(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The demonstrators protested against the government's brutality and called for the ouster of the al-Khalifa regime.
Bahrainis have been staging demonstrations since mid-February 2011, demanding political reforms and a constitutional monarchy which later changed to an outright call for the ouster of the ruling Al Khalifa family following its brutal crackdown on popular protests.
There is an interview with Hayyan Haidar, political analyst, to share his opinion on this issue.
The following is a transcript of the interview:
Q: First of all looking at the situation in Bahrain, Mr. Eyre [the other guest of the program] just telling us that he thinks there is no way that the Al Khalifa are going to go away or going to relinquish power. At the current circumstances however do you think that dialogue is going to work?
Haidar: Well we have been witnessing what is going on in Bahrain for a whole year now and as our colleagues on the air have said-- both of them- there are no signs that the real dialogue is starting up.
And they said about four hundred thousand or three quarter of the population; this is more than three times the percentage of the Egyptian people for instance who came out to topple the regime a year ago.
So still there is no reaction and we have to really stress on the point that until now it is a peaceful demonstration going on and on every day, every week, every Friday and it is building up tens of thousands and sometimes hundreds of thousands on there and still the regime is very well backed it seems -- militarily let’s say- with the [Persian] Gulf forces and Saudi Arabia.
I think it is a little bit hypocritical. I have to say this is a very blatant case of using double standards. I mean we have one of the largest US bases sitting on this Island and across the [Persian] Gulf and they do not see this discrepancy if you can call it.
I mean this ruling family has been there since the 1978 or so and I think they have a very, very special case which should be mentioned to the Guinness book. I mean the Prime Minister has been over there for forty years, longer than the king. We have never seen that a Prime Minister sits on his cabinet for a time longer than the actual ruler there.
And finally I just want to say that when this started we could see all Bahrainis on the streets that these Sunnis and Shias and everybody else and unfortunately now it has all of it treated and seen as if it is a Shia uprising against the Sunni rulers.
Q: Mr. Haidar, looking at Riyadh’s intentions here as well, a lot has been said about how the internal situation in Saudi Arabia is affecting its policy in the region including towards Bahrain.
We are seeing protest taking place in Saudi Arabia, people there asking the regime there to get their military forces out of neighboring Bahrain.
So how do you think Riyadh’s domestic problems are influencing its policies towards Bahrain?
Haidar: Well I think it is very much linked together. First of all, it is very obvious that the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is not ready to see one of the kingdoms or emirates fall to revolution because this will mean the whole area will be jeopardized by the same kind of opposition or movement.
But I really admire the protesters in Bahrain for sitting for a whole year despite of everything that happened and they are still walking peacefully and demanding for reforms and this.
I remember that at the beginning they just wanted minor reforms, very basic constitutional reforms. Now of course things are developing but we have heard today there were some protests in Saudi Arabia in the eastern parts and there were violence also and killings.
So it has just started and I hope it does not, the people do not really start with violent protests all over the place.
But I would like just to comment on our colleague’s; he was asking where is the Arab League in all of this. And this is very right. I would just comment and say for twenty years we have not seen the Arab League speak up for Palestine so I am not surprised they are not taking things here again we have double and more than double standards being applied all over the place and the cases of Libya, Yemen and Syria are very clear what is happening.
Q: Mr. Haidar your view on this as well. First of all who do you think does have the upper hand in the battle between the Al Khalifa regime and the protesters now?
Haidar: Well I think that as we said we have more than half the population, maybe three quarter as our colleague said and also the idea of a general strike or a strike that catches up and becomes bigger and bigger and wider, is one of the ideas that could come into execution soon.
And I am sure any kind of revolution or uprising of this magnitude which we are seeing for a whole year now will come up with other ways of expressing themselves and trying to bring down the regime and I am afraid it will have to come to violence later on.
I hope that somebody brings them to reason into negotiating a good outcome and I feel that we can still get out of it with the constitutional kingdom as was asked for a year ago with a good constitution and free elections etc. and the regime can still do it but I am afraid they are not free as our colleague said. These are all being moved around.
