CABINET AFFAIRS MINISTER ON DEMOCRATIC GROWING

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 000144

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI BERNS
COMMERCE FOR ITA/MAC/ONE LOUSTAUNAU AND HOFFMAN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/01/2015
TAGS: ECON PREL PGOV BA
SUBJECT: CABINET AFFAIRS MINISTER ON DEMOCRATIC GROWING
PAINS

Classified By: Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons
1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) On January 31, 2005 the Ambassador paid a call on
Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Abdulhussain Mirza, who
was Minister of State responsible for the Tendering Board in
the previous cabinet. Mirza expressed concern over Bahrain's
legislative system. He indicated the GOB must find a balance
between free democratic processes and control over religious
zealots who propose laws counter to executive goals. He
stated the GOB needs to have a good system of checks and
balances in place, and the executive branch must find a way
to convey its concerns to the parliament.


2. (C) Mirza noted he will remain head of the government
tendering board. In response to the Ambassador's inquiry
about Bahrain's two-envelope procurement system, Mirza stated
that legally the GOB does not have to analyze the technical
and financial portions separately. He said that in general
they will, but there will be times when it makes more sense
to consider the technical and financial merits jointly. As
an example, he cited a major project with lengthy tendering
documents that would take an enormous amount of time to
review. In such a case, eliminating bids that are clearly
unrealistic would be the efficient way to proceed. (NOTE: A
U.S. company recently complained that the GOB was not
respecting the two-envelope tendering process. END NOTE).
MONROE