Bahrain mirror (Exclusive): Deputy Speaker of the Shura Council Jamal Fakhro does not lack comprehension of accounting and finance to present proposals to control spending in the country in order to provide budgets aimed at improving the livelihoods of citizens and increase wages and pensions for retirees. So why does he inquire via Twitter about funding sources? 

"Dear colleagues in the House of Representatives, thank you for your intentions and aspirations to improve the salaries of employees and retirees and raise the standard of living of citizens. This will not go beyond wishes and aspirations unless it is realized by reclassifying the priorities of the expenditure of the budget or proposing sources of income to finance these increases. Any suggestions?", wrote Jamal Fakhro on his Twitter account.

Fakhro owns an accounting audit firm that the National Audit Office relies on to issue its annual report, which reveals part of the corruption in the ministries of state and government companies, yet he is not unaware of the extent of the financial waste the country's finances suffer annually.

The report reveals a significant amount of financial waste, and although it does not reveal the large waste taps that pour into the pockets of senior members of the ruling family, Fakhro himself has repeatedly put his hands on some of the waste running down from these faucets.

Former MP Abduljalil Khalil reminded Fakhro of some of the words he's said when he pointed out that the government borrows millions above its need to cover the budget deficit, but no one knows where they are being spent. 

Khalil said via his Twitter account, "Brother Jamal Fakhro, didn't the government ask you whether you needed 30 million dinars for the budget deficit in 2011 while you borrowed one billion dinars, so where did 970 million dinars go? Did you ask where the 530 million dinars went in 2017, the 800 million dinars in 2018, and the 956 million dinars in 2021?"

Khalil concluded his questions by saying, "Don't citizens deserve a portion of the 3.256 billion dinars?" 

Ibrahim Sharif answered Fakhro's question by saying, "Whoever wants to raise salaries, allowances and the standard of living of citizens must tell us about the source of their funding. But Abo Firas is a financial and accounting expert who knows better than others where this money can be provided."

Sharif suggested "stopping secret budgets that cost the treasury about 400 million dinars annually, and reducing military and security expenditures, which account for 30% of the budget."

He also proposed "a gradual laying-off of foreign workers in the government, which cost more than 180 million dinars annually, replacing them with Bahrainis, as well as restoring large land donations worth billions, or imposing lucrative taxes on them."

"The government, whose number of ministers is more than the number of ministers of major countries, can be slimmed down," Sharif said, highlighting that "These are examples of what can be discussed before the approval of the state budget by the two councils. But which MPs have the courage to open this file before the public? If anyone knows who does please tell me."

Fakhro knows all these proposals, but he cannot discuss them or adopt them due to his interests with the ruling family, as he is an expert accountant who is aware that what Ahmed Atiyatullah Al Khalifa stole from the secret budgets alone is enough to cover the annual increase for retirees for 25 years, that is if we do not count the cumulative increase.

Arabic Version