OUTLOOK — By Mohammed Al Rahbi — I will start from the commonly repeated statement by many people who are aware of it, or just for the sake of promoting only a desire or wish of any member in the Majlis Ash’shura. The controversial statement is: Is the member of Majlis Ash’shura required to drive a water tanker after the end of his membership term?
Personally, I wanted to meet one of the previous members during the past two decades at least; I wonder how they feel when they come back to normal life, comparing themselves with those who strive to make a living working in the hot weather outside.
These members who represented us in the Parliament deserve to have a distinguished social status in the society as we assume that they have done a lot when they were members in the Majlis for years. During their membership term, they discussed ideas and opinions regarding several issues concerning the country and the people who have nominated them to be representatives of their wilayats in the Majlis.
They deserve to have the same social status as once they were members and were called His Excellency. The end of their membership term in the Majlis doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be given some of the services or specialities that they used to have during their membership.
They have the right to fight for not lifting the immunity of two of their colleagues at the Majlis because many people are striving to harm the reputation of these members, especially those who lost in the voting process. Some people do this to the members due to some personal misunderstandings or for some personal problems between them.
Because they are no more members of the Majlis, they will return to the society as they were before joining the parliament! After all the prestige which they have been used to getting from people in their communities, they will end up with nothing! At least, they should be called Shaikh or ex-member in the Majlis Ash’shura.
Otherwise, they should be given the same immunity which they have been accorded during their service as members in the Majlis in order to protect them from those who try to set them up or involve them in some trouble.
Why should the ex-member be called a Shaikh and get the immunity or to keep the exclusive passport with him? Just simply because he is no more like the citizen who voted for him; he doesn’t like to remember the old days when he used to be an ordinary citizen or driving a water tanker. He wants to keep the prestige and be a high class citizen status after being a member in the Majlis Ash’shura.
Being a member in the Majlis was not easy and if he has been deprived from the immunity which he had for certain claims like buying votes from public, other members will lose the immunity as well. Therefore, people should realise the significance of voting, that it is a bid to select a qualified person to represent them in the Majlis.
