Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): As the King did last May, when he quietly issued a circular to adjust the sizes of official photos, removing those of late Khalifa bin Salman from ministries and other institutions, he did the same on Monday (November 15), and removed a hefty portion of his uncle's legacy.

One year after the demise of Khalifa bin Salman, the Bahraini King decided to dismiss the undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior for nationality, passports and residence affairs, Rashid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, husband of Lulua, the spoiled daughter of the former prime minister.

Rashid was replaced, and the governor of the capital Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa was appointed in his place. The King issued decree no. (113) for the year 2021 appointing Hisham bin Abdulrahman bin Mohammed Al Khalifa as Undersecretary for Nationality, Passports and Residence at the Interior Ministry.

Meanwhile, Rashid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa was compensated by the establishment of the National Council for Arts. The decree stipulated that the National Council for Arts shall be chaired by Rashid bin Khalifa bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and will include Turki bin Rashid bin Isa Al Khalifa as Deputy Chairman, and Dhuwa bint Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Balqees Ahmed Fakhro, Omar Ismail Rashid, Haifa Majid Al-Jishi and Abbas Mohammed Al-Mosawi as members for a four-year term that can be renewed for several times.

Rashid will be president for four years, but we will discover later whether he will be reappointed or not.

The royal decree gave the Arts Council insignificant powers, but allowed Rashid to practice his hobbies in supporting and organizing art exhibitions and painters.

The powers may somehow clash with those of May Al Khalifa, president of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, who has been dominating this sector for many years, and is preparing her daughter to inherit the post.

This is how Rashid bin Khalifa was dismissed after most of his sons were removed. His son Abdullah, who was appointed by his grandfather (former prime minister) before his death as his personal secretary, was dismissed after his grandfather's death.

In addition to that, his son Khalifa, who was also appointed by his grandfather as his advisor in a minister post, was also dismissed. Khalifa calls himself the "grandson of leadership".

The third son, Mohammed, was appointed by his grandfather as deputy prime minister, but according to new regulations issued by the current Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad, his name (Mohammed) disappeared.

The undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, Rashid bin Khalifa, has two daughters, Noor, a businesswoman and brand owner of (Noon by Noor). The second daughter is Aisha, a second lieutenant pilot in the army and first Bahraini woman to fly a warplane. Her grandfather celebrated this event with her at that time. But, all of this has now disappeared.

The grandfather died, and his grandsons disappeared from important positions. Their family now holds only two significant posts, the first is for his son, Ali bin Khalifa bin Salman, who has so far remained as deputy prime minister, and the second is the governor of the southern province, which was given to Khalifa bin Ali Al Khalifa.

The share has shrunk, and only a few number of ministers who were formerly close to Khalifa bin Salman remained, however, they are expected to be dismissed with the formation of a new government after the 2022 parliamentary elections.

Arabic Version