, who said that about 80% of the cost was covered by sponsors and participating companies. The number of participating companies and delegations has increased and the volume of the deals achieved during the show is also increasing steadily,” he said.