Manama Old Souq cries for official attention

Manama

Traders in Manama Old Souq are a distressed lot as lack of visitors and business has left them high and dry even during Ramadan time. In a place where once the buzz of business activities was at its peak, now the looming silence reminds them of a graveyard.      

Abdul Karim Al Fulaij, the owner of the biggest garments store in Old Souq said every Ramadan they used to have many visitors but after the 2011 demonstrations there were very few customers.

He said that the Manama market had been the hub of the whole Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Bahrain was the main exporter of goods to Dubai, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other countries of Gulf and even to Iran. The traders of all these countries used to come to Bahrain for buying garments, clothes, shoes, fabrics and other commodities.

“Bahraini merchants were the pioneers in importing. They were the best in business and education,” said Fulaij.

Due to lack of investment by the Ministry and lethargy by the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), Old Souq has become a deserted place.

“LMRA is quite efficient in collecting money from the traders, but when they ask for interest free loans from Tamkeen, they find no positive response,” he complained.

Fulaij’s family had been in business for the last 78 years. “Had my grandfather been alive, he would have said that the business was better 78 years ago than today,” Fulaij commented.

According to him, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce has many advisors and consultants and they are paid millions of dinars from the public money. “Why don’t they come out with a viable solution for the problems of the traders of Manama Souq?”

Another trader from the Old Souq, Ali Majid told DT News that they were passing through very difficult situation.

He said that the cash flow in the market was very bad. “Before the sale was about 50,000 dinars and after the 2011 demonstrations it has dropped to 10,000 dinars.”

The traders also pointed out that there were no adequate parking lots and no public toilet in the whole area.