The Cabinet has condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist practices undertaken by some saboteurs and denounced the attempts to escalate and instigate violence, noting that the use of force and firearms to attacks security forces is alien to the Bahraini society and represents a dangerous escalation.
The cabinet deplored the calls to cripple the economy in the kingdom and harm the citizens’ interests through street violence and targeting of policemen and stressed that the government will never tolerate any attempt to undermine security and drag the country into anarchy and chaos and will use constitutional and legal means to put an end to that, noting that national and moral responsibilities require all sides to condemn violence, subversion of public and private property, attacks against the security personnel and intimidation of the citizens and expatriates.
The council of ministers affirmed that the escalation of incitement speeches paved the way for the recent soaring of acts of violence and vandalism and provided cover for them, stressing that tricking children into dangerous incidents is a criminal act that contravenes with all religious precepts and values.
The cabinet pointed out that inciting and resorting to violence, on the one hand, and engagement in serious dialogue and keenness to achieve more consensual achievements through it, on the other, cannot be reconciled as violence and its effects cannot change the course or outcome of the talks, noting that commitment to serious and sincere dialogue is a shared responsibility between all the participants.
In this regard, the cabinet commended the loyal Bahraini citizens’ honourable patriotic stances through which they have foiled all attempts to terrorise society and undermine national security and stability and paid tribute to the security bodies for their tremendous efforts to maintain order, reinforce security and thwart all terrorist plots to destabilize the country, reiterating its support for the families of the martyrs of right and duty, in gratitude for their sacrifices in defending the homeland.
The stances were voiced following an update presented by the Interior Minister Lieutenant-General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa on the security situation in the kingdom and the efforts made the security personnel to foil them.
This came as His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa chaired at the Gudaibiya Palace on Sunday the regular weekly cabinet meeting.
HRH Premier instructed all ministries and state departments to follow up on the implementation of government projects and daily work of public facilities through field visits in order to make sure that they meet the pre-set goals and provide quality services for the citizens.
Then, the cabinet reviewed a memo presented by the Minister of State for Follow up Affairs on the progress of the implementation of the government work plan for the years 2011-2014, noting that 63% of the projects (629) featuring in the government’s work plan for the two fiscal years 2011 and 2012 have already been completed.
The reasons for the delay of the remaining projects were discussed and the memo was referred to the Ministerial Committee for Services and Infrastructure.
The cabinet expressed the government’s strong resolve to implement more housing projects across the kingdom in order to reduce the waiting lists and meet the citizens’ housing needs.
In this context, the Housing Minister presented a memo in which he said that a total of 6334 housing units were constructed in 2012, adding that 90 tenders, costing BD 164 million, were rewarded in 2012.
On agricultural development, the cabinet endorsed the farm incubators, to be supported by the Islamic Development Bank in terms through training and provision of glass houses, in line with the government’s desire to create new job opportunities for youth job seekers.
The cabinet also reviewed and referred to the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs a draft Headquarters Agreement to be signed between the GoB and the Executive Board of the Council of GCC Labour and Social Affairs Ministers and the by-law of the GCC Emergency Management Centre.
On culture, the cabinet discussed a number of proposals to boost tourism and preserve the Bahraini cultural heritage and national identity, including revamping coastal areas adjacent to heritage areas and protection of heritage and historical buildings.
During the same session, the cabinet approved four proposals submitted by the Representatives Council. They include granting incentives and care to sickle cell patients similar to those enjoyed by people with special needs, building a secondary school for boys in Arad next year, developing coastal areas in the Southern Governorate and provision of accommodation for Bahraini female students in Jordan.
The cabinet also took note of the Representatives and Shura Councils’ approval of Decree-Law (36) for 2011 concerning controls over salaries and benefits of public sector employees.