Page 183 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (II)_Neat

2<l
In the winter and spring a fairly good supply of European vegetables is now
available in the Manama bazaar, produced in local gardens. Locally grown fruit
however, excepting dates, is almost non existent.
During the last date season there was a very slight recurrence of the date
disease which did so much harm during the previous year. Locusts, which used to
visit Bahrain in swarms almost every year, have not appeared during the last four
or five years.
Political Unrest and Press Propaganda.

During the latter half of the year there was a state of political unrest in
Bahrain. Events in Kuwait and, later, in Dubai contributed towards this condition.
Newspaper articles began to appear in the Arab press in the spring attacking the
Bahrain administration and showing strongly anti-British tendencies
A group of discontented individuals in Bahrain encouraged the so-called
educated young men in Manama and Muharraq to believe that they were suffering
from various grievances. The movement was mainly among the young Howlis,
Sunni Persians resident for more than a generation in Bahrain who form the
majority of the shop-keeper class. It was supported by a few older men some of
whom believed themselves to be progressive but most of whom were actuated by
persoual motives and dislike of the existing government. The chief agitators wore
Ali bin Khalifah al Fadil, who had once been the secretary of the Manama Munici­
pality but was dismissed in disgrace and later convicted of misappropriating wakf
funds, Saad bin Shamlan, a negro wakil in the courts who had been debarred from
appearing in court owing to malpractices, Ibrahim bin Abdulla Kamal, who had
done nine months imprisonment for fraud and Ahmed Chirawi another court wakil
with an unsatisfactory reputation.
These leaders endeavoured to gain the sympathies of the chief Shia merchants
of Mauama, who had been conferring with the government for some time about
reforms in the Shia Shera courts and also tried to enlist the support of leading Arabs
in a movement against the Government. The Shia leaders were not drawn into the
affair and none of the important Arabs gave the agitators any open support though
various individuals were in sympathy with certain items included in the demands
which were being discussed. They disapproved of the methods which were used.
During the autumn the press compaign in the Egyptian, Syrian and Iraqi
papers was intensified and in Bahrain anonymous notices were stuck up in the town.
Political meetings were held incessantly. The leaders asked their supporters to
demand a legislative council, a committee to take over the education department, the
removal of the Khalifah Shaikhs from posts of magistrates, changes in all
departments of the administration including His Highness’s private household and
innuraraerable concessions from the Bahrain Petroleum Company including a
committee of local merchants to engage labourers aud deal with disputes and labour
affairs.
During Ramadan it was known to the Government that the so-called leaders
were canvassing the important Arabs in Hedd and Muharraq to join a movement
which was definitely against the Government. On 12th Ramadan three of the chief
agitators were arrested. The fourth leader, Ali bin Khalifah attempted during the
night to organise a strike of workers at the oil fields. Up to this time no demands
had been put forward for the consideration of the Government or addressed to the
Bahrain Petroleum Company. Most of the semi-educated youths workiug as office
boys, gaugers, motor drivers etc. with the Bahrain Petroleum Company were in
sympathy with the movement, though not interested in reforms in the Government
services they were induced to join the movement in the expectation of getting higher
pay and similar conditions to skilled Indian workmen.
The strike was abortive. Pickets of boys who tried to prevent workmen
ret ;hing the oil fields wore arrested by His Highuess’s retainers and although a
number of labourers failed to attend their work, having been told that no work would
be done that day, the routine of the Company was not interrupted.