Page 369 - PERSIAN 9 1941_1947
P. 369

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                (i) Shaikh Mubarak Al named Al Mubarak As Subah
            continued to hold charge or the Bert.
                (J) Shaikh Subah An Nasir spent most of the year in the
            desert and has shown a tendency to arrogate to himself in
            desert affairs certain of the powers and prerogatives'
            of the Ruler.

                (k) DEATHS.
                      The following members of the,As Subah died during
            the year:   Shaikh Subah bin Mohammed As Subah, a second
            cousin of Ills Highness, at Zubair on the 5th July; Shaikh
            Abdullah Al Ali a1 Athbi As Subah on the 12th July; and Shaikh
            Ali bin Salman Al Hamood As Subah on the 11th December.
            III.   TILS POLITICAL AOHNT’S HALATIONS *71TH THE SHAIKH.

                      The Political Agent’s relations with the Shaikh
            have remained most cordial. His Highness — ably assisted by
            Shaikh Abdullah Mubarak, C.I.5.      continues to assist our
            fighting services in every way possible and has been of
            considerable help to the Royal Air Force and the Inland ','ater
            Transport Detachment here. And, while Kis Highness has
            insisted on complete control of such essential commodities
            as cereals which are entirely handled by the State, the
            influence and interests of the merchant community have, on
            occasions been allowed to temper, perhaps unduly, the
            enforcement of certain necessary economic controls.
            IV.    local rirzRzsfs.
                (a) POLITICAL.
                       The most important internal political event during
            the year was the proclamation by the Shaikh on the 24th April
            of an amnesty for the political prisoners who led the
            agitation against him in 1939 and have been in prison ever
            since. This was followed by an order allov/ing those who fled
            to Iraq during the disturbance to return to Kuwait, with the
            exception however of three men, Abdullah Al Hamad As Sacir,
            Rashid Abdul Ghafoor, and Mohammed .U. Barak. Amongst the
            supporters of the Shaikh there was criticism of his action
            at first, which gradually crystallised into a recognition of
            its sagacity in demonstrating that he alone without outside
            interference, is master in his State and holds, in this case,
            the pov;er of imprisonment and release as a matter of grace.
            This v/as only made possible 'by the fact that the political
            authorities had resisted all suggestions that they should
            interfere in the matter and had made no secret of the fact
            that it v/as regarded as a question for the Shaikh alone. His
            opponents, fortunately without any result of importance, did
            all .in their power to defeat this attitude by falsely
            representing the release of the prisoners as being done under
            the orders of the British Government in whose hands they
            contemptuosly referred to the Shaikh as a tool. Another
            welcome aspect of the matter is that the prisoners were a
            focal point for disaffection which has now been removed.
                (b) TRAPS.

                      A full report on the imports and exports for the
            year will be found in the Kuwait Trade Report, a non-confiden-
            tial publication.
                (o) CUSTOMS.

                      The Customs duty remained at 6&J ad valorem,      During
            the month of Ramdhan an order was passed by His Highness
            that the import of sheep, goats, and cattle should be exempt
                                                                 from/
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