Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): Bahrain's unemployment crisis cannot be addressed without a political decision. The crisis of the unemployed in Bahrain is political, caused by the senior officials who are responsible for managing state affairs.

Attempts to justify the continued employment of foreigners in the public sector or state-owned companies will not succeed, with the nonsense that high officials are spewing about Bahrainis' so-called "incompetence or unwillingness to work in certain sectors". 

The recent statement of the Civil Service Bureau, headed by Ahmed Al-Zayed, in which he said that the employment of foreigners in education "came due to the scarcity of Bahrainis in some jobs", is merely absurd justifications to cover up the political marginalization of Bahrainis.

The employment of more than 6,000 individuals in the education and health ministries cannot be justified. They are only political attempts to restructure the sector and marginalize Bahrainis. Otherwise, unemployed doctors, medical staff and teachers can fill these jobs. 

What does it mean that thousands of foreigners continue to be employed in educational and supervisory jobs, while hundreds of eligible Bahrainis are unemployed? Are there really rare specialties in the Ministry of Education that Bahrainis cannot work?

The Civil Service Bureau says that physics is a rare specialty, and in response, MP Falah Hashem presented a list of unemployed teachers who hold degrees in physics and graduated from universities at a 3.6 average? What is the result? Nothing.

Is computer specialty considered rare too? Is it reasonable that this specialty be occupied by teachers and technicians from poor countries that are considered to be undeveloped in information systems?

Besides, people are being Bahrainized instead of jobs. Foreigners are granted Bahraini nationality to overcome the issue of foreign employment. Isn't that politics? 

In what category do we put the naturalization of teachers and staff to allow them to work in school administrations, curriculum work, educational supervision and quality control? If that is not a policy, in what category can these policies be classified?

The exclusion policies upon which education and the Civil Service Bureau are based are systemic by parties at the top of the power pyramid. These policies are becoming more complex because those who take over the affairs of the Bureau and Ministry are poles under the mantle of political groups that have their own projects.

Is it possible that the main operating body of the State be headed by a senior leader from Al-Asalah Society, which has a political agenda, not to say sectarian? How does the Ministry of Education leave a group like the Muslim Brotherhood to control its institutions?

What Al-Zayed is doing is a crime against thousands of Bahrainis. Unemployed graduates have spent years of education and struggling to get their academic certificates, and their parents have spent a lot of money to invest in their children, hoping to see at some moment the fruits of their investments.

The unemployment policy will only be confronted with a new political project that ends the existing political project and the dominance of political and religious groups over the decision to hire Bahrainis. This depends on who controls the political decision-making in this country. 

Arabic Version