Bahrain - Expatriates will not have to obtain good conduct certificates in their own countries before coming to Bahrain for work, after the Shura Council vetoed the proposal yesterday.

It is the second time the chamber has rejected the idea, which has twice been approved by parliament.

That means it will be shelved unless the two chambers meet for a joint National Assembly session, something that hasn’t happened since the current legislative system started in 2002.

Shura Council first vice-chairman Jamal Fakhro said those behind the plan were reacting to a single incident, which was the grisly murder of a mosque imam by a Bangladeshi in August last year.

He argued that was a one-off incident that did not require a major policy shift.

“We have no expatriate organised crime in Bahrain,” he said.

“Expats are peaceful, respect the rule of law and come here to work in our country and to provide services.”

He said that requiring a good conduct certificate would create an unnecessary burden.

“We have to reduce procedures,” he said.

“This is unnecessary work. We are already investing in the security of the country and authorities are doing their best.

“Over the years the country has been in safe hands.

“Those with bad intentions will not be stopped by such a certificate.

“Some of those with criminal records come here to start a clean slate, while others with a clean record come here and commit crimes.”

The proposal had placed the burden of securing good conduct certificates on Bahrain’s foreign missions, which Shura Council member Mona Almoayyed said was impractical.

“Any company that is bidding for a tender worth millions and requires 1,000 employees gets work permits in three months, but it will have to wait up to two years to get such certificates from embassies,” she said.

“India has 1.2 billion people, so our embassy in New Delhi will dedicate its full work to checks and this is impractical.

“Crimes committed by expats in Bahrain are very few. They can be counted on our fingers, so a rule change is unnecessary and won’t achieve anything.”

Parliament previously approved the proposal even though its own committee, which was responsible for reviewing it, opposed it.

Those who have objected include Labour Market Regulatory Authority chief executive Ausamah Al Absi.

 

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