Manama: Bahrain’s parliament on Tuesday voted to revoke the membership of a lawmaker over what they called “misconduct”.
According to the vote count, 31 lawmakers wanted MP Osama Al Tamimi to leave the parliament while some members of the 40-seat Council of Representatives were not present at the weekly session.
The future of the MP at the Council was decided after 25 MPs — 15 more than is required by the statute — had signed a petition to the Speaker to have the lawmaker dismissed.
The petitioners complained “actions by the lawmaker constitute a breach of his membership duties and may result in the loss of trust in him.”
“The MP’s behaviour at the open sessions with his colleagues and the Speakership has been abnormal, which resulted in their disruption,” they said, calling for the application of Article 99 of the Constitution and articles 195, 196 and 204 of the Council of Representatives by laws.
The lawmakers referred to the drama last month when MP Al Tamimi “insulted the Speaker as well as his colleagues.”
“He had been given numerous chances to improve his status, but he has not done so and he is always shouting and screaming, which requires taking the appropriate action in respect of the legislative institution to which he belongs, but which he has not honoured,” the petitioners said.
The parliament’s legislative committee this week wanted to listen to Al Tamimi’s statements, but he did not show up, arguing that he was sick and needed to rest.
Al Tamimi, who won his seat in the by-elections in 2011, is the first lawmaker to be sacked since the revival of parliamentary elections in 2002.
He is no stranger to controversies. In November 2011, he became the first lawmaker to be suspended by the parliament after he verbally abused two MPs — Ghanim Al Buainain, a senior MP from the Al Asala, and Sawsan Taqawi, the head of the parliament’s foreign affairs, defence and national security committee.
In November 2012, he narrowly survived possible punitive action by his peers after he smuggled fuel into the parliament and torched the Israeli flag in parliament without warning anyone.
A majority of 21 votes was required to take the punitive action, but only 15 lawmakers supported the call against him while 10 abstained from voting.
Six lawmakers opposed transferring his case to the legislation committee to look into the controversial case. Eight lawmakers were not present at the weekly session.
The vote outcome was criticised by Speaker Khalifa Al Dhahrani who charged that the parliament was on its way towards allowing negative practices.
