Bahrain Mirror: Former Secretary General of  Wa'ad, Ibrahim Sharif, commented on the Parliament-government agreement that took place yesterday, as the Parliament passed the VAT bill that raised it to 10%, as well as sensitive fundamental amendments to the retirement law.

He said the words of the martyr Ghassan Kanafani (They steal your bread, then give you a crumb of it... Then they demand you to thank them for their generosity... O their audacity)  summarize the case with the MPs. They take 100 and return 10, and you have to thank and applaud their generosity.

"It means that out of every 100 they take as an increase in VAT, they will return 10 of them to low-income people and keep 90. The deputies will record this as a victory."

He noted that the House of Representatives will pass the VAT increase in exchange for an increase in some allowances and support for low-income people.

"If the government wants something, the House of Representatives has to obey. There is no need to suppose we are partners in the legislation process, we did not agree to stop the annual bonus for retirees and raise the price of oil and impose 5% VAT, and now the proposal to raise it to 10%," he stressed.

Sharif said "We will be real partners when we change from being an audience into decision makers."

Arabic Version