It's official - the Bahrain Formula 1 GP came and went on April 22nd, with the full blessing and support of the FIA.
The dust has long settled and the F1 circus already has its sights on the next Grand Prix in Spain. And I as an F1 fan am left as if with dust in my eyes, still smarting all these days later.
The FIA, Bernie Ecclestone and all the teams and drivers of Formula 1 should be ashamed of themselves for having allowed this GP to go forward.
Crony capitalism, corruption and oil riches trump fights for democracy, human dignity and simply doing the right thing.
It's disgusting.
Enough said.
My last post was on how Formula 1 should boycott the upcoming Bahrain F1 Grand Prix. Hundreds of thousands of people protested in an anti-government march on March 9th, the largest of its kind ever in the small, rich Gulf island state.
The oil-drenched, corporatist and hopelessly biased Western media may be conveniently looking the other way, but the current situation in Bahrain is explosive and the Bahraini regime is clearly struggling to crack down on the immense political unrest in the country.
Not exactly what one would expect from such a rich and 'prosperous' nation, is it now?
One thing is very clear: the Formula One GP is a hot potato issue in Bahrain, and highly unpopular amongst many protesters, so linked is it to the much-hated King Hamad. That's why the picture below of graffiti in the town of Barbar, and as cited by Washngton D.C. paper, The Examiner, is so salient:
Need one say more?
I have been a Formula 1 fan for over 30 years now. I wouldn't say I'm rabid about the sport, as I sure as hell don't know every conceivable statistic about F1, like, say, baseball fans seem to have about their sport - at least in Hollywood films. Some seasons are dull, some seasons a lot more exciting. The same goes for races too.
But I do love F1 - the speed, the characters, the drama, the colour - and for anyone who has ever attended an actual Grand Prix weekend, as I have, the sheer noise, energy and spectacle of it all defies words. It's amazing.
Watching an F1 race has been a Sunday ritual for me for many years now, and sporting rituals have a funny way of making one's life more interesting, more fun, sometimes even more bearable.
However, there does come a time when sport must take a backseat to principles and politics and, yes, doing the right thing. In less than two weeks, on Sunday, April 22nd, the F1 circus will be hosted by Bahrain. Owing to political unrest and violence the 2011 race at that island state kingdom was cancelled. That was the correct thing to do, and I was glad for that. It was a big blow for the Bahraini powers-that-be - F1 is a huge prestige and glamour showcase for the small nation, even if the race itself is poorly attended and many F1 fans hate the track anyway.
As the Bahraini dictatorship (which is exactly what it is, by the way) continues to this very day to imprison doctors (for simply helping out in the mayhem of demonstrations last year) and to harass its citizens who clamour for more democracy, then it only makes sense that Formula 1 take a stand and simply not attend.
Yes, there are also F1 races in dictatorships and dubious nations like China and the UAE. But for a nation of just over a million, the F1 GP is intrinsically linked to the Bahraini regime.
Enter Bernie Ecclestone. The self-styled Formula 1 'supremo' has a near-stranglehold on the commercial rights to the sport, and is also one of the richest men in the UK. Everyone knows that Bernie loves (really L-O-V-E-S) money, and has an uncanny ability to ferret it out, like a prize specially trained pig that sniffs out truffles in an Tuscan forest. The man has amassed a huge fortune by making sure that only the highest bidder gets to host a race - which is why countries with terrific tracks like France, Austria and Portugal don't host Grand Prix, yet countries with piss-all racing traditions like Bahrain, Singapore and Abu Dhabi do. Bernie may love Formula 1, but Bernie loves money and influence a whole lot more.
But there comes a time when that cannot be enough. Even for Bernie. Of course, he continues to trumpet that old chestnut of "you shouldn't mix sports with politics", but even he must surely know that is ringing very hollow. Knowing him, he probably doesn't give a damn. A deal is a deal, and Bernie wants future deals with rich, dictatorial Arabs.
Today on the popular blog www.planet-f1.com, the headline reads, "Bosses urge FIA [the international federation for motorsport] to call off Bahrain." They're not even bothering to urge Bernie himself, probably knowing far better than I what a lost cause that is.
Ironically, I did benefit from attending Grand Prix at the splendid Kyalami track near Johannesburg at the height of apartheid. South Africa was barred from the Olympics at that time, there was an arms embargo against the country, and we were the international pariah in just about everything. But we could count on F1 races well into the 1980s. Even then it's clear that F1 had very little conscience.
Last year the F1 fraternity did have a conscience, even if it was mostly on 'security' grounds. It was hardly making a moral stand, but at least the Bahrain GP didn't go ahead. I'd settle for the same again this year.
Of one I thing know - even if the Bahrain GP does go ahead this year, I for one will be boycotting it and will not be amongst the millions tuning in that weekend. I may love Formula 1, but not that much.
Do you get my point?
The world's attention remains understandably riveted on the ongoing tragic events in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
However, something very serious is afoot in the Middle East. More to the point, something very serious is going on in the Gulf state of Bahrain. The small island state, rocked in recent weeks by mass protests against the ruling monarch and elites, is now occupied by no less than about 1000 soldiers from Saudi Arabia. You know, that bastion of democracy, freedom and rule of law. The Saudis have been joined by soldiers from neighbouring countries Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
According to the BBC, they have been called in by Bahrain's rulers in an effort to "guard key facilities such as oil and gas installations and financial installations." Of course, it makes sense - make sure the bucks and oil are well protected whilst the people revolt in the streets.
The BBC also stated how the Bahraini opposition viewed the foreign troops on their territory as "[amounting] to an occupation." You got that right.
Imagine suddenly having soldiers of a country with one of the most hardline and appalling human rights records in the world (read: Saudi Arabia) in your midst as you yourself try to overthrow an authoritarian regime in your own country...
The Bahraini people have a lot to be worried about with this latest development in their recent quest to rid themselves of the ruling monarch. I sure wouldn't want the likes of Saudi Arabia flexing its muscle in my front yard.
If this isn't occupation by foreign powers, then what the hell is?
Do you get my point?
