Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): On November 18, 2022, the Bahraini Prime Minister, the Crown Prince, was absent from the opening of the Manama Dialogue Conference, and instead attended a horse race and he was seen holding a staff in his hand, while the majority of the country's ministers were also attending and seated behind him. Two British ambassadors, the current ambassador and former ambassador Iain Lindsay, who became an employee of the Government of Bahrain at Mumtalakat, were also there attending the tournament. 

Among the large number of ministers lined up behind the premier and the Sheikhs of the family, it was strange to see the Minister of Justice, Chairman of the Supreme Election Committee, Nawaf Al-Maawda, sitting in the back and interacting with the race, since his presence in the racing event was only hours before the start of the second round of the elections that he is supposed to be managing.

The scene of the equestrian club sums it all up; the majority of government officials do not work. Ministers, CEOs and senior state officials are found wherever the prime minister is, following his trail, whether it be a trip to the Formula 1 Circuit, the Al Dana Amphitheatre, or the Equestrian Club.

It was a stage full of men and women, wearing high-end fragrances whose scent can be smelt through the screen, flaunting their luxury watches, lustrous earrings, lush outfits and bright colors, and contrived foolish smiles hoping to curry favor with the young prime minister. 

Even the presence of Justice Minister, who was supposed to be overseeing the elections, was telling of the truth; that none of those ministers have any use, for those who actually run the elections are hidden and scheming behind the scenes, from the Minister of Interior, the heads of the security services, to the Minister of Follow-up in the Royal Court Ahmed Attiyatollah Al Khalifa among others. 

The scene of the staff in the hand of the prime minister says everything. There are no elections, no dialogue conference, and nothing at all. This staff is what gets everything done in this country. It is the law and it implements it, and it is the one upon which the country's leaders rely in supporting their steps.

The statement issued by the Prime Minister, who said that Bahrain has become a leading destination for organizing sports events, at the end of the race was strange. It was a shocking statement that indicates a complete estrangement from reality. 

Bahrain does not really have the infrastructure to be a leading destination for sporting events. A few kilometers from the country's border, neighboring Qatar is hosting the world's most important sporting event, the World Cup, while no one in the world is aware of the horse racing taking place in Bahrain but the Sheikhs of the ruling family and their loyal employees sitting behind the prime minister.

The Equestrian Club scene was a complete disconnect from the gulf kingdom's reality and its people, and from a simple truth: the World Cup is being held in Qatar not Bahrain.

Arabic Version