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Bahrainis have been staging demonstrations since mid-February 2011, demanding political reforms and a constitutional monarchy which later changed to an outright call for the ouster of the ruling Al Khalifa family following its brutal crackdown on popular protests.
There is an interview with Hayyan Haidar, political analyst, to share his opinion on this issue.
The following is a transcript of the interview:
Q: First of all looking at the situation in Bahrain, Mr. Eyre [the other guest of the program] just telling us that he thinks there is no way that the Al Khalifa are going to go away or going to relinquish power. At the current circumstances however do you think that dialogue is going to work?
Haidar: Well we have been witnessing what is going on in Bahrain for a whole year now and as our colleagues on the air have said-- both of them- there are no signs that the real dialogue is starting up.
And they said about four hundred thousand or three quarter of the population; this is more than three times the percentage of the Egyptian people for instance who came out to topple the regime a year ago.
So still there is no reaction and we have to really stress on the point that until now it is a peaceful demonstration going on and on every day, every week, every Friday and it is building up tens of thousands and sometimes hundreds of thousands on there and still the regime is very well backed it seems -- militarily let’s say- with the [Persian] Gulf forces and Saudi Arabia.
I think it is a little bit hypocritical. I have to say this is a very blatant case of using double standards. I mean we have one of the largest US bases sitting on this Island and across the [Persian] Gulf and they do not see this discrepancy if you can call it.
I mean this ruling family has been there since the 1978 or so and I think they have a very, very special case which should be mentioned to the Guinness book. I mean the Prime Minister has been over there for forty years, longer than the king. We have never seen that a Prime Minister sits on his cabinet for a time longer than the actual ruler there.
And finally I just want to say that when this started we could see all Bahrainis on the streets that these Sunnis and Shias and everybody else and unfortunately now it has all of it treated and seen as if it is a Shia uprising against the Sunni rulers.
Q: Mr. Haidar, looking at Riyadh’s intentions here as well, a lot has been said about how the internal situation in Saudi Arabia is affecting its policy in the region including towards Bahrain.
We are seeing protest taking place in Saudi Arabia, people there asking the regime there to get their military forces out of neighboring Bahrain.
So how do you think Riyadh’s domestic problems are influencing its policies towards Bahrain?
Haidar: Well I think it is very much linked together. First of all, it is very obvious that the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is not ready to see one of the kingdoms or emirates fall to revolution because this will mean the whole area will be jeopardized by the same kind of opposition or movement.
But I really admire the protesters in Bahrain for sitting for a whole year despite of everything that happened and they are still walking peacefully and demanding for reforms and this.
I remember that at the beginning they just wanted minor reforms, very basic constitutional reforms. Now of course things are developing but we have heard today there were some protests in Saudi Arabia in the eastern parts and there were violence also and killings.
So it has just started and I hope it does not, the people do not really start with violent protests all over the place.
But I would like just to comment on our colleague’s; he was asking where is the Arab League in all of this. And this is very right. I would just comment and say for twenty years we have not seen the Arab League speak up for Palestine so I am not surprised they are not taking things here again we have double and more than double standards being applied all over the place and the cases of Libya, Yemen and Syria are very clear what is happening.
Q: Mr. Haidar your view on this as well. First of all who do you think does have the upper hand in the battle between the Al Khalifa regime and the protesters now?
Haidar: Well I think that as we said we have more than half the population, maybe three quarter as our colleague said and also the idea of a general strike or a strike that catches up and becomes bigger and bigger and wider, is one of the ideas that could come into execution soon.
And I am sure any kind of revolution or uprising of this magnitude which we are seeing for a whole year now will come up with other ways of expressing themselves and trying to bring down the regime and I am afraid it will have to come to violence later on.
I hope that somebody brings them to reason into negotiating a good outcome and I feel that we can still get out of it with the constitutional kingdom as was asked for a year ago with a good constitution and free elections etc. and the regime can still do it but I am afraid they are not free as our colleague said. These are all being moved around.
/129