Page 166 - Records of Bahrain (7) (i)_Neat

152 Records of Bahrain

U«M

TIE HXQH EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, BAHRAIN.
5
E) The Navropapor pliloh wo boliovo has roforod to "AL-QAFILAH,
Tho announcement of lto coming does not oraso tho faot that it lias boon auspon-
dod without ary lair or justifiable reason for an unlimited period, tho oamo
also liapponod to "SAUT-AL-BAlfllAIN. What guaranteo is there Cor tldo Newspaper
to continue as long as tho present opporausivo and dictatorial rogimo is
existing, and how can tliis nows pap or ©e* fulfil its ideals and mission and
oxpross froely tho dcsiros and opinions of tho poople, 3s It also from tho
democratic progrossivo rpoans of exprossion, tho limitation to one newspaper
which tho memorandum rtg.es to prove its presence.
(3) Tho long ostablishod committee, Majlis-al-Tujjar, Waqfs,
AgriculturalCommittee3 eto, Wo aro quito surprised to see tho memorandum
narrate thoso appointed oommittoes as moans of expression of tho desires and
opinionof tho pcoplo and their participation in tho administration; as tho roal
situation is completely different. Those committees or majlis are composed of
many almost illitorato membors who liavo boon appointed by tho Qovernmont because
of their wealth or their full support to its policy, and they are not elected
by tho pooplo, and oven so, liave no control wliatsoevcr on the departmonts
rolatod to, and know notliing about its budget or its administration, Majlis-ol-
Tijjar is only prolamLnary form of advisory council for tho court whose decisions
are non-binding; and most of its members are not qualified or liave any under­
standing to the commercial logal lav/s.
The Argi Agricultural committee is composed of somo Govornment
employees with owners of the largo farms, and all tliis committee has succeeded
i3 fulfilling in its bi-annual meetings, is tlie issuo of permits to dig somo
artisian wells for somo fortunate persons, and the proldbition of others to
do so; and of course wocan not expect thoso members to think of the bettering
of the conditions of tho peasants and developing the un-devoloppcd lapds, and
making tho water available to all farms and giving techanical aid and assistance
to thoso peasants.
VHiat vie stated about these committees can be appliod without
such cliango to all tho others, specially when wo know that the membership to
these committees is distributed amongst few persons, for example - there is one
illiterate person who occupios a plaoe in each of five of thoso committees or
majli3, wliich are not in a position to discuss the affairs of the people which
conflict with and contradict tho interests of tho progressive Government, 13
tliis the kind of constitutional institutions wliich the memorandum points out
as presont in Bahrain ?
4) The Memorandum lias spoken highly of the Government. Investigation
committee wliich contained representatives of tho poople and wliich Invited tho
public to testify before it, and expressed its rogrot that nono of tho so called
representatives of the pooplo of Daiirain "took advantage of this invitation".
To tliis wo roply tliat there are two mombers from the people in thi3 committee
and evon so they do not represont tho pooplo as they liave not boon olectod by it,
and tho other members are Government Employoes and from the Ruling family.
------contd,——