Gulf | Bahrain
Bahrain government clashes with parliament
Bahrain's government and parliament are on a collision course over a decision by MPs to condemn the municipality affairs and agriculture minister for financial and administrative irregularities.
- By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
- Published: 20:37 May 19, 2008
Manama: Bahrain's government and parliament are on a collision course over a decision by MPs to condemn the municipality affairs and agriculture minister for financial and administrative irregularities.
Last week, 17 out of 19 MPs, taking advantage of an angry walkout by Al Wefaq, reversed a decision by a parliamentary committee to clear Mansour Bin Rajab of abuse of power and said that he should be removed from the government.
The government on Sunday said while it was keen on the parliament's right to question the minister, the decision by MPs to vote against Bin Rajab was a violation of parliamentary bylaws, and pledged to send a detailed reply to the lower house explaining its stance.
The government's move was immediately rejected by Islamic Menbar, the Muslim Brotherhood society behind the move to quiz the minister for his alleged abuse of authority.
"It is normal for the government to show solidarity with its minister, but the measures taken by the MPs are all correct and in line with the constitution and the bylaws of the Council of Representatives," the society said in a press statement. "The government should not interfere in the work of the lower house. The decision to condemn Bin Rajab was made inside the Council and supported by the majority. The significance of the lower house should not be disregarded," Al Menbar said.
Rejection
Eisa Abul Fath, MP for Al Asala, the salafi society that also condemned Bin Rajab, said that the government had no right to interfere in matters decided by the Council of Representatives.
"The government's rejection of the decision is a blatant violation of the principle of separation between the three branches, and we reiterate that the Council of Representatives is the only institution to change its own decisions," he said.
However, Latifa Al Gaood, an MP for the Independent Bloc, warned that the issue should be settled amicably and should not be used to make political gains.
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