Issue 797, 19 January 2007

Salafists placated with prestige, Wefaq captures posts that count

Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society and its allies may have fallen short of the majority position they had hoped to secure in Bahrain’s 40-seat Majlis Al-Nawab (Chamber of Deputies), but they have emerged as clear winners in the tussle over leadership of parliament’s key committees, even if shrewd Sunni Islamist Al-Mawda will be prominent at Foreign Affairs (GSN 796/5, 795/1).

Wefaq parliamentary caucus deputy leader Khalil Marzooq was elected to chair the crucial Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee, while the Shia society’s independent reformist ally Dr Aziz Abul captured the Finance and Economic Affairs chair. Chairman of the Public Utilities and Environment Committee will be Al-Wefaq’s Jawad Fairooz, an experienced engineer who has also served as a municipal councillor.

The usually pro-government Sunni groups that dominated the last parliament – which was boycotted by Wefaq and its allies – have two senior posts. The mainstream Sunni Islamist Al-Menbar gets the Services chair, while Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security goes to the Salafi Al-Asala Society’s shrewd and subtle Sheikh Adel Al-Mawda, who was an influential deputy speaker in the last parliament.

Al-Mawda’s position will bring prestige and the odd headline, but he will have limited capacity to exercise real influence over a policy area that is jealously guarded by senior government figures. By contrast, Al-Wefaq and Abul could dominate two key policy areas where elected Majlis Al-Nawab members can hope to exercise real influence, through their powers of scrutiny and because the government will want to let parliament achieve some concrete results – which is necessary to give the opposition a strong incentive to continue operating within the constitutional structure established by King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa.The last parliament’s finest moment came when it forced government to admit to the extent of the Social Security Fund’s financial problems (GSN 727/7).

Progress on utilities and environment is a key priority for Al-Wefaq, many of whose voters live in neglected poor Shia communities. This chair could help Al-Wefaq in its efforts to persuade Shia voters that, despite the rejectionist Haq’s criticisms, the decision to abandon its parliamentary boycott has yielded practical benefits for ordinary Bahrainis.

The committee might also explore the potentially contentious issues of land ownership, the protection of coastal areas – most of which are closed to the public – and land reclamation for new projects. But committee chairman Fairooz will have to make fine judgements about how far he can move without provoking the outrage of Al-Khalifa family members who have extensive real estate interests.

The Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee is a useful prize because of its potential influence on the passage of draft legislation. Al-Wefaq general secretary Sheikh Ali Salman was tipped to stand for chair before deciding he would prefer to concentrate on the overall national political agenda.

This committee could prove a useful blocking weapon for Al-Wefaq, should the government seek to revive its modernising draft Personal Status Bill, which would enhance the independence of women and is favoured by feminist campaigners such as Ghada Jamsheer. The draft measure was fiercely opposed by Al-Wefaq in 2005 and later put on the back burner.