Manama: The chairman of the parliament's defence committee has rejected a call by activists to reduce military spending to boost financial allocations for other services.
MP Adel Al Mouawda, a Salafi leader who was twice elected to the lower house, warned that a weakened army would result in disaster for the country and the people.
"Armies are one of the most crucial components of the state. History tells us that Baghdad for instance became dangerously vulnerable after 90% of its army was disbanded in order to save money.
"The result was that the savage and merciless Hulago Khan [the Mongol Emperor] destroyed it. When the new Hulago, former Iraq occupation governor L. Paul Bremer, disbanded the army, the country descended into a horrible bloodbath and there was terrible destruction," he said at his Friday sermon.
According to Al Mouawda, Bahrain has the minimum requirements for a modern army, saying its limited budget may not be enough to face "ominously escalating regional and international situations."
Quoting a recent study by the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Al Mouawda said Bahrain has, since the 1980s, spent 4 to 5 per cent of its GDP on defense.
"Bahrain's defence budget was 4.9 per cent in 2003. It has now fallen to 3.5%. I do not think it is too much for a country to defend itself and conduct operations to secure its shores and protect its people.
"An average Bahraini who earns BD500 a month, spends 10% of his salary on domestic help, so why should we believe that the state should not spend 3.5% of its budget on security and stability?" Al Mouawda said.
Saving money can be achieved by fighting corruption and financial mismanagement, he said.
The Bahrain Defence Force consists of army, navy, and air defense units.
I do not think it is too much for a country to defend itself and conduct operations to ... protect its people."
