Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): Bahrain's Jidhafs popular market is an example of what is going on in Bahrain, where rash decisions are made and Bahrainis are eliminated from all equations. The market, which was established in 1984 and provides hundreds of jobs and livelihood for citizens, and is visited daily by more than five thousand visitors, according to statistics published in 2010, is collapsing under a fierce campaign launched by the Secretariat of the capital of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Urban Planning.

An incomprehensible campaign initiated by the Secretariat recently to remove all vendor spots, rather than to fulfill promises made by officials to develop the market. One day after the visit of the Director General of the Municipality of the capital Shawkiya Humaidan, the promises did not materialize, but rather the threats were implemented and the vendor stands were cleared under the pretext of Road Construction Law violations in the only market where Bahrainis constitute the majority of vendors.

This market provides dozens of villages in Bahrain with food products, fish, meat, vegetables and fruits of all kinds. It is one of the country's well-known sites and has been mentioned in many Gulf drama shows and art works.

Despite this; however, negligence was how the official state agencies treated the market, until they removed all the vendor spots. The irony is that these authorities did not make any move with regards to the dozens of vendor stands set up by Asian nationals on Sa`sa ibn Suhan street in the capital, Manama, where thousands of Asian nationals gather to buy and sell. Some parties even spotted some selling alcoholic drinks, although it is banned to sell them in residential areas. The municipalities are only carrying out nominal campaigns against these vendors, since they come back and set up their spots minutes after the municipal vehicles leave, which confirms that law enforcement only applies to Bahraini citizens.

This is not an issue related to only that street, as hundreds of thousands of them engage many other kinds of unauthorized work, including fixed vendor stands and spots set up along main roads, and carts they roll wherever they please without being held accountable. However, the Ministry of Municipalities is only provoked by citizens seeking to provide for their families'.

Discrimination between Markets

Not only do citizens complain about discrimination, but also markets in Bahrain suffer from it as well. The government has fulfilled its promises and is almost done with the development of the Muharraq market, which has cost 6 million dinars paid by one of the investors. Earlier this year, head of the South Governorate, Khalifa bin Ali Al Khalifa, opened the popular Basta market. This market has received direct attention from Prime Minister Khalifa Bin Salman, who was keen to have his grandson, head of the South Governorate, inaugurate a number of quick projects. A popular market in Hamad City will soon be established as well.

As for Jidhafs, who was visited by the PM who made promises to develop its market, as did the Minister of Municipalities, it has changed only to the worse. The market has been without public facilities and car parking lots, and also fans in a country where temperatures reach over 45 degrees Celsius.

Only as promises written on paper, the Municipality of the Northern Governorate signed an agreement in May 2010 to develop and build the Jidhafs Central Market with two companies, Al-Daeisi and Al-Zeera at a cost of up to 10 million Dinars. During the signing ceremony, it was stated that the first phase of the development of the market will start at the beginning of 2011, by constructing a commercial compound that consists of 10 floors, on the ground floor of which was to be the market, and the next three floors would be dedicated to the establishment of parking spaces, while the remaining six floors would contain administrative offices. Who has seen any of that happen?

Discrimination between Vendors

One of the affected vendors complained to the municipal officials, telling them to treat them like Flamerzri. Nasser bin Hamad, the Bahrain King's son, visited Bahraini citizen Mohammed Flamerzri, who was working as a vendor on a main road in Hamad City with his brother, who provided for themselves by selling fish. When the municipalities decided to remove his vendor stand, the King's son stressed that he will support Flamerzi and promised that the markets would always be his customer. The King's son also promised him a new fishing boat, which was all fulfilled. The question posed by the Jidhafs market is: Why can't all citizens be equal before the law and with regards to the support offered by official bodies?!

Many questions were asked by vendors: Why aren't the vendors in Jidhafs backed by the government? Why are they rendered unemployed? Why do citizens see that the outcomes of seeking recourse from senior officials in the state vary from one region to another and from one citizen to another? Why isn't the law enforced on everyone? Why does the implementation of projects and promises made by officials vary from one area to another? Why do the calls of the Jidhafs vendors fall on deaf ears?

Stark questions to which many Bahrainis know the painful answers. The case of the Jidhafs market is among the issues that reveal a side of the government's absurdities, one that the capital doesn't have governorates and is without a municipal council, after the municipal council was abolished and replaced by a public secretariat appointed by a government that does not care for the impoverished.

Arabic Version