Friday, Oct 24, 2008
Gulf News
Manama: A parliamentary proposal to ban expatriates who earn less than 500 Bahraini dinars (Dh4,914) from applying for driving licences was yesterday rejected by the government on the grounds that it was discriminatory.
The proposal, tabled by lawmaker Abdul Rahman Bumajeed, had been touted as one that would remedy the problem of traffic congestion, a painful daily dilemma for motorists in Bahrain.
"Not all people need to drive cars, and the proposal to amend the traffic law in order to limit the number of motorists will help put fewer cars on the heavily congested roads," Rahman had suggested. "The expatriate communities represent almost half of the people in the Bahrain and limiting the number of drivers will certainly provide a good solution to the overwhelming traffic issue."
International pledges
However, the government on Thursday said that the proposal would restrict the rights of foreigners.
"The suggested ban violates people's rights by targeting their nationality and their income, and this is not acceptable," the government said. "Bahrain remains fully committed to its international pledges on civil and political rights as well as on the international labour C111 Discrimination [Employment and Occupation] Convention."
The government said the proposal was not supported by a reliable study that provided exact figures about the number of foreigners who drove cars in Bahrain and whose income was less than 500 dinars.
Bahrain had earlier turned down a proposal to increase the fees for issuing and renewing driving licences for expatriates on the grounds that it would violate its commitments to international treaties.
The now-dissolved Bahrain Centre for Human Rights has been particularly active in opposing calls made by lawmakers that would segregate between nationals and expatriates.
The group accused the lawmakers behind the calls against expatriates of taking advantage of their vulnerability and of being ungrateful for their tremendous services. Slightly more than 517,000 foreigners live in Bahrain, out of a total population 1,050,000.
Gulf News 2008. All rights reserved.
