Page 253 - Records of Bahrain (3) (ii)_Neat

Bahrain and the British, 1921-1922 669

Abdulla for;retaining oomploto domination ovor his fathor'a subjects.
To this ond, it i3 essential that tho Agency should havo littlo
influence*. Tho constant changes of Political Agents and periods
during which n subordinate ahaic hold chargo, admirably suited his
purposo.
]3y last year, mattora hod roaohed such a pitch, that my
prodoooasor attomptod, in somo moasuro, to correct them. In spite of
much opposition ho ouccosofuly institutod u municipality in Manama,
which was tho moans of introducing into tho affairs of that town the
first somblanco of order among comploto chaos.
Previously tho Amir of the twon, one of tho worst cliaractors
in- Bahrain, but who could bo trusted by tho Uhoikhs, to support them
in evory form of extortion, had arbitrarily .collected taxes,
practically tho whole of which wore devotod to his personal expenditure
Moanwhilo he and his staff lived entirely on credit, and to
this end ho owes very largo sums, which noboay has tnc courage,
undor existing circumstances to claim.
Abdullah accepted the institution solely because ho was him­
self to oe President, and one iieshan nichtar (an unscrupulous perron
who was later deported for creating enmity between tho Bahrain 'Govern­
ment ana it3 subjects and British r.uojects) who was his prjtogo, was
to bo Jocrotury. uis objoct, without uoubt, was io still further
establish his supremacy. Y»hun however he found that tho Municipal
laws conforrod on tho council a considerable voice in tho conduct of
its affairs, and tho presence of tiio Political r.gonl, ox-oflicio at
its mootings, limitod his power to overawe the gathering, he Ana
his party, stirred up public opinion nnu engaged themselves in
ictivo propaganda against the Political agent oh culminated in u
petition against him.
Unfortunately owing to the exigencies of tho service, tho Pzti&iBui
iolitical agent was about this time transferred, although it was mado
clear to Ghoikh iiasa, that the transfer was in no way connected with
the spurious documont compiled against tho Political Agent yet it was
an opportunity too good to bo lost, ana Sheikh Abdulla's party freely
lot it bo known that tho transfer was an immediate result of their
offorto. In fact when I arrived here, I was told this on all sides,
and