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conducted at the Eid Mosque. Al-Qafilah published extracts from Al-Bakir’s speech

during the gathering in which he continued his attacks on foreign-owned-or-

operated enterprises in Bahrain, accusing them of ‘blackmail’ and demanded that

they give ‘what they owe of rights to oppressed people’. 248

The Ruler refused the demands by the HEC and Burrows informed the FO.

The Residency advised the Ruler to further publicise the Government’s work and

instructed the Administration to look into turning the Official Gazette into a weekly

newspaper. 249

With rumours of possible strikes occurring in response to the Ruler’s refusal,

accompanied by trouble similar to the fort attack of the previous summer, the

Resident wrote a strongly worded letter to the Ruler saying that he, ‘has now been

good enough to discuss with the Political Agent and myself the problems which have

arisen in the internal affairs of Bahrain for which Your Highness is responsible’. He

advised (or rather directed) him in this matter to form a Commission of his own

selection to look into public demands and needs. The Commission would report

their findings to the Ruler. He would then decide what course of action to take

based on the findings. In Burrows’ view this action would ease the current internal

political situation. 250 The Ruler replied to the ‘kind letter’, but did not take any

further action. 251

248 Al-Bakir, From Bahrain to Exile, 68; and ‘Ahdafuna wa Matalibunah Al-Shabiyah’ [Our National
Goals and Demands], Al-Qafilah, 12 November 1954.
249 TNA, FO 371/109813, Burrows to FO, 12 November 1954.
250 TNA, FO 371/114586, Resident to the Ruler of Bahrain, 1 December 1954.
251 TNA, FO 371/114586, Translation of Reply from the Ruler of Bahrain to Political Resident, 11
December 1954.

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