The Minister of Interior Lt-General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa received representatives of the Bahrain Federation of Expatriate Associations, including its President John Hughes and General Secretary Betsy Mathieson.
The federation president appreciated the Ministry’s efforts to maintain security and stability in Bahrain.
He said that such efforts reinforced the feeling of safety among foreign communities in Bahrain whose members were working in various fields. The federation general secretary affirmed the expatriates’ support for Bahrain’s security services who, she said, strived to maintain the Kingdom’s safety and security for all its residents in extremely dangerous and challenging circumstances.
“We applaud their courage, restraint and professionalism when carrying out their duties,” she said.
The Minister in a speech welcomed the representatives and expressed Bahrain’s gratitude to its foreign communities and their contribution in the development process.
The Minister said that so many cultures have lived side-by-side, and in harmony, for generations on these islands. “We have welcomed people from around the Gulf; we have welcomed people from South Asia, and people from Europe and America.”
Following is the statement issued by the Minister:
“When Great Britain signed its first Maritime Treaty in the Gulf, almost 200 years ago, it was to protect the trading route between the Gulf and India Bahrain was at the centre of this trade.
It has been home to expatriates, from East and West, for hundreds of years. I am very pleased to see the formation of your group.
“Your communities are a true asset to Bahrain. Seeing all of your different cultures in Bahrain enriches us. All of us living together make our society a much better place And I recognise – and I thank you – for your important contribution in helping Bahrain to achieve its national goals. As Minister of Interior, I am here for everyone whether you represent 1% of Bahrain, or 51%, it is my duty to serve you all. Even my team of senior advisers includes some people from some of the countries that you come from So I am well aware of the difficulties being faced by expatriates at this time. These difficulties are being faced by everyone: Bahrainis and non-Bahrainis. The kind of violence that we see knows no creed or colour Ladies and Gentlemen, you live in Bahrain, not outside. You are aware that the situation is not as simple; it is not as black and white.
“Some of our friends in the United States and Western Europe used to think that it was. Even they have now come to realise that it is not. We wish it was a simple case of one voice against the government.
“But – it is not During the height of the unrest, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince offered sincere talks, and he appealed to everyone The government even went as far as meeting some of the conditions that some people had made, which included pardoning 308 prisoners But – people who said that they were the opposition kept changing their demands. Even now, we continue to face different groups and different voices and different objectives. We also wish it was a situation where only Bahrain is involved. But – it is not I saw one press article from abroad that said that the report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry did not find interference by Iran. But that is not what the Commission said in its report The Commission’s report notes that the government has information of foreign involvement, but this could not be made public for reasons of national security. Sadly, we are not dealing only with Iran. We are dealing with a number of sources of interference. And, sadly, this continues. We also wish it was a situation where people in responsibility – acting in the name of religion – were not saying things that lead to hatred and violence. But – it is not having said that, the good news is that we managed to contain the situation of last year the challenges were not easy to overcome. But we give credit to our strong and wise leadership under His Majesty the King. And it is the same leadership that recognised that any mistakes that may have been made should be identified and corrected. So we had the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry. And we are now ensuring that all of its recommendations are implemented.
“We respect and maintain the values of democracy. You are correct to say that rights come with responsibilities. And everyone’s human rights are relevant. Your rights as expatriates are just as important. Listening to some of the things that you have said today, I hope that your voices cross our borders. What you have said today needs to reach some of those who do not live here, and who do not realise the situation that we are all facing From my point of view, the right to personal security and safety is one of the most fundamental I don’t need to tell you that we all seek security; we all seek peace and we all seek the ability to get on with our lives, and to build a better society and world for our children You don’t need to be in the majority or minority to want this You don’t need to be a local or an expatriate to want this
“I assure you that this Ministry is doing everything that it can to maintain law and order – and it will continue to work night and day to do so You will read in the coming weeks and months about the results of our efforts to make Bahrain a better place This includes things like increasing the training of our police, and ensuring the independent resolution of police complaints, and relying on more science-based evidence in the trials of accused These reforms will also benefit expatriates I thank you once again for taking the time to come and see me And for the very important contribution that you continue to make to Bahrain The meeting was attended by Undersecretary of Interior Minister, Major-General Khalid Salem Al Absi, Chief of Public Security, Major-General Tariq Al Hassan, General Director Capital Governorate of Capital Governorate Police and Director of Police Media.