Gulf | Bahrain
Bahrain minister rejects racism charges
Bahrain's labour minister, under pressure to retract statements deemed racist, on Thursday rejected charges that his call to preserve the Gulf's identity and culture was chauvinistic.
- By Habib Toumi, Correspondent
- Published: 15:25 January 31, 2008
Manama: Bahrain's labour minister, under pressure to retract statements deemed racist, on Thursday rejected charges that his call to preserve the Gulf's identity and culture was chauvinistic.
"People at times tend to confuse between preserving cultural identity and racism. There is a clear cut between the two issues. Bahrain does not mind multiple and varied cultures, but they must not affect its identity in a negative way. We all learn from others, but we want to co-exist with them while we keep our distinct identity," Majeed Al Alawi said.
"There is a tense competition between urban development and the increase in the number of expatriates needed for projects on one side, and preserving national identities on the other. Some Gulf countries have been impacted by the culture of the expatriate communities, and we should hate to see that happen in Bahrain," he said in a statement.
Al Alawi last Sunday warned that the high number of expatriates, mainly Asians, in the Gulf following the boom in the construction sector was a bigger threat to the region than the fallout of an atomic bomb or an attack by Israel.
His warning prompted the government to ask for an official report from the labour and interior ministries on a vision to preserve Bahrain's national identity and culture in the face of the alleged threats.
However, it also sparked an outcry from human rights activist Nabeel Rajab who condemned Al Alawi's claim as "a racist and ungrateful attitude."
But for the minister, an opposition figure who joined the government in 2002, the prime concern is preserving the character of Bahraini culture and society.
"We cannot eliminate any outside influence particularly in the presence of a high number of foreigners here. But we can limit it so that our national identity is not lost," Al Alawi said.
More ministries, national institutions and civil societies will be involved in the drafting of the report to make it more comprehensive, the minister said.
Bahrain, the smallest of the six GCC countries, has a population of one million people, almost half of whom are foreigners.
Expat unions possible
A General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions (GFBTU) official yesterday warned that foreign labourers could form their own trade unions on national lines after the parliament and the government allowed the establishment of multiple unions.
"The decision to endorse multiple unions means that we could soon have an Indian trade union for Indian workers, a Bangladeshi trade union, a Filipino union and so on," GFBTU vice secretary-general Salman Jaafar said in a press statement. "The expatriate unions will, because of their high numbers, be very strong and will have highly distinctive powers, which will allow them to modify the structure of the population and eventually to shape or influence important decisions at high levels," he said.
News Editor's choice
-
UAE upholds values of free trade
Recently released statistics confirm an established fact, namely that of the UAE embracing the free trade principle in general and imports in particular
-
Parents should be more vigilant
Reader's picture highlights risk of negligence by caretakers
-
Children killed in Syria attack
World condemns latest Syrian horror as monitors find bodies of 32 children among 92 killed
