Information ministry keen on highlighting Bahrain's true image

Manama, Aug 3 (BNA): Information Affairs Minister Isa Abdulrahman Al- Hammadi said Bahrain would not hesitate to take the necessary legal measures to prevent the publication of false or misleading information in the various media, stressing that the ministry does communicate with media companies and establishments that disseminate inexact and erroneous information or reports about the Kingdom. Legal legal action remains an option when the companies or the establishments persist in their bias and refuse to cooperate, the minister said as he briefed the media following the weekly cabinet session and answered their queries. “The discussions today at the Cabinet session included the local and foreign media, and as Minister of Information, I briefed the Cabinet on the measures taken by the Information Ministry and which comprise monitoring, following up and analyzing as well as the application of local laws regarding cooperation with the media over local issues. As for external and international media, there is steady communication with media companies and establishments to correct any misinformation published about the Kingdom of Bahrain. The ministry requests them to take information details from reliable sources, but when there is lack of cooperation, the ministry looks into the legal options.” The ministry, with respect to local affairs, applies the 2002 Press Law; however other laws are applied in coordination with the competent authorities if the situation demands it, the minister added. “There is constant work and coordination on this matter and as you may have noted, the Ministry of Information Affairs has taken diverse measures with some local media establishments. At the same time, several international media establishments have published replies prepared by the concerned government media offices to rectify inaccurate information about Bahrain,” Al Hammadi said. The minister added that the penal code and the cybercrime law were applied in Bahrain whenever there is any abuse or denigration by the media of any component of the society or whenever there is incitement to hatred or to breaking the law on social media. “The 2002 Press Law did not include electronic abuses or violations, and we look forward to their incorporation in the new law after it is drafted by the Ministry of Information Affairs and endorsed by the competent authorities. We need to stress that the Kingdom of Bahrain does have rigorous laws that are applied against anyone who abuses or harms others in any way. It is highly significant that we have a culture of positive responsibility in dealing with the social media that is based on national cohesion and the co-existence of all components of the Bahraini society,” he said. In response to a Bahrain News Agency question on the Cabinet’s decision to postpone the implementation of redirecting support until further considerations, the minister explained several meetings were held before and after Eid Al-Fitr by the technical committee made up of members from the executive and legislative branches and the Council of Representatives committee set up to study the issue. “An ad-hoc technical committee has been set up and it is now studying the meat issue ahead of the implementation of the decision within one month. The committee is looking at the proposals that might be considered. There has been an agreement on the general principles of the decision whose core is to redirect subsidies towards citizens and to ensure that citizens are not affected in their homes and in the other services subsidized by the state, such as electricity and water. There is steady coordination with the legislative branch and decisions to be taken will be preceded by consultations with the representatives of the people at the Council of Representatives and the Shura Council,” the minister said. Regarding the activation of the tax compliance for people holding the US nationality, the minister said the details were stipulated in the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act. Under the act, financial institutions, including banks dealing with the Central Bank, have to report financial information, especially bank account balances. Bahrain has signed the agreement with the US like other countries in the region and the purpose is to consolidate international cooperation on this matter, the minister said. With regard to the stalled Sunset Hills project, the minister said it was important to stress there is a need to develop the legislation regarding real estate projects. “In the past, the practice was to close deals to sell the real estate property based on blueprints and documents and before its implementation. This meant that funds were taken from the investors before the implementation by the developers according to the plan. The new regulations apply to the new projects, and not to the existing and stalled projects that were started before the promulgation of the new laws. Such a situation necessitated a specific approach and a ministerial committee was set up as a first phase of the measures to be applied regarding these projects and to conduct studies to determine whether a developer has the capability to continue and implement the project according to the plan in order to preserve the investors’ rights.” If the committee concludes the developer can provide the guarantees to implement the project within a specific period of time, he is given the approval to continue the work. However, if the committee concludes there is no possible solution, the developer may be referred to the legal committee that will take action either by shifting the project to other developers or by selling the project and distributing the shares of the investors. “What is happening right now is that studies are being conducted of all the projects that are stalled or likely to be stalled. Investors have the possibility to submit a report to the committee to draw the attention of its members to any project in which the developer did not comply with the agreed plan. The ultimate objective is to preserve the rights of the investors, regardless of their status,” the minister said.