Page 216 - Records of Bahrain (7) (i)_Neat

202 Records of Bahrain

5. It is per ft j.'olovant to consider whothor
this junbture reprosonts tho opd of a jQurney or inoroly

a halting-place on’ tho road from feudalism to domocracy.
Ill favour of tho former yiow there is tho possibility
that thQ middle-of-the-road reformers in Bahrain may' bo
satisfied with "functional representation" of tho kind
!
now to he ostablishod (a functional representation which
!
ha^f incidentally, its roots in the local tradition of
usirjg committees to settle suctj matters as pearl diving

qqostions), As against this dqsirable conclusion there
. i
is the probability-th^t tho loqal reformers regard
t •
thoinsolYOs, and• are .encouraged !,by Egyptian precept to
regard themselves, as rovoluticjnarles and many historical
precedents underline the conclusion that revolutionary
movement^ can never afford to stand still,

• ; "’G, Much will depend upon; what attitude we ourselves
adopt in these circumstances. :In my view, although we
cannot and should not attempt permanently to stem the
tido of constitutional advance,', this process has gone as
far .as it should for tho time being. In my Despatch
No. 101 of tho 26th of October, 1954, I referred to the

openings already available to the young aspiring
politician in the form of the functional and representa­

tive bodies then existing. We should now bo able to point,
even more strongly to the opportunities which the
reformists have, if they have also the will and the
ability, to gain practical experience of tho
responsibilities of government,iboforo they press for
wider popular representation. Moreover, bearing in
mind the considerations set out.in Sir Anthony Eden’s
/Despatch No. 203