Page 113 - Records of Bahrain (7) (i)_Neat

99
Annual review, 1955
£i. unmLl'Sk

MMkh....W/IWL .J>E . DAHRAIN. ^AFFAIRS
POll 1959

In 1995 the nolitioal activity which had characterised
1954 continued. This led to notable constitutional development.

2. The year began with the Getting up by the Ruler of a
commit too of government officials and notables to enquire
into the working of the departments of public health,
education, police and Justice. This committee which sat
for several Months produced u series of quite useful reports
Oil these departments, many of the recommendations being
adopted by the government. During the early part of the
year the High ’Executive Committee, which claimed to represent
'■ t’.e people of Bahrain" and constituted in fact the "sharp
end" of the nationalist reformist movement, showed considerable
activity which, although embarrassing to the Bahrain Government,
did have the effect of preventing the demand for reforms from
being ignored, and does represent a genuinely and quite widely
felt desire for hottorment. It submitted, through the Political
.-.gent, a memorandum to the Secretary of State for Foreign
.\ffairs when he passed throng- Bahrain in February, which
criticized the government for its alleged failure to introduce
the reforms for which the commit toe had called in 1954. The
memorandum also sought recognition of t e committec as repre­
senting the people of Bahrain. The Secretary of State's
reply refused this, counselling co-operation with tlio
Government and advising against the use of violence. The
Committee also succeeded in preventing the holding of an
election for the Manama municipality by tolling people not
to vote.
5. In February, as a result of the High Executive Committee
saying it intended to establish a trades union to comprise
all workers and employees the Government decided, on British
advice, to dr«»w up a labour law to regulate conditions of
work and to legislate for trades unions which, it v/as
realised on all sides, wore now bound to come. A British
Ministry of Labour official was made available to advise on
the drafting of the law, undertaken by a government committee
on which the workers wore represented. When this committee
was being set up in April the High Executive Committee,
somewhat unexpectedly, gave up its demand for recognition
by the Government in return for being allowed unofficially
to nominate the workers' representatives on the committee,
who were then "elected". Since then the drafting committee
has met regularly - and surprisingly amicably - and by the
end of the year had completed the draft law. In connexion
with the labour law the Government in Juno opened a labour
office and employment exchange.
il. In February the Government set up a department of jjublic
relations - a step long overdue - and in July a Government
broadcasting station was opened.
5. During the summer considerable opposition was voiced to
the proposed introduction of a penal code, drawn up by
/British