This is a follow up from my last article on this subject, but first thing’s first, belated Ramadan Kareem!

Personally, I enter this Holy Month full of hope and optimism about the future of Bahrain.  The National Dialogue has recently been concluded (though not without controversy) and it seems to me the government is very serious in implementing the Dialogue’s recommendations.

Also, the hatred in the newspapers seems to be easing off – but is by not means over.  We are ever so slowly heading in the right direction.

Another thing that really inspired me and gave me hope about the future of Bahrain was a tweet by Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa, our fantastic Foreign Minister.  He congratulated controversial Human Rights Activist Nabeel Rajab for making it on some sort of Influential Twitter user list (I forget which publication).  I thought it was very admirable of the Shaikh, considering the animosity Mr. Rajab seems to have towards the government.  But I also liked Nabeel’s positive reply, in which he showed no animosity towards the Shaikh. Positive signs indeed!

But for me the best news to come out of the recent crisis was the formation of an independent Human Rights Commission.  I cannot commend and thank His Majesty enough for this bold step. To me it proves what I’ve been saying throughout this crisis; that King Hamad cares about his people, and never, ever wanted this crisis to escalate the way it did.  I cannot wait to read their report!

So, today I wanted to share some more suggestions and random thoughts for the next reform stage that our beloved Kingdom will embark upon.

A Truth and Reconciliation Commission:

I know I know this is probably the 100th time I mention this.  But I honestly think that having such an event/process will help immeasurably in healing this country.

I think everything should be discussed openly and honestly; all the files should be opened as it were.  The people that were allegedly- tortured should be heard, as well as their – alleged – torturers.  Let all the wounds be open so that they may heal properly.

I think this could best be done by bringing in experts from South Africa and/or Northern Ireland, or other places that have experienced similar tensions we just have.  I’ll keep hoping, praying and wishing that we have a Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Bahrain.

About our Security Forces:

In my opinion, if there is an area that desperately needs reform it is our security forces.  Admittedly, not everyone feels like that.  Depending on which side of the fence they were sitting, some viewed the security forces as evil villains while others thought of them as heros.

The truth is probably that they are a bit of both.  You have to remember that we had chaos and riots in the street.  Many citizens felt unsafe and were genuinely afraid for their, and their family’s safety.  They quashed the riots and restored law and order.  So well done and thank you.

But… was this level of brutality necessary?  Why did people have to arrested and tortured (allegedly)?  Why did people have to die in custody?  Why couldn’t people have been arrested and just treated with dignity and respect while in prison?  I want to quickly add that I’m sure that  many of the stories we heard were not true, but even if just 20% of it is true, it’s way too much!

And what doesn’t help is that most of our security forces are non-Bahraini.  It just creates added tension and resentment.

So what to do?  First, I think a massive training programme needs to take place to educate our security forces on what their legal limits are.  Currently, they seem to have four settings only:

- Attack / don’t attack
- Arrest / don’t arrest

They need to be taught that there is a lot more to their job than that.  They need training and education on our constitution, and some sort of Law 101 for Cops course.  They need a better understanding of our legal system.

Second, I suggest that we place a permanent freeze on hiring non-Bahraini citizens in the security forces.   Of course, we cannot ship the current tens of thousands of foreigners out of the country.  It’s cruel, not to mention impractical.  I think we should just not hire any more of them.

All new hires should be Bahrainis only (regardless of sect).  Of course, some sort of rigorous selection process needs to be put in place to ensure the right “loyal” candidates are chosen.  Further, these new hires should go through some sort of bonding and integration programmes with their non-Bahraini colleagues so that they all feel that they are on the same side.  This of course is by no means an easy task, but I think it has to happen.

In time, say over two decades, the security forces would consist mostly of Bahrainis.  And hopefully they would be a lot more humane when dealing with rioters.

Concurrently, there should be several outreach programmes done between the Ministry of Interior and the Shiite villages.  There is a lot of bad blood between the two sides, and it cannot go on like this.  If we start with a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, we can then start these outreach programmes.  Where each side tries to understand the other better, and works on promoting forgiveness and understanding.  This should be done on all levels within the ministry.

By doing this the MoI staff will learn that the people in the villages are not Iran-loving trouble makers.  And the villagers will realise that the security forces are not Fascist murderers intent on eradicating Shiites.  I think it’s important to realise that almost everyone throughout the crisis acted out of love for their country, even though it might not have seemed like it at the time.

In time, measures like this would help ease and eventually get rid of the tension that now exists between the two camps.   I know, this is far easier said than done, but we have to start somewhere.

No one said reconciliation was easy.

Thanks for listening and talk to you soon.