Manama: Bahrain’s Shura Council, the upper chamber of the bicameral parliament, has said that people who received “suspicious” training provided by embassies accredited in the kingdom should be barred from the next parliamentary elections, slated for 2018.
The council condemned foreign embassy contacts with some Bahraini citizens planning to run in parliamentary elections.
Some of the election contenders have been invited to attend training workshops abroad.
“This is blatant interference in Bahraini domestic affairs which aims to impact the election process,” the Shura Council statement read.
“Bahrain has numerous national training institutes and establishments that are widely recognised for their competence and professionalism,” the statement added.
On Tuesday, lawmakers called on the government to take action against foreign missions that offered training to potential candidates in the national elections.
The MPs said the offers were a blatant interference in Bahrain’s internal affairs.
On Monday, the cabinet said public employees must not accept any scholarship or training offer from foreign missions unless they have a formal approval from the competent authorities.
Prime Minister Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, chairing the weekly cabinet session, instructed all ministries and public agencies under the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) to comply with the decisions and criteria that regulate their relations with the embassies and foreign missions.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the only entity entitled to receive offers of scholarships, training workshops and field visits extended by embassies and foreign missions to public employees, NGO members and individuals, the cabinet said.
Missions accredited in Bahrain at times advertised scholarship or training offers in the media and invited interested people to submit applications.
CSB President Ahmad Al Zayed stressed the need for all public employees to comply with the instructions of the government.
“No government employee should deal directly with embassies or foreign missions in Bahrain and should go through the Civil Service Bureau that will take the matter up with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” he said in a statement. “Employees who fail to adhere to the instructions will face disciplinary measures that include dismissal from the job as is stated in the Civil Service Law.”
Under the new instructions, the CSB receives the approval of the foreign ministry, and contacts the ministries or the employee’s department regarding the offer extended by the embassy or foreign mission.
“The ministry or the department assesses whether the offer fulfils its criteria or needs for training and contacts the CSB with its approval or refusal. The CSB then conveys the decision to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which in turn informs the embassy or the foreign mission,” Al Zayed said.
