Al Wefaq blasted for 'flimsy' excuses

Manama: Al Wefaq, Bahrain's largest parliamentary bloc, has once more come under fire from Al Asala bloc for not endorsing a communiqué supporting Saudi Arabia in its action against "aggressors and intruders."

The lower house on Tuesday issued the communiqué during its weekly session, but Al Wefaq refused to approve it, saying that it did not want to get involved in the domestic affairs of other countries.

"It is a purely internal issue and our policy in Al Wefaq is not interfere or get involved in domestic issues," MP Khalil Al Marzooq said, explaining the position of the Shiite bloc against the communiqué supported by the Sunni MPs.

The stance drew immediate fire from lawmakers and columnists who insisted on the significance for Bahrain of supporting the Saudis in the defence of their country.

Al Wefaq, which has 17 of the 40 seats in the lower house, later said that it fully appreciated the security bonds between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

"There is no division within the parliament. We do believe that the security of Saudi Arabia is that of Bahrain. We reject any violence or extremism that threatens the security and stability of Arab countries and nobody can outbid Al Wefaq on such matters," Mohammad Al Mezel, an MP representing the bloc, said. "The problem is that Al Wefaq lawmakers had not been consulted about the communiqué. It was approved by the other MPs secretly and they did not inform us about it. The attacks on Al Wefaq are obviously an attempt to mislead people and serve as an election propaganda building on sectarian agendas," he said.

However, Al Asala on Sunday said that the criticism of Al Wefaq was generated by the "shock from not supporting the Saudis as they defended their lands."

"It is obvious that Al Wefaq is deeply embarrassed before the public opinion. They started by saying that they did not want to interfere in domestic issues, then they claimed that the communiqué was a secret affair and that the MPs had excluded Al Wefaq," MP Abdul Halim Murad said. "As for the non-interference in the affairs of foreign countries, Al Wefaq had earlier supported a communiqué calling for not attacking Iran and a communiqué in favour of Sudan. Why didn't they this time support Saudi Arabia?"

Al Asala, the Salafi group in Bahrain, insisted that Al Wefaq MPs were aware of the communiqué before it was issued. "They tried to stall it because they did not want to endorse it, but were afraid of people's reactions. But following the public embarrassment, they tried to blame the other MPs, and this is not fair," he said.

The Shura Council, the upper house of the bicameral parliament, on Monday issued a communiqué supporting the Saudis.