Election 2006 Capital Governorate - Constituency 2

This constituency covers a considerable area of the Capital Governorate stretching from Central Market to the periphery of Awal Cinema, and covers the famous Manama Souq, which is set to receive a face-lift soon, the hugely popular Central Market and Ras Roman. The constituency will see a whopping 13 candidates including a woman in the race for the parliamentary seat, but the dice is heavily loaded in favour of Khalil Ibrahim Marzooq of Al Wefaq Society, says Bonny Mascarenhas. A triangular contest is on the cards for the Municipal Council seat, after two candidates dropped out of the race recently. Here again, Majid Milal of Al Wefaq Society seems to be miles ahead in the contest.Off the beaten trackThe Central Market of Manama is a major landmark of the Kingdom. It houses both the wholesale and retail markets catering to all sections of society. From just a fish market in the eighties, Central Market near the Pearl roundabout developed into a major shopping place and is now ‘The’ place for fish, meat, poultry, vegetables and fruits. Four massive sheds with several stalls inside were put up to house the commodities separately. Alas, the vendors now complain of poor maintenance with the sheds turning smelly and stuffy since the air-conditioners break down frequently. They are hoping that whoever wins the election from this constituency will take a hard look at their grievances and restore the market to its lost glory.The candidates speak...Our effort will be country-wide: MarzooqKhalil Ibrahim Marzooq comes across as a soft-spoken and mild-mannered person. But speak to him about issues and problems, and he gets into an animated discussion and can give you a run for your money on any topic. Holding a master’s degree, Marzooq is tipped to come out tops in the election for the Chamber of Deputies seat.Why did you decide to contest this time around?I am well educated and am in regular touch with the people. I was fortunate that the Al Wefaq Society nominated me and it is a challenge for me to do my best for the country. Last year the Al Wefaq had boycotted the parliamentary society so I had not participated. But I was active in the municipal campaign. What is your opinion on women candidates?I think gender should not be a hindrance for a person to contest in elections. Their qualifications, experience, leadership qualities and political background if any should be the criteria that should be looked at. I think women should definitely be part of the election process and in fact Al Wefaq is supporting Munira Fakhro in her campaign.I am also of the opinion that women should definitely vote. The constitution says that every citizen of a certain age is allowed to vote. Voting is not gender-based.What is your election manifesto?The Society has done a lot of research in the past years and feel that housing, road infrastructure and education are the main issues we should look into.How do you aim to work on these issues?First of all let me say that since I am affiliated to the society, whatever action I plan will have been well thought of by experts and they will advise us on what is the best way to approach or resolve the issue. Also as a group all our efforts will be country-wide and not just in my constituency, which is what happens with an independent candidate.Give us your take on the naturalisation issue.I and the Society are not against it, but we feel that only deserving candidates should get this. People with good qualifications, skills or others who will add to the progress of the country should certainly be made citizens but at the same time a certain percentage should be maintained like other countries.Currently people are being called and asked to become citizens, and this is not right, we should not do this. Citizenship should be earned and not given away like cheap throwaways.There are not enough houses and funds for the current Bahraini citizens, giving away citizenship to others will only be a burden on the country.I will carry on from where I left: MilalMajeed Milal is the sitting Municipal Councillor and is a popular candidate in the constituency. He expects to win this election in one round with at least 50% of the votes.Do you think you did a good job as a councillor?I think I completed a lot of what I had set out to do. We managed to get maintenance works done on 12 roads, and with the cooperation of the Ministry of Housing, completed three houses for the locals with another 10 awaiting completion. Additionally 14 bars were closed as these were situated in predominantly Muslim areas. Why did you decide to contest again?Well, there are still some incomplete projects and if elected, I will be able to carry on from where I left. For example, there is a plan for 1640 flats to be built in an empty plot of land. Along with the Municipality and Ministry of Housing, the project has been passed and only a few minor details need to be ironed out. I feel that if a new person comes in, he would have to learn the ropes all over and this could result in delays.What else will you do if elected?Follow up the completion of pavements for roads like the Manama Souq, Imam Ali Hussain road, etc, provide maintenance of public areas and much more. Al Wefaq has drawn up a blue print and we will try to follow this.Do you think it is an advantage to work under the umbrella of a society?Certainly. The member elected on a society’s platform is assured of the support of all the members from the society, while an independent does not enjoy such an advantage.What is your opinion on naturalisation?I think naturalisation should be carried out as per the laws of the land, and not as a favour to a person or persons who may in some way be advantageous to one’s purpose.Narrow roads and rising rentsLack of housing, rising rents and naturalisation are the main issues that the elected candidates will have to address. The constituency is dotted with narrow roads and the increasing number of buildings without adequate or no parking facilities on these streets cause a major problem for the residents. Additionally the high rents for these new flats puts a strain on their finances forcing them to scale down the social ladder a notch or move out. They also feel that naturalisation process was depriving them of their jobs with the newer citizens getting the cream of the jobs. Reports of the presence of about 800 naturalised citizens without CPRs has angered the residents who feel that this was an undemocratic practice. Voters have their sayAqeel Ali: The sitting councillor has improved our area and brought in streetlights where there were none. We know his work and I think he will have the majority of votes in this election too. Maybe he will improve the area further. My vote is for him. Yousuf Bu’allai: With the increase in population in the area, and subsequent increase in vehicles, there is a major problem with parking and people land up double parking causing inconvenience to all. In the more developed areas of the Kingdom, such acts would immediately attract a parking violation ticket, but in our area there is no such action.Jawad Al Salman: I hope the elected candidates will strive towards creating more jobs and housing units for the increasing number of families. In Manama Souq area, single flats are occupied by two families due to shortage of accommodation and also due to rising rents. Also adequate parking spaces should be provided by new buildings or commercial complexes that are being constructed.Sayed Ahmed Sayed Na’ma: Democracy is still in its infancy here. The elected members do not have any real power in their hands. Also when an independent is elected, he disappears and no one can ask him what he is doing. But if a candidate represents a society then at least we can approach them and air our grievances. They will ensure that the candidate will keep the promises that were made. Swing FactorAffiliation to political societies, good educational background and the absence of any anti-incumbency wave versus the rookies in the field. That seems to be the situation in this heavily one-sided electoral battle.Both Khalil Ibrahim Marzooq and Majid Milal, the Al Wefaq candidates for the Chamber of Deputies and Municipal Council seats respectively, are in a commanding position at this stage of electioneering. The equation is unlikely to change, and the dozen opponents in the battle for parliament seat are more likely to fall like the proverbial nine pins. Majid, locked in a triangular contest, is equally stong as he has a proven track record to back him as the ideal candidate. Pretty much a decided case. Straw PollCHAMBER OF DEPUTIESKhalil Ibrahim Marzooq - 75% Other candidates fail to make even a mention among the voters.MUNICIPAL COUNCILMajid Milal 75%Hussain Fardan 15%Ahmed Hassan Ibrahim 10% Fact fileChamber of Deputies - Isa bin RajabMunicipal Council - Majid MilalElectorate - 7200 (0ver 50% women)