Bahrain’s National Day symbolises the glorious anniversary of the establishment of the kingdom as an independent state, and the foundation of the modern nation.
The day features official and popular celebrations that bring together citizens and residents in an atmosphere of joy, pride, a sense of belonging and loyalty.
This year, we also celebrate the 25th anniversary of His Majesty King Hamad’s accession to the throne. Since he assumed power in 1999, the kingdom has achieved qualitative leaps in various fields – economically, socially, culturally or athletically – due to his ambitious vision and efforts aimed at achieving sustainable development and a prosperous future for all.
The beginning of the King’s reign was marked by the launch of political and democratic reforms, the most prominent of which was the National Action Charter, which was approved in a historic popular referendum in 2001, achieving an overwhelming approval rate that expressed the Bahraini people’s confidence in their leadership.
The charter garnered a 98.4 per cent yes vote with 90.3pc of Bahrainis eligible to vote taking part in the referendum.
Under the leadership of the King and the follow-up of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Bahrain also worked to develop its economy and make it more diversified, including encouraging foreign investment and developing non-oil sectors.
The past years have been full of initiatives to improve educational, health and housing services, with tangible progress achieved in raising the standard of living for citizens, providing job opportunities and supporting the youth.
Many cultural projects have been launched focusing on Bahraini history and identity, while global cultural events have made the kingdom the focus of the world’s attention.
The National Day is an occasion for citizens to express their pride in their leadership and the celebrations reflect the unity of the people in rallying around their leadership.
Thanks to His Majesty’s vision and strategic plans, Bahrain is expected to continue on the development path, towards further progress and growth and keeping pace with global challenges.
However, there are many pending issues that demand radical solutions so that the loyal people can be provided with a decent life.
The public debt has increased to nearly BD16 billion by the end of September when the government raised the debt ceiling to BD18bn.
Recent data shows that the total size of debt instruments by the end of September increased by about BD376 million in just one month to reach BD15.952bn.
This poses a new challenge but Bahrain is seeking to control the expansion of public debt by diversifying sources of government revenues, and its economy, as it has succeeded in the past in increasing the contribution of non-oil revenues from fees, taxes and other means.
Despite the difficult economic conditions, Bahrainis do not hesitate to celebrate National Day and renew their loyalty to their country and leadership.
On this occasion I extend my highest congratulations and blessings to the King, HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister and the loyal people of Bahrain, wishing the nation further progress, prosperity and excellence.
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