A parliamentary committee has approved a new legislation to safeguard and revive Bahrain’s dying traditional professions.
The National Traditional Handicrafts Protection Law aims to provide Bahraini products with an international certification.
It also hopes to tax 20 per cent of the value of imported products that compete with local handicrafts.
A national protection committee would also be established under the law to draw up policies and regulations for the sector.
Local craftsmen have urged legislators to push ahead with the law to rescue the country’s traditional professions from financial devastation.
The bill, originally approved by the previous Parliament in 2018 and drafted into a law by the government, was referred to Parliament’s services committee earlier this year.
However, it was put on hold due to the Covid-19 outbreak and difficulties in scheduling meetings with Industry, Commerce and Tourism Minister and Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority board chairman Zayed Alzayani.
The committee unanimously gave a go-ahead for the new law describing it as highly important and its chairman Mamdooh Al Saleh referred it to Parliament chairwoman Fouzia Zainal for debate when sessions resume in October following recess.
Mr Al Saleh said the law needed to be renewed as it was crafted 35 years ago.
“Handicrafts of the 1980s and the 1990s are now considered antiques and sadly they are amongst generations of genuine products that are being replicated in China and Taiwan as Bahraini and are sold here for cheap.”
The government had earlier asked MPs to rethink the law, saying it was unnecessary, with an Amiri decree forming a national committee for such purpose in 1985 and amended to have more powers in 1987.
“The law replicates the work of an existing national committee, which is active, and it should be given all responsibilities to do what’s best for the sector without legislative intervention governing its frame of work,” said the government in writing.
The Legalisation and Legal Opinion Commission, however, said it would back the new law if MPs take up amendments put forth by it.“The definition for national handicrafts should be any handicraft that represents the soul of Bahrain’s heritage and is done by craftsmen in Bahrain by hand, using simple hand tools, or mechanical equipment on the condition that it actually reflects handmade,” said the commission.
“The list of all product categories has to be mentioned in the law,” it added.
“The national committee should be under the responsibility of a minister to ensure monitoring, follow-up and accountability,” he said adding that it has to be linked to tourism.
“The bylaws governing the national committee’s work will be drawn up by the minister concerned in line with specifics related to the sector’s circumstances. The government didn’t want to negotiate with or without Covid-19 and we in the committee have found there is no need to wait so we pushed it for debate in October.”
Meanwhile, traditional carpenter Jamal Shaheen, 63, said the ministry was working to protect handicrafts and promote them locally and internationally, but the new law would give things a stronger push.
Extinction
“The new law is marketing and promoting our traditional handicrafts and I can’t understand the government opposition.
“The moment cheap competition is stopped our sector will see a boom in all aspects.”
The new law would provide the World Intellectual Property Organisation Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC) certification.Muharraq Municipal Council vice-chairman Hassan Al Doy said there are 12 handicrafts on the verge of extinction in the country, including embroidery, dhow building and pottery.“We are working to bring all these under one government umbrella to ensure they are protected, developed and promoted,” he added.
mohammed@gdn.com.bh
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