Manama: King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa highlighted national unity and reconciliation as the way forward for Bahrain.
“As we celebrate the Day of the Charter, it is necessary to emphasise the spirit of cohesion and reconciliation between all components of the Bahraini society,” King Hamad said in an address marking the endorsement of the National Action Charter, the document that heralded political and constitutional reforms, in a 2001 referendum.
“There is no doubt that everyone is looking to achieve this objective, and we are pleased to see today sincere and honest calls from those who are keen on the unification and cohesion of the community. We pray for the success of these efforts in order to overcome the phase experienced by our beloved country, and to start a new phase of hard and honest work for the benefit of the homeland and the citizens,” he said.
Bahrain has been rocked for the last 11 months by deep divisions a confidence crisis, mainly between the two major segments of the society.
However, calls for new confidence-building measures and talks to reconcile the divergent views have been made over the last two weeks and sparked hope in the country.
King Hamad said that Bahrain was committed to honour the pledges of the charter that “launched a development and modernisation process that is still moving forward to meet the aspirations” of the people in all areas.
“We remain committed to the reforms that we launched a decade ago with the consensus of all the sons and daughters of our loyal people through the unprecedented referendum on the National Action Charter, an auspicious occasion that we celebrate today. We emphasise the continuation of the reforms, development and modernisation drive of our beloved nation,” he said.
The forward-looking drive is based on broader popular participation through the parliament and its power to oversee the government, King Hamad said.
