The Arab Agenda

Chapter 12

One thing led to another and on February the 17th the main opposition party in the Council of Representatives

(Al Wefaq), which controls 18 of 40 seats, suspended their participation in objection to the government's actions of February 17th.

Furthermore, Al Wefaq backed the allegations and insisted on the return of protesters to the GCC roundabout, ignoring the evidence provided by the Ministry of Interior, including the fact that there were clashes between some of them with security forces and evidence of weapons found. This step taken by Al Wefaq escalated the situation in Bahrain from dispersing an illegal protest to creating a political crisis.

On February 18th in a step to ease the tension in the street the Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa agreed to pull back the Army and allow the protesters to return to the GCC roundabout to host a peaceful protest under the auspices of Al Wefaq.

On that same day the government faced the unexpected split of the nation.

More than 100,000 citizens rallied on the main road next to Al Fateh Mosque chanting in anger at several news channels (including BBC and Aljazeera) for their fabrications distorting the real image of Bahrain. Furthermore, they were renewing their loyalty to the His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the Royal Family.

They were reconfirming their commitment toward the National Charter they signed 10 years earlier and refusing to allow all their hard work to be lost for the sake of some political societies looking for self-centered gains.

That night the Crown Prince appeared on Bahrain's national television asking everyone to calm down, saying; "Today the street had divided."

He offered an unconditional, without preconditions dialogue with no limit to demands that could be considered. On the 19th of February 2011, despite the Crown Prince warnings that the nation was nearly divided, and despite from his calls to calm down and enter into an unconditional dialogue with no roof for demands, a formerly unknown organization called "Youth of February 14th" refused to dialogue and asked for the removal of the whole government with the ruling family.

Al Wefaq came up with numerous pre-conditions to be met before it agree to enter into dialogue, many of these demands was considered as a sectarian spark and in general provoked everyone. Their demands were as follow:

1. Dismissal of the government and the formation of a government elected by the people

2. Cancellation of the 2002 Constitution and all laws passed by decree

3. The formation of a national body of ten members elected by the people to form a new constitution abolishing all the powers of the king; legislative and regulatory power would be wielded by the elected council of Parliament.

4. The electoral law must be changed so that the people elect all members of Parliament with the Cabinet selected from 25% of the Parliament.

5. Abolition of all boards and councils immediately and assurance that all executive agencies are subject to the new government

6. Comprehensive reforms of the judiciary and the restructuring of the Supreme Judicial Council of judges and lawyers elected by the people

7. Abolition of the powers of all naturalized citizens to engage in the electoral process or to stand for election until a law regulating naturalization and nationality Bahrain is promulgated

8. Prevention of the army from participating in the electoral process

9. Public trials for all accused of corruption and sectarianism; re-open the Bandar file for prosecution; prevent any judicial and public prosecution powers from issuing any gag orders relating to any case concerned with public opinion