Bahrain - A proposal urging the government to intensify awareness campaigns about electronic fraud through TV programmes, social media and other communication platforms was unanimously approved by MPs yesterday.

Submitted by five MPs, led by foreign affairs, defence and national security committee vice-chairman Hassan Ibrahim, it aims to protect citizens and residents from financial fraud and cybercrime by strengthening public education and enhancing banking security measures.

Interior Minister General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa has acknowledged the importance of the proposal and outlined ongoing efforts to combat online fraud through the General Directorate of Anti-Corruption, Economic and Electronic Security.

“Officers regularly participate in radio and TV programmes in collaboration with the Information Affairs Ministry to deliver fraud prevention messages,” said the minister.

“Multiple awareness lectures are conducted on the types of electronic economic crimes, fraud methods and best practices to avoid getting scammed.

“Ministry representatives actively participate in co-ordinated meetings with key stakeholders, including the Consumer Protection Directorate at the Industry and Commerce Ministry, commercial banks, financial institutions, audit firms and exchange companies.”

Gen Shaikh Rashid revealed that a co-ordinating committee has been formed with the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) and the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) to develop joint solutions for tackling financial theft through cyber fraud, with a strong focus on public awareness.

Separately, MPs also unanimously approved a proposal to abolish the parallel Bahrainisation system that allows employers to bypass the required national employment quotas by paying an additional fee for expat work permits.

Five MPs, led by public utilities and environment affairs committee vice-chairman Bader Al Tamimi, argue that the system complicates the goal of increasing employment opportunities for Bahrainis.

Labour Market Regulatory Authority chief executive Nibras Talib argued that abolishing the system would weaken one of the key incentives for hiring Bahrainis.

He also warned of potential negative repercussions on national employment rates and compliance with Bahrainisation quotas.

Meanwhile, MPs also unanimously approved the following proposals and referred them to the Cabinet for review:

l Establishing a specialised hospital for cancer care and tumour treatment in the Southern Governorate. (Health Minister Dr Jalila Al Sayyed said the National Tumours Centre at the King Hamad University Hospital already provides such services to everyone in the country.)

l Allocating plots for charity society headquarters across the country. (Social Development Minister Osama Al Alawi said there were 93 charity societies with their permanent headquarters in the country – 43 in the Northern Governorate, 34 in Capital, 11 in Muharraq and five in Southern.)

l A proposal to not consider a wife’s ownership of a plot or property through inheritance whenever assessing eligibility for housing services. (Housing and Urban Planning Minister Amna Al Romaihi said all criteria were under review. She added that this requirement has been cancelled, but MPs stressed it was not backdated.)

l A proposal to tighten oversight of violations by motorbike delivery drivers and enforce health standards for food delivery boxes.

Legal Affairs Minister and acting Labour Minister Yousif Khalaf was present in Parliament during its weekly session yesterday to answer a question by Jalal Kadhem Al Mahfoodh on the number of Bahraini job-seekers registered with the ministry from December 2022 till date.

“A total of 16,978 Bahraini job-seekers were registered in 2023 including 269 with disabilities,” said the minister.

“This compares to 14,032 job-seekers in 2022 out of whom 255 had disabilities.

“The majority of the job-seekers were females and university graduates,” said Mr Khalaf.

He added that 29,533 Bahrainis were found jobs in 2023 compared to 29,995 in 2022.

Youth Affairs Minister Rawan Tawfiqi was also present to answer questions on youth empowerment programmes and centres.

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