Bahraini government subsidies discussed by MPs

A government-parliament meeting was held today at the Council of Representatives to discuss the mechanisms of redirecting the governmental subsidies.Speaker of the Council of Representatives Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Dhahrani chaired the meeting, in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa who represented the government's side.Shaikh Khalid affirmed that the government is keen on involving the Representatives Council to consult it on all matters, especially the ones concerning the Bahraini citizen and their gains, in line with the directives of the His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa who confirmed during his last visit to the parliament that the government appreciates the role of MPs in the national work march, as partners to the government in the decision-making and responsibility, being two parties that share the goal of serving the nation and its people.He said that the discussion of the principles of redirecting subsidies of the electricity and water sectors could be the common ground from which we start discussing related topics, especially that current support directed to these sectors does not differentiate between citizens and non-citizens, nor between the cost charged on electricity and water services offered to consumers.He pointed out that the general principle the government goes by in its work programme is benefiting the citizen, not vice versa, which means that any step taken by the government will not have a direct impact on the citizens.Al Dhahrani affirmed that what the government seeks to apply is a positive thing, but with the need to promote this step with studies that could be reassuring in this aspect, pointing out that dealing with re-directing government subsidies must be done according to a comprehensive vision, in order to ensure that the steps do not include any negative effects on citizens with limited income.Chairman of the Committee MP Abdelhalim Murad said that the government always emphasises that the citizens should not be harmed by redirecting the subsidies.Murad added : "This is a positive step from the government regarding the partnership between the two branches in the decision-making process, especially in relation to matters related to living standards and the interests of citizens , and the committee expressed its concerns from the rising prices issue and how it affects citizens, especially the ones with limited income , and it expects that the government understands these concerns and will provide studies and adequate guarantors to avoid confusing the living situation of the families regarding the provision of their basic needs of food, goods and services."MPs at the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee said they agree to redirect the subsidies system provided that the government provides guarantees that the citizens will not be negatively affected in terms of higher prices of goods and services resulting from it (redirection of subsidies).This is the second high-level meeting to be held by Speaker of the Council of Representatives in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister, with the participation of a number of Ministers and MPs at the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee, in line with HRH Premier's directives last December on forming a government team in order to communicate and coordinate with the Council of Representatives on redirecting of government subsidies.Minister of Finance Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Minister of State for Electricity and Water Affairs Dr. Abdul Hussain Bin Ali Mirza, Chairman of the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee at the Council of Representatives MP Abdul Haleem Murad, Deputy Chairman of the Financial Committee MP Mahmoud Al Mahmoud. Abdulhakim Al-Shammari, Mohammed Al-Emadi, Ali Al-Derazi and Hassan Bu Khammas attended the meeting.