AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Bahrain has revived the local village elder system after more than 20 years, a decision that, in the country's current circumstances, has taken on political dimensions beyond an ordinary administrative measure.
In the past, local village elders were tasked with conveying the problems and requests of people in each area to officials and acted as liaisons between the people and the government.
But today, Bahrain's conditions are very different from the past. The country has ministries, municipalities, and various government institutions that have the capacity for direct communication with areas and villages.
For this reason, reinstating this old structure at a time when parliamentary elections have also been suspended raises the question of why the government has once again turned to such a method for connecting with society.
This decision is also significant in terms of timing. The local village elder system was previously brought back into focus in the 1990s, a period when political protests and demands for the restoration of the constitution and the formation of an elected parliament were increasing.
In 2002, alongside the formation of elected councils, discussions were also raised about the role of these individuals and their connection to the government structure.
Now this structure has once again been revived at a time when parliamentary elections in Bahrain have been suspended and the activities of some political and civil currents and institutions face serious restrictions.
Critics say that in such circumstances, reinstating appointed local figures could be a way to fill the void left by elected representatives and create a new communication channel between the government and the people.
According to this analysis, the Bahraini government still needs influential individuals in various areas, but the important difference is that these individuals can be selected and appointed by the government rather than through people's votes.
As a result, instead of people electing their representatives, the government appoints individuals to communicate with society in different areas.
This process could also change local competition. In such circumstances, influential individuals and families may strive to gain government favor and obtain official positions instead of competing for people's trust and participating in elections.
In this case, proximity to the power structure could become a factor in increasing influence and social status.
At the same time, another important question arises about the limits of these individuals' duties. If their role is merely to convey service-related problems and people's requests, they can be considered liaisons between the people and government institutions, but if their duties extend to examining social activities, individuals, and local developments, their role may go beyond that of a local liaison and become a form of societal surveillance.
From this perspective, the return of local village elders should be examined alongside Bahrain's recent political developments. The suspension of elections and the restriction of political institutions' activities increase the government's need to create a network of trusted individuals in various areas, individuals who can maintain the government's connection with society, but whose position depends more on government support and appointment than on people's votes.
In this way, what is taking shape in Bahrain could be a sign of an important change in the government's method of connecting with society: representation without elections and the selection of local figures from above rather than their election by the people. For this reason, from the critics' perspective, the return of local village elders alongside the suspension of elections is a sign of political regression and a return to methods that were supposed to be abandoned with the expansion of elected institutions.
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