Corruption and Democracy in Bahrain – Sheikh Mohammed Ali Almahfoodh, Letter from Prison to President Barack Obama

Letter Three: Corruption and Democracy in Bahrain
14 May, 20120 Sheikh Mohammed Ali Almahfoodh – Chairman of Amal Society

Dear President Barack Obama,

This is my third letter to you from my cell in Jaw Central Prison of Bahrain. In today’s letter, I am going to elaborate on how Amal has been trying to call for key solution politically and economically since 2002 till February 14th 2012.

Mr. President, In 2003, Amal called for a national conference to study the inevitable immediate need for a consensus modern constitution. I had a vision that the National Charter will not serve the purpose of democracy. Since it was written by the Egyptian Ph.D. Ramzi AlShaer, which is not purely Bahraini flavor, who was kicked out for infamous reputation in his own country from one of the most famous universities; I had some points that were keys to a coming revolution. For example, the National charter declares the King as an untouchable absolute power; whenever you have absolute power in one person, democracy will be stamped on sooner or later. Besides, it lacked a bill of Rights that guarantee the civil right and liberties of the people. The conference concluded that a “modern consensus constitution is an immediate must to spread democracy in the country.” On the whole, the National Charter was a big bubble that turned the State of Bahrain into a State of One Family. I had a vision that if we have the majority of the ministers of one family, this means an inevitable conflict of powers in the same family. This is what we are living now in Bahrain. The ruling family is a conquering family with too many voices as decision makers. There is no authority and no say for any regime in Bahrain because there is a conflict in interests now.

Amal also held two big events about the problem of poverty which was covered by the American channel of CNN when they presented poverty in Bahrain under spotlight. In addition, we held a conference to discuss the problem of Housing; can you imagine that we have a housing crisis because our regime does not have any plans allow people own land properties. Three quarters if not more of Bahrain’s lands and sea areas are owned officially by the King and his family. Despite the King’s promise of “land property for each citizen”, people do not have houses to won, except when they die in their graves. It is all a matter of chaotic conflict over power and money boost in the family. The people of Bahrain are of no concern to this family. Throughout history, did you ever read about a King who is replacing his people with mercenaries and terrorists? People who are nationalized in Bahrain are from Pakistan, Yemen, Jordan, and recently Iraq all of which are centers for global terrorism. It is so ironic that the United States of America does not have any say about this solely because Bahrain is a strategic ally.

Mr. President, I am not only a passive critic who is never satisfied with the reform process in Bahrain. As a matter of fact, I personally have met with the King himself for many times. In one of the times, I proposed a project that was oriented towards democracy and Human Rights in the country. It was a national project that would have saved the country from a crisis that has become a polarized regional crisis with too many parties trying to benefit while our dear country is the only big loser.

I have been calling for a genuine transparent dialogue between the people of Bahrain and the ruling family for more than ten years, but no one even cared to listen. Some would say that we did not seize the opportunity of the parliament, but let me tell you that the system of Bahrain is only for décor no more. The parliament was worse than the three/five ration in the United States during Abraham Lincoln. In the elections, we had 1 Sunni voice equivalent to 32 Shiite voices; of course this is a distorted form of democracy. The two houses of the parliament, the Upper and Lower Houses are only places for business deals and social prestige. These houses did not serve the Bahraini people in the least aspect of life. Most of the sessions turn into Shiite-Sunni conflicts reflecting a group of people who do not have the least capabilities of taking part in any dialogue or discussion. Moreover, the two houses have no authority to declare any decree or law because any proposal should get the approval of the government and then that of the King himself. The regime lives in complex of décor achievements and policies. The Crown Prince fostered many remarkable research program that tackle sensitive problems such as poverty and education. However, nothing was translated in reality. Education is still a disaster and poverty is more than ever. This is the heart of the problem. All laws and reformist issues are only on paper but never in reality.

Mr. President, We are not driven by our desire for rule or money, but we are driven by our humane conscience and genuine intention for building Bahrain. We do bear a huge responsibility and we consider this a religious sacred mission. We are all colleagues in the struggle for a better future in the country of Bahrain.

In conclusions, I hope that we are on the right path to pave the way where we can usher the bright future for our children; a bright future that is full of love and peace; a future of prosperity and settlement; and above all, a future that is showered with democracy, dignity, freedom and equality. This is my big dream. My motto is “for God, for Justice, for freedom”.

Yours,
Sheikh Mohammed Ali Almahfoodh
Chairman of Amal Society
Jaw Central prison of Detention
5/13/2012