The Spokesperson of the Dialogue, Isa AbdulRahman, said that the session started with the National Democratic Opposition Societies inquiring about a paper the Coalition of the National and Political Societies had agreed to present on equal representation for the participants in the dialogue.
He said the Coalition stated that the paper presented by the National Democratic Opposition Societies was being reviewed and included its proposal for equal representation on the Dialogue table.
It also affirmed the Coalition’s stance that the current representation reflected the political reality.
AbdulRahman said the participants then discussed the Principles and Values and expressed their views about the proposal of the National Democratic Opposition Societies to add the following points:
Governance of the people
The Authority should accept responsibility
Subordination of the authority to the socio-political contract
Commitment of the Authority to social responsibility, especially towards the poor and those with limited income
The democratic system based on the rule of law
Political participation of citizens by choice and free will in the collective political decision-making
Political pluralism that guarantees that the authorities and organisations of the State respect the people’s will
Good governance
Following the best international practices while holding free and fair election
The right to get justice, a trustworthy judiciary with various guarantees and total independence of the judicial system
AbdulRahman said the Coalition of National and Political Societies were of the opinion that the points presented by the National Democratic Opposition Societies were being repeated since they had already been discussed at previous sessions and were part of the 17-point principles:
– Reference to the National Action Charter and respect for the Constitution
– Political reforms through constitutional means
– Adherence to the civil state (the state of institutions and laws)
– Respect for all religions and sects
– Protection of citizens’ rights based on citizenship in rights and duties
– Respect for all segments of society
– Fighting violence, hatred and sectarian culture
– Rejection of any foreign interference in national issues
– Rejection of quotas based on sect, gender, race, language, religion or faith
– Respect for the rule of law
– Respect for acknowledged human rights principles
– The ruling system in the Kingdom of Bahrain is democratic, in which the power is for the people who are the source of all authority
– Justice is the basis of rule and guarantees rights and freedoms
– Support for the rights of Bahraini women in all fields
– Social justice
– Accountability
– Need to respect and implement the recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry and the statutes of the Human Rights Council in Geneva that Bahrain has ratified.
The Spokesperson said the government and the Coalition of National and Political Societies had agreed that the principles and values discussed previously accepted the existing political system and their importance for steps towards development. He said they had been approved as titles for the agenda of the Dialogue.
He also said that the Independents of the Legislative Authority had added a point about the political societies carrying on their work in accordance with the rule of law. He said that at the session the Government suggested the formation of a working group to discuss the ten points presented by the National Democratic Opposition Societies, in addition to the point presented by the Independents of the Legislative Authority and to hold sessions of discussion between the participating groups to discuss pushing the Dialogue to the stage of discussion of the agenda.
He said that, at the end of the session, it was agreed to form a working group to discuss the 11 points and for the representatives of the National Democratic Opposition Societies to review the proposal of the discussion sessions with their societies.
The working group will hold its meeting on September 4 and will have the following representatives:
The government:
Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments
Minister of Education
The National Democratic Opposition Societies:
Abdulnabi Salman
Hadi Al Musawi
The Coalition of the National and Political Societies:
Khalid Al Qatan
Ahmed Sanad Al Binali
Independents of the Legislative Authority:
Dalal Jassim Al Zayed
Sawsan Haji Taqawi
AbdulRahman concluded by stating that the National Democratic Opposition Societies presented a proposal to create a better atmosphere for the Dialogue in the coming sessions.