Page 151 - Records of Bahrain (5) (i)_Neat

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139
Agitation for reform, J938
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Release of the lmprlaoned riotoro - vide paragraph 3 of
4.
t oleg ram. By giving the concession mentioned In my iramediato-
my
ly preceding paragraph the Bahrain Government will be in a
etrongor position to deal with the rioters in any way they think
i
fit. -if'
To return to oomowhat more general oonoiderations. It
5.
to me that ton. large oxtent/the Bahrain Government ore
a corns
/
responsible for the present situation, They were extrenely
remiss about initiating refonp^, e.g. the Bahrain Code - see
paragraph 3 of my lettor No✓(502-3 of the 11th November - and
allowed corruption and inefficiency in the Law Ooux-ts though
they have now made some last minute reforms, It might urgo them
to more activity in future if you were to give them this opinion

from me, only more politely oxpreosed, verbally and unofficially*

6, It seems t o mo that the whole essence of the agitation
13 that tho people of Bahrain of all elements have no legal
means of putting forward their grievances, whether real or

imaginary, and are therefore reduced to illegal channels such
aa agitation. In the old patriarchal days every Bahrain
subject could approach tho 3haikh at his morning Majlis and put
bio grievances before him. Tide ie the traditional Arab and

democratic way of settling affairs, and Shaikh Hamad’s idea of
Publishing an olan that any person with a complaint could come
dlroct to him - the Shaikh - vide paragraph 4 of your letter
h°.c/6G6-1.b/6, dated tho 27th October 1938 - was in my opinion
by no means so extraordinary ao you think, though doubtless it
Was put forward at the wrong time. As the administration in
Bahrairt, has beaoae Inevitably more complex,
personal touch
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between /
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