Bahrainis stressing popular home issues

Over the decades, the Bahrainis have shown an indisputable interest in foreign policy issues, especially regional politics.

Old Bahrainis still talk about the violent 1956 demonstrations protesting the tripartite attack on Egypt.

As recent as last April, their sons and daughters stunned the other Arabs who watched thousands of Bahraini protesters, angered by the perceived U.S. support for Israel's full-scale attack on the West Bank, attack, for the first time in a Gulf state, the American embassy with stones and fuel bombs.

However, to the surprise of many, and despite current developments unfolding around them, foreign policy issues are strikingly not an issue among candidates.

There are 184 candidates, including eight women, contesting the parliamentary elections, to be held on October 24. But only a few cared to tell voters what they think should happen outside the kingdom.

"Bahrainis, candidates and voters, do care about what has been happening, but everyone feels that the elections have finally given them the chance to tackle many of the internal issues," Anissa Fakhro, a candidate in the seventh district of the Muharraq Governorate said when asked by Gulf News at a campaign gathering on Saturday night.

Most of the candidates feel they should talk about 'popular' issues such as unemployment, social injustice and financial and administrative corruption, to attract voter attention, says commentator Faisal Al Sheikh, who writes on foreign affairs in the Arabic daily Al Ayyam.

"These are burning issues and on everyone's mind. Candidates just cannot afford to go around them," he told Gulf News.

Candidate Abdul Wahab Amin, of Muharraq's third district, meanwhile, thinks the election campaign has been hijacked by the local 'great debate' due to last February's constitutional changes, which led to a controversial decision by four political associations to boycott the elections.

The four associations, led by the main opposition group, the Islamic National Wefaq Society, announced early last month that they will sit out the elections to protest the legislative powers given by the new constitution to the appointed Shura Council.

Since then, explained Amin, the country has been divided into two camps: those who are participating in the process and those who are boycotting. "All other issues have been ignored."

Nevertheless, Anissa said, while Bahrainis expect their elected representatives to highlight Arab issues such as the plight of the Palestinian and Iraqi peoples, they think the government is handling these issues well.

Another candidate admits, however, that the government cannot do much. "Let's be realistic. We are a small country and there is a limit to what we can do," said Ahmed Sanad Al Binali also of Muharraq.