Rights panel snub claim rejected

CLAIMS that underprivileged Bahrainis were being turned away from the Human Rights and Social Development Ministry's headquarters in Manama were denied yesterday.

Minister Dr Fatima Al Balooshi dismissed the allegations as she appeared in parliament to answer questions from MPs.

She was responding to comments by MP Salman Al Shaikh, who criticised the ministry for renting plush office space at the Bahrain Financial Harbour (BFH), arguing the money it was costing should be spent elsewhere.

He said the ministry was paying BD500,000 a year in rent alone and claimed that poor Bahrainis were being turned away from the high-end office complex.

"It is haram (against Islam) to spend BD500,000 on a building when people are crying to get a loaf of bread on their tables," he said.

"The poor are being prevented from entering the offices because they don't wear fancy clothes and employees don't want to be bothered," Mr Al Shaikh said.

He also claimed that people were not being helped by the ministry's nine social centres because staff did not have the authority to make decisions.

"Originally they are being turned from centres because the authority to help them most of the time is not given by the minister," claimed Mr Al Shaikh.

However, Dr Al Balooshi denied his claims and said receptionists and security personnel at the BFH directed people to the proper office on the three floors the ministry occupies.

But she said there was no need to visit the ministry's headquarters anyway, since services were available through Bahrain's social centres.

"There is no one turned away or prohibited from visiting us because on the CPR cards, which are taken downstairs for security reasons, it doesn't say if people are rich or poor," said Dr Al Balooshi.

"No one needs to visit our headquarters and there are nine centres ready to offer the same services and soon we will have five new centres opened for the public."

She said the ministry had to be located somewhere after vacating its old premises that it shared with the Labour Ministry.

"It took us years to get our headquarters at the harbour after an ongoing lengthy process with those concerned in the government," said Dr Al Balooshi.

Choices

"Someone had to leave - either us or the Labour Ministry - from the previous shared headquarters in Zayed Town and because the previous labour minister, Dr Majeed Al Alawi, was there before me - we decided to look for somewhere else.

"We gave the government 15 choices and the BFH offered us the lowest rate - BD8 per square metre for an area of 4,300sqm - and the Finance Ministry opted to choose it considering that 150 car parking spaces were allocated to us in the deal.

"The National Audit Court didn't have any reservations on that choice, but if the choice was in my hands, I would have looked for a permanent headquarters."

She said the ministry was currently negotiating with Edamah - the government real estate authority - to either buy a building through instalments or acquire land on which to build a permanent headquarters.

"Of course, I don't want to spend on rent and I prefer to have my own permanent building," she said.

Meanwhile, Dr Al Balooshi said the BD1,000 gift from His Majesty King Hamad to mark the 10th anniversary of the National Action Charter had been distributed to all families that met the criteria.

She also revealed that 14,700 poor families and 7,000 disabled Bahrainis received financial aid directly into their bank accounts.


(2011-12-28/gulf-daily-news)