The great leader of a great nation

TDT | Manama                                                               

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain is thriving, showcasing the nation's welfare and growth, largely due to the wise leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who consistently confirms the Kingdom's positions and policies on domestic and international issues and global challenges.

In line with His Majesty’s call to continue the united national march on the path of progress, stability and prosperity, the Kingdom has achieved spectacular successes both on the domestic and international fronts.

“Having realized many developmental achievements of which we are proud, we look to the future with great optimism, towards further strides forward in building the modern civilized state that keeps pace with the scientific and technical advancements which characterize global development,” His Majesty said during the opening of the present House of Representatives. Knowledge-based society has always been one of the top priorities of His Majesty.

“In light of our serious endeavors towards a modern, knowledge-based economy, we direct the government to undertake the development of a comprehensive national plan to ensure that we are fully prepared to meet the needs of the digital economy, by adopting and employing artificial intelligence technologies in the production and service sectors, through the establishment of the necessary systems and technical frameworks, as well as through encouraging quality investments, in order to guarantee the maximum benefit to our national economy,” His Majesty had highlighted at one of his speeches to the nation.

Under His Majesty’s great leadership, the Kingdom continues to pay close attention to the oil and gas sector and the government has directed the pace of development of oil and gas projects to be accelerated, with the launch of a series of major development projects, including the largest expansion of the Bapco refinery, the expansion of Banagas, the opening of the liquefied gas terminal, Alba’s Line 6 project, and the operation of the new pipeline with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The transportation sector has also witnessed huge growth with the implementation of a number of projects, including the expansion of Bahrain International Airport and the official start of executive studies for the construction of the King Hamad Bridge, all within the framework of strategic investments to support the national economy.

In light of the ongoing global efforts to find solutions that enhance the quality of human life and ensure the enjoyment of decent living, especially in the area of achieving food security, Bahrain is taking serious initiatives to adopt appropriate solutions to develop self-sufficiency.

To this end, His Majesty has issued directives to develop and implement a “strategic project for national food production”, to include the allocation of multiple sites for aquaculture and plant production. The project aims primarily to develop the capacity of national food industries, to increase the proportion of local production, and to preserve the expertise of the professionals who play such an important part in the success of these projects.

With regard to global issues, the Kingdom under the great leadership of His Majesty, shares the international community’s concerns about rapid climate change and follows its approaches to mitigate the effects on the environment.

“We hereby direct the continued development of our policies to combat this challenge, and to protect our country’s environment and climate through the intensification of projects by the competent authorities to improve climate conditions and cool the atmosphere, such as those involving waterfronts and areas of water, as well as the diversification and expansion of agricultural spaces,” His Majesty had said.

His Majesty’s leadership has also offered many advancements in the legal and justice segments, be its institutions, services or procedures. The Alternative Sentencing Law is a perfect example.

“We direct all relevant parties to extend full cooperation in applying its provisions that consolidate social stability and recognize the circumstances of those convicted by allowing them to resume their positive role in society. We extend our thanks here to the judiciary and its officials for their efforts to strengthen the pillars of justice and safeguard rights and freedoms,” His Majesty had directed.

His Majesty has always emphasised that prosperity and human security can be achieved only by continued economic growth, whether in the Middle East or in the world at large.

“One-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supply is launched from the waters of the Arabian Gulf, and any threat to the freedom of navigation is therefore considered a disruption to world trade, a disturbance to oil prices, and a challenge to the global order. Accordingly, the international community must come together to take firm steps to deter the aggressor, and oblige it to respect international maritime safety laws and treaties, in order to maintain international peace and security,” His Majesty said.

His Majesty has always praised the contributions of the defence personnel to the Kingdom’s national security. “Our defence and security forces are the stronghold of our blessed path of reform and national renewal.”

The King has been a pioneer in democratic reforms. His Majesty always appreciates the outstanding role of the Kingdom’s legislature in strengthening and reinforcing the nation’s deep traditions and in enhancing the national development, “the horizons of which are truly limitless”.

In the words of His Majesty, achieving national aspirations requires ever-greater coordination and cooperation between the authorities, with each authority fully and independently assuming its constitutionally-mandated responsibility.