Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry

Chapter IV — Narrative of Events of February and March 2011
be discussed. This proposal was not accepted by the GoB, and ultimately, the
negotiations ended.
672. If HRH the Crown Prince’s initiative to hold a national dialogue at
the time had been accepted, it could have paved the way for significant
constitutional and political reform in Bahrain.
673. The reluctance of the opposition to accept the initiative of HRH the
Crown Prince seems to have been due to a number of factors. Primarily, it
seems that some in the opposition parties, particularly Al Wefaq, were
unwilling to accept proposals presented by HRH the Crown Prince in light of
what seems to have been a belief in their ability to achieve greater political
gains given the momentum and strength of the protest movement. Second, it
has been indicated to the Commission by some members of opposition parties,
particularly Al Wefaq, that they doubted the willingness of some within the
political establishment to accept any substantial alteration of the governance
system in Bahrain. Third, the reluctance of the opposition to conclude an
agreement with HRH the Crown Prince and to enter a national dialogue before
certain preconditions were met, such as dismissing the government, and
without previously agreed principles, parameters, and implementation
mechanisms is also imputable to the general mistrust that the opposition
harboured towards the GoB. The most salient reason for this lack of trust is
what has been described to the Commission as a sense of betrayal that was felt
towards the GoB in the months and years following the adoption of the
National Action Charter in 2001. Repeatedly, opposition figures have voiced
to the Commission their belief that the reform pledges made in the National
Action Charter were yet to be fulfilled in significant part. This “trust deficit”
based on previously unfulfilled government promises was an important factor
in the opposition’s lack enthusiasm for engaging in the dialogue and the
insistence on electing a Constituent Assembly that would rewrite the whole
constitution and examine all other political issues.
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