Bahrain parliament approves doubling of state pensions

Manama, (IINA) - Bahrain’s parliament approved on Tuesday a seven percent hike in state pensions, up from an annual 3 percent at present, Arabian Business reported.
However, the move was seen as controversial, as it ignored a recommendation to vote against it by the government’s services committee, based on fears it would put pressure on an already overstretched national budget.
MPs originally approved the proposal in 2007, but it was rejected by the Shoura Council and sat unvisited for nine years before the upper chamber rejected it again last month.
Nevertheless, official legislative procedure means parliament was obliged to vote on it afterwards. The Parliament came to that decision after debating the issue for four hours.
During the debate, MP Nabeel Al-Bulooshi claimed Bahrain’s state pension levels are lower than elsewhere in the world, reducing retirees’ quality of life.
“All around the world when someone retires they feel happy because they know it is travelling the world on cruises time, except in Bahrain where pensioners are left to rot in hospitals waiting for death”, he was quoted as saying. The latest decision means the proposals will go back to the Shoura Council a second time. If the upper chamber rejects it a second time, the proposal will be shelved.
AG/IINA

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