Page 369 - PERSIAN 9 1941_1947

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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/