ANOTHER KIND OF LOVE

Congratulations to His Majesty and the people of Bahrain on the occasion of the anniversary of the National Action Charter. For many in Bahrain, this weekend is not just about Cupid's darts but another kind of love ... 'A Love of My Country' ... that special kind of unconditional, at times irrational, patriotic, frenzied love that never wanes no matter how far you are from home.

February 14 is also the day that Bahrain's citizens said YES to the National Action Charter in 2001. An astounding 90 per cent of citizens turned out for their right to vote and 98.4 per cent said a resounding YES to the Charter.

I remember that day well. I spent it taking a bus full of my female students from the Bahrain School of Sports & Beauty Therapy to the Ministry of Labour in Isa Town where we were specially invited to cast our votes.

The ministry was abuzz with an excitement never before seen in that building and I had briefed my students the day before about their sense of responsibility and the exciting opportunity of being a part of history in the making.

As a result, joining the long queue to vote was an adventure for them rather than a burden.

Waiting patiently to say hello to the Prime Minister, Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa was an added bonus for these young women from the various towns and

villages of the kingdom.

That day I remember well that we were all 'just Bahrainis" there were no Sunni's or Shi'ias as all were caught up in the nationalistic fervor of that historic day.

The next day in class I asked my students what being a citizen of a democratic nation meant to them. One by one, without exception, they told me what they expected from their country: "more freedom to dress as I like, do what I want, say what I want, get money from the government, free telephone calls, free electricity etc, etc."

I listened patiently to their demands then asked what they were willing to do in return for their country ... what contribution would they make to the kingdom? None of them had thought of this, or expected to have to do anything in return.

I had to ask them "what happens if everyone keeps raiding the fridge grabbing whatever they want for themselves and no one shops and stocks it up again?"

"Soon we will all be hungry," they chorused.

For them democracy meant a free ride without reciprocating in any way. I then told them the story about President J F Kennedy's famous speech and his words, "Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country".

This was not something any of them had considered -_with democracy comes a freedom but also a citizenship responsibility.

Our schools need to teach this at grass roots level. Parents, teachers and students need to be aware of and understand their rights and their responsibilities to themselves and their country.

In any civilised, thriving democracy the culture of 'giving back' needs to be nurtured.

In his speech on the occasion of the National Action Charter, His Majesty generously outlined the rights of each citizen ... but who will outline the responsibilities of each citizen?

His Majesty's vision of a caring, compassionate kingdom with equal rights for men and women and an assurance of housing, health, education and dignity for all will come to nothing if we can't show basic respect and love for each other.

Let February the 14th be a day of contemplation for those who truly love Bahrain.

Now is the time for all citizens to replace selfishness with selflessness, the "Me" culture with the "We" culture, ignorance with knowledge, hatred with love, intolerance with tolerance and the Sunni/Shi'ia identities with "just Bahraini" .

Bahrain may be a small dot on the world map but look at the high esteem in which the world's leaders hold our King.

In the last month alone we saw His Majesty welcoming and being welcomed by two major world leaders.

We are known for our warm welcome and educated tolerance and understanding so let's keep it that way.

Our voice may be small in numbers but it is strong in its conviction.

Let's be thankful for what we have ... and share some of it with those less fortunate.

We're a fledgling democracy and as such are not perfect, but ask yourself this: would you want to live anywhere else?

If I were a copywriter and had to write a slogan that showed the world what Bahrain represented, it would be this:

"Bahrain, The Small Kingdom with a Big Heart".