Bahrain Mirror: MP Falah Hashem said that the deputies do not know the names of 10 MPs who submitted a request to Speaker of the Council of Representatives, Fawzia Zainal, to transform the session into confidential. The VAT bill increase from 5 to 10% was passed in the said session.

Hashem's statement came in response to a tweet by Bahraini tweeter Shawki Al-Alawi, who wrote, "Greetings to the 10 deputies who asked to turn the session of the House of Representatives into a secret rather than a public one, but I wish the media would explain the reasons for their request for confidentiality of the session, so that we know at least the public risks."

MP Falah Hashem commented, "Did you know their names?" adding that we were attending the session and despite asking the speaker to announce their names, the request paper where their names were written was torn. 

The majority of MPs voted yesterday in favor of passing a VAT increase to 10%.

Arabic Version