Speaker of the Representatives Council Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Dhahraini has stated that MPs and journalists are in the same boat and share the same national goals of preserving national unity and continuing His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s Reform Project, expressing pride in the journalists’ contributions in support of the Royal Project. He was speaking during the Ramadan Majlis hosted last night by the Bahrain Journalists Association (BJA), in cooperation with the Representatives Council’s Secretariat-General. He affirmed that journalists have always been up to their responsibilities and uncovered reality, lauding their patriotism and national role during the incidents that the kingdom went through. He said “constructive criticism” is important to develop the Representatives Council’s work, noting that the council is interested in what is written in the press and tries to upgrade its performance based on that. He emphasized that Bahrain is in dire for efforts to enhance national unity, expressing confidence that the high awareness of the Bahraini people and journalists can restore national cohesion. “The people of Bahrain expects us to do our best to restore unity and cohesion among its members,” he said. He pointed out that the regional and global developments require the Arab and Islamic nations to intensify consultative meetings in order to come up with a unified vision on ways to safeguard security and stability. Regarding the Legislative Authority’s role in safeguarding security in the kingdom, Al Dhahrani asserted that its role is essential in this concern, citing the laws amended to toughen punishment on terrorists and saboteurs. He explained that MPs in Bahrain are elected on the basis of their competence, and not for other considerations, noting that the Representatives Council’s experience is short and has to benefit from the experiences of deep rooted ones in Europe. He expressed regret over calls to exclude and remove the Legislative Branch from the on-going National Consensus Dialogue, stressing that MPs are representative of the people and speak on behalf of the Bahraini citizens.