US embassy cable - 05MANAMA857

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 000857 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/12/2015 
TAGS: ECON, PGOV, KDEM, BA 
SUBJECT: BAHRAIN'S BUSINESS CHAMBER LAUNCHES LOBBYING 
EFFORTS 
 
REF: MANAMA 584 
 
Classified By: A/DCM Hallie Hahn for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (SBU) The Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) 
is moving ahead with its plan to form a political lobby in 
the Kingdom.  BCCI members are holding a series of meetings 
with members of parliament to strengthen ties and advocate an 
agenda that supports economic reforms.  The press reported 
June 12 that the BCCI has created a workplan to ensure that 
candidates with "sound" economic policies are successful in 
the 2006 parliamentary elections.  MP Jehad BuKamal, chair of 
the Council of Representatives' (COR) Finance and Economy 
Committee, stated publicly that BCCI involvement in the 
political process is welcome, though he noted that BCCI (or 
any other organization's) direct funding of candidates is 
unconstitutional. 
 
2.  (C) The BCCI's first meeting was with the COR's 
Independent (pro-government) bloc led by MP Ahmed Behzad. 
Behzad told PolOff that the discussion focused on the Crown 
Prince's labor reform draft law, which is currently before 
parliament.  The BCCI feels that the law, which requires 
companies to pay fees for expatriate workers, places too much 
of a burden on the private sector.  Behzad said his bloc and 
the BCCI agreed to meet regularly to discuss economic issues. 
 
3.  (C) Comment:  The BCCI has reminded EmbOffs every chance 
it gets of its opposition to the Crown Prince's proposed 
labor reform program, most recently during a meeting with the 
board of the newly accredited AmCham.  The BCCI has had to 
scale back its original plan to directly finance the 
campaigns of business-friendly candidates, and now seeks to 
play the role of a lobby that can also serve as a platform 
for the views of candidates with whom it agrees (reftel). 
The BCCI's move onto the political stage represents another 
step in the maturation of Bahrain's young democracy. 
 
MONROE