HRH Prince Urges Unity to Continue the March of Construction and Development
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa said that credit for the return of stability and security in the Kingdom of Bahrain was due to His Majesty the King and the brave men of the Bahrain Defense Force, security forces and National Guards.
Addressing the citizens of the kingdom in a televised speech on Bahrain Television this evening, HRH added that tampering with the gains of the nation and the miscalculation of evaluating the situation, along with the misuse of freedom, had affected its achievements as well as stability and security.In a comprehensive speech, he also analyzed the reason for the crisis, its aftermath and the losses it had incurred in the kingdom.
HRH expressed his hope and trust in the people of Bahrain that seek to create a prosperous future and who stand behind His Majesty in steadfast national unity. He said this unity was based on a long history established on value and ideals of the people of Bahrain their diversity and pluralism with the respect for each other. He also expressed his belief, confidence and optimism towards the future. Meanwhile, HRH the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander warned in his speech against the exploitation of Bahraini youth by extremists pushing them towards destruction, vandalism and attacks on property, affecting with that the livelihoods of people. These actions was undertaken to pursue narrow interests that were not in the interests of the nation.
Within this context he praised the awareness of the Bahraini people and their rallying in support of His Majesty the King. He denounced sectarianism and the hateful attempt towards partition, an attempt he said to divide the Bahraini society into two halves. He promised that Bahrain will always be, through the efforts of His Majesty the King, a homeland for all. HRH said that Bahrain accommodated opportunities for all and for development and progress in an environment of respect for the rule of law and co-existence was a goal all sought to achieve.In his speech, HRH urged all Bahrainis to be ready to face the challenge that imposes itself on all and to continue the development process to complete the story of success and prosperity and not allowing a minority to make it fail.
HRH concluded his speech by emphasising national unity and the upholding values and ideals that all agreed upon for the better future for our children.His Royal Highness the Crown Prince speech: At this critical period for our country, it is my duty to speak to you about the reality we have all experienced for nearly two months. We have witnessed unfortunate events and faced difficult situations. We were aware from the beginning the magnitude of what was occurring and the seriousness of the threat posed by those seeking to manipulate events. We were immensely concerned that some of our youth were pushed towards a destructive path and that the nation was drawn along with them. With our responsibility towards the people of Bahrain, we took necessary action to preserve lives and the livelihood and interests of all the people, based on our commitment to Islamic and Arab values.
On the other hand though, the problem escalated beyond all limits. Freedoms were misused and overtaken by extremists and their agenda. They encouraged them to intimidate and terrorise people, sever livelihoods, block streets and raise slogans that provoked turning against everthing. We saw the killing and injuring and the crushing of social ties connecting the people of Bahrain, the tearing of our social fabric. In addition, we have seen painful losses for Bahrain’s economy reaching into the hundreds of millions already. It is a great pity that we saw reluctance and hesitation from people who could have led the people towards a solution, allowing extremists to be the guiding influence. The damage wrought by extremism was only as harmful as the passiveness and reticence we saw when moderation and resolve was required.
It was not realized that Bahrain was bigger than any narrow leadership divisions and above all calculations of segmentation that ignored others. This was due to an erroneous interpretation of the political, social and economic balance underpinning Bahraini society and a lack of understanding of our position as a member of the Gulf Co-operation Council, which binds us as one Gulf nation with a common history and joint destiny.Yet we should not forget that beyond recent events where we are today is, even with all the pain we feel, a grace from God Almighty and has been delivered by the hands of the faithful people of Bahrain from all spectrums and components. They stood firmly against the tampering of the unity of our society.
Whatever we say cannot fully express our appreciation to them. It is also my duty to extend our thanks and appreciation, after thanking God Almighty, to the brave members of the Bahrain Defence Force, police and National Guard who have, with great effort, reinstated security and safety in the Kingdom, preserving the lives of citizens and residents and protecting their property and interests. At this time, we must emphasise the established principles that all of us believe and have attained from the reform project of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
The existing constitutional institutions , which have not been spared from attempts to obstruct their progress, will still be able- each in its specialization- to activate the development of the comprehensive reform project in the Kingdom. I will not spare any effort in participating, as honoured and assigned by His Majesty the King, to the progress of this reform. My brothers and sisters, Bahrain is a country we live in and lives in us. Upon its soil we have grown and there is no future for us, but in its embrace. From our souls we create a stairway to elevate the nation and from our wounds we build bridges where we can cross over towards a tomorrow that delivers the hopes of our people for development and progress. Our national unity is an extension of our deep-rooted history that unified our path and inspired our people with the values of giving, mutual respect and love. Our progress emphasized the concepts of social cohesion in a country that aspires always to becoming a model nation.
We have to uphold these ideals and return Bahrain to its rightful aspirations. Our national unity is an extension of a history that unites us all and that is seen in our present with all its achievements and advancement. All Bahrainis have contributed to this present. In this significant moment in the development of our country, I will continue, as you have always known me, to be firm on the principle that there can be no leniency with anyone who seeks to split our society into two halves. It cannot be permissible that any citizen feels he has no place in our homeland. Bahrain is for all people. The future is bright for all of us and opportunities are there for all. It is based on this principle that we must move forward – it is the rock upon which we build the future of our country and future generations.
Today, we affirm the principles of reform, the foundations established by our leaders, His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. It is necessary that citizens are measured on loyalty to their nation, on a sense of common destiny with fellow citizens and not on a sect or religion. Today, we must embed the concept of respect for the rule of law and co-existence. We must affirm the concept of justice and the value of working together towards development and progress and away from division and extremism. The main challenge for which we must joining our efforts for is to work for the continuation of the process of building , modernizing and development in this country and a better future for all of us. This will only be achieved through tolerance and the reinforcement of national unity.
We must reject violence, division and sectarianism and elevate the value of work, development and open, creative thinking. Bahrain’s progress and prosperity cannot be ruined by a few that wanted to make it fail. We cannot allow despair and frustration to prevail, replacing hope and achievement. Reform started with the National Action Charter, written by all the people. It is testimony to that all the people of Bahrain are royals and democrats that are eager to have a better tomorrow for all their children.
I am confident that, with the grace of God Almighty and the concerted efforts of the faithful people of Bahrain and their cohesion, we will overcome all odds and help develop our homeland in the way that meets all our aspirations.
May peace and God’s mercy and blessings be upon you.
