Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): In Bahrain Mirror's "Two Decades in Darkness" series of articles, former MP Matar Matar mentioned something noteworthy: "What is the value of any constitutional document if the UAE is the one that controls the national airport, the US controls the fifth fleet, while Saudi Arabia supplies Bahrain with oil for refining and controls the arrival of more than 80% of Bahrain's visitors through the causeway? Saudi Arabia also controls Abu Safa oil field and grants scholarships."

The king who has been ruling the country for 21 years had to delete the news of his meeting with the PM of the Libyan Government of National Accord Fayez Al-Sarraj after donors in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia became upset.

Hours after the agency deleted the piece of news, Foreign Minister Khalid Al Khalifa broke his silence and wrote on his Twitter account justifying the event: "Premier Fayez Al-Sarraj is paying a special visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain and there was no agenda for any political topic. The Kingdom of Bahrain is committed to its firm position not to interfere in the affairs of brotherly and friendly countries."

What was the need for this justification, and to whom was the Minister justifying this? Is there anything left of the absurd claim of having national sovereignty when the king himself cannot even meet whoever he wants whenever he wants to.

What was the need for saying that no political issues were discussed? What should be discussed in  a meeting with the National Security Advisor Taj Eddin Al-Razaki and Libya's Ambassador to Bahrain Fawzi Abdula? Meanwhile, the news reported by the Government of National Accord in Libya made it clear that the meeting tackled political issues related to Libyan affairs.

This incident simply reveals how King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has nothing left as a monarch but his palaces, pilots and soldiers deployed with their weapons to use for repression. The king is null to those outside the island kingdom, not worth anything. He can neither meet with whomever he wants, nor decide to change a single letter of the policy imposed by Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Questioning the independence of the official decision making process of the ruling family and its institutions is no longer considered an act of vexing, but is rather a real question to ask, since Saudi and Emirati forces entered Bahrain in 2011 to suppress the popular pro-democratic movement, especially since both countries have been granting Bahrain large financial assistance since then. The country has become now under guardianship, while the ambassadors of the UAE and Saudi Arabia are acting like high commissioners , not ambassadors.

We have the right to ask those who falsely raised the slogan of protecting Bahrain's Arabism and independence in the face of the pro-democratic popular movement: What is left of this king's power? And what is left of this country's sovereignty? 

Arabic Version