MANAMA, 22 July 2005 — Six political societies in Bahrain suspended their operations Wednesday for three days and some of them weighed the possibility of permanent closure to protest the approval of a controversial law by the Parliament that they say would curb their activities.
The societies, all from the opposition block, expressed unease over the proposed law, which still needs to be approved by King Hamad to go into effect.
The law places the political societies under the authority of the Ministry of Justice, gives the government greater powers to monitor their financial resources and bars the societies from receiving financial assistance from abroad.
The voluntary closure of the six societies — Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, National Democratic Action Society (NDAS), Islamic Action Society (IAS), Al-Wasat - Islamic Arab Democratic Society, Progressive Democratic Forum Society (PDFS), and Pan-Arab Democratic Society — remains symbolic, but the threat by some of them to permanently close down is said to have been the result of the hard-line stance taken by the Parliament.
The two larger societies in the group, Al-Wefaq, which claims to have close to 70, 000 members, and the NDAS, still remain undecided about whether to dissolve themselves or remain in operations.
Some politicians and businessmen welcomed the law that they described as necessary to fill the legal vacuum, which they attribute to the growing political tension in the country.
One businessman, who wished not to be named, said that the increased political tension over constitutional and political issues is sending a message to the outside world that Bahrain is not an ideal place for investment.
Politicians on the other hand blamed the opposition groups for the tension and defended the proposed law with the head of the Legal Affairs Committee in Shoura, Mohammed Al Halwaji, saying that all the views concerning the law were taken into consideration.
“If after implementing the law, there are some shortfalls then it can easily be amended or even replaced by a new one,” he was quoted as telling the Shoura Council on Wednesday.
His view was backed by comments made by Minister of Social Affairs Dr. Fatima Al Buloshi, who said that the new law was not restrictive adding that even in democracy there is no absolute freedom and a need for a framework to organize the operations of all parties exist.
Al Buloshi said that her ministry began preparing to transfer the files of the political societies to the Ministry of Justice, where they would fall under the umbrella of the Justice Ministry if the law is approved by the king.
