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Manama: A parliamentary session on Tuesday waded into controversy and further split the divided Council of Representatives after MPs accused the speaker of incompetence in assuming his responsibilities and performing his duties.
MPs representing Al Wefaq charged that Khalifa Al Dhahrani was overstepping his tasks by not allowing the questioning of a state minister whom the political and religious society accuses of financial and administrative mismanagement.
Al Wefaq last week submitted a motion to quiz State Minister for Government Affairs Shaikh Ahmad Bin Atiyatallah Al Khalifa over his alleged abuses.
An earlier attempt to question the minister by the 17-member bloc last May failed after it was blocked by the other blocs and independent MPs on the ground that it was not constitutional.
Secret ploy
On Monday, the Council of Representative Commission rejected the motion to quiz the minister, giving a further blow to Al Wefaq's drive to honour a pledge it made during election campaign to bring Shaikh Ahmad to account amid claims that he was allegedly involved in a secret ploy to rig the 2006 elections and limit the power of the opposition.
At yesterday's session, Al Wefaq said that it did not accept the decision by the commission and insisted on including its motion in the debate. However, Al Dhahrani, an independent MP who also chaired the 2002 to 2006 parliament, rejected Al Wefaq's move. His rejection prompted an outcry from Al Wefaq MPs who accused him of unfairness and incompetence.
Al Dhahrani, outraged, left the hall, followed by the other blocs and most of the independent MPs, leaving only Jassem Al Saeedi, an independent Salafi MP. The bloc is expected to issue a statement explaining its next moves.
On Monday at an impromptu press conference, it said that options were open, a message that could be mean the boycott of parliament.
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