With the beginning of the fourth and final session of the House of Representatives, a phenomenon that is recurring in a disturbing manner in Bahraini parliamentary life returns to the forefront, as you will find sudden seasonal activity of some representatives who disappeared throughout the previous session, only to appear again as if they were in a race against time to restore their image before their voters.
From the first moments of election campaigns, promises and resonant slogans compete, and candidates excel at tickling people’s feelings with bright pledges, some of which are essentially unimplementable.
Once the ballot boxes close and the results are announced, the scene begins to gradually change.
During the first session, some representatives try to keep their electoral enthusiasm alive, as we see them presenting projects and proposals and registering an active attendance.
However, this activity quickly evaporates, as if the goal was not to represent the people, but only to reach the parliamentary seat. Here, pay attention when I say “some”!
In the second and third rounds, these “some” are noticeably absent.
Some of them disappear completely, as if their role has ended, while others are content with a minimum of presence and achievement that is barely noticeable. The voices that were loud on the electoral platforms are muted, and the promises that were kept by heart evaporate in the air of the Council.
But suddenly, as the end of the legislative term approaches, the familiar scene is repeated, and we find a dramatic return of long-absent representatives, equipped with a torrent of proposals, statements, and parliamentary questions.
As if the years of inactivity could be compensated for by a propaganda explosion in recent months.
It is a performance closer to a new election campaign than to responsible parliamentary practice.
This phenomenon is no longer hidden from anyone. Citizens today have come to realize that some representatives only appear when a new electoral opportunity looms on the horizon, so they bet on the weakness of the collective memory of voters, and believe that the past is being erased by temporary media activity.
This behavior only reflects a clear underestimation of the MP’s role and responsibility before the people, and a blatant attempt at self-marketing and nothing more.
Absence from vital files, isolation in offices, and seasonal media appearances are all indicators of someone who considers his parliamentary seat a personal opportunity, not a popular assignment.
What is worse is that some of these representatives are not satisfied with their absence, but rather deliberately avoid delving into thorny issues, or holding executive authorities accountable, for fear of their popularity or to preserve personal interests, and then return later to talk about achievement and listening to people’s demands.
However, it cannot be denied that there are honorable role models in the Council. There are representatives who committed themselves to physical and moral presence, worked silently and continuously despite the obstacles, and faced political and personal pressures, without retreating from their oversight and legislative role.
But the general picture remains confused because of those who turn parliamentary work into a mere propaganda season, and who believe that citizens will turn a blind eye to three years of absence in exchange for a few months of artificial movement.
Today, Bahraini voters are more aware than ever before, and are not fooled by these temporary offers. This stage requires real representatives, not those who master the art of appearing at the right time and disappearing when the citizen most needs their voice.
The last session is not a platform to polish the image, but rather a last opportunity for some representatives to prove that they were up to the trust.
If they fail again, voters have the full right to change them through the ballot boxes, and to choose someone who actually represents them, not someone who only appears when the elections approach.
