What do I say?

You have once again screwed up yet another chance to bridge the gap and usher in a new tomorrow.

You have once again allienated your very own people.

You have once again failed their expectations and dashed their hopes.

You have once again wasted another opportunity to develop harmony amongst a nation torn apart by discrimination and prejudice.

You have also managed to make people poorer. I mean, the poor poorer.

You have not lived up to your promises: There are still more than 20,000 families on the waiting lists for new homes.

According to government statistics, there are 20,000 unemployed or unemployable people. Choose which ever adjective you want to describe them - but they are still your sons and daughters and everyone knows that idleness is the Devil's workshop.

You have failed to ensure a better quality of life for your people. Even your rating on the United Nations Human Development Index has slipped.

You have failed ridiculously to implement a minimum wage for workers, which is realistic and which gives people dignity and the motivation to go to work everyday. Can you tell me who can live on BD150 (about $400) in what is by definition an oil-rich country?

At the same time, you have also been successful in annoying the business community by shoving draconian rules down their throats; enforcing more holidays; not being sure about your future economic and labour reform policies and introducing Taleban-inspired laws which led to the closure of certain "vice-spots" during what was the busiest period of brisk business.

You have also managed to bring in new diseases, which have been eradicated before, like polio, for instance, thanks to a naturalisation policy which aims to attract the lowest of the scum to the country, instead of attracting value-added nationals.

The security situation is also pretty scary. I don't know what to say, but not a day goes without a story about a crime is reported in your newspapers. Weren't you once an oasis of peace? What happened to your legacy?

And this is not all. You add insult to injury by orchestrating a clash between police and the masses at your international airport, for all to see how much control you have on the security situation on the ground.

Bravo. This year, you did more damage to your reputation than ever before. You have failed to manage any issue and stop it from reaching boiling point and escalating to a riot or a demonstration. Your stupidity has continued to give your opponents brownie points on a silver platter. Your rigid and unrespectable police force has continued to bring disgust to people. How can people respect those men in uniform when they know that they need to be protected from those charged with upholding the law? How can your police force be composed of mercenaries, whose number one mission is to treat your own people with brutality and disrespect?

What we need is to develop some respect and tolerance. The 80-member bicameral consultancy houses should stand up and speak up. Or else.. all will be lost.. and we go back to square one.

Happy New Year Wonderland.

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**I didn't mean to linger on all the negatives. There were positives..which have sadly been overcast by so much darkness and bitterness, making it difficult for me to make out the difference between all the shades of grey.

3 comments:

BB said...

I always wonder why Bahrainis carry the heavy baggage of vicissitude from their homeland to whatever corner of the globe they end up in. Why is it we just can't let go?

Anyway, that was a poignant post. Well-expressed.

Marti said...

Making a list to thank everyone who commented on my blog in 2005 - you did - thank you! List to post later today. Best wishes for 2006!

SillyBahrainiGirl said...

Thanks for your warm greetings, Philip. And yes, we are in love with the Falls. That's where we will ring off the new year. See you there. Cheers!

Bahrania. My idol. So you have broken the silence. We can't let go because we are true to ourselves and our land. It is our country and it hurts us to see it in the shape it is in now.

Marti. Best wishes for 2006 and beyond. Thanks for dropping by. It was a pleasure ;)

Johnpod. Thanks for the mention. Thanks for stopping by to listen to the rants of a very silly girl from Bahrain. Best wishes for a great year ahead.

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