Bahrain Mirror: The Head of Al-Wefaq Society's Political Department Abduljalil Khalil stressed that Mumtalakat Co. which comprises of around 40 Bahraini companies contributes only USD 50 million to the state budget.

In a symposium held at Al-Wefaq headquarters in the Bahraini capital Manama entitled "The Economic Crisis...Whereto?" on Sunday night (January 17, 2016), Khalil further stated that "there are attempts to keep the company away from questioning, while it is requesting amounts of money from the government to fund Gulf Air."

Khalil also highlighted the importance of reducing spending on security: "This is what we requested in 2009 (...) as well as giving the priority to health and education, but it didn't happen."

Regarding the policies of lifting subsidies on petrol and other main services, he said: Meat, gasoline, electricity and water form the social security network."

"Even if all the subsidies representing one billion and 400 million dinars were lifted, would the deficit be treated? That is impossible, the deficit was one billion and a half in 2015 and one billion in 2016. Thus, with falling oil prices we are talking about a deficit exceeding 3 billion dinars."

Khalil further warned that the report of the International Monetary Fund sent to Bahrain in (June 18, 2014) was clear; stating the importance of political reform in Bahrain, adjustment of spending and not relying on oil prices.

Arabic Issue