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is that the reformists have now been given enough rope and it is to be hoped that

they will hang themselves’, according to Gault. 428

An account by the Political Agency to the Residency on the latest

developments in Bahrain provided some detail (not made public) of the negotiations

that had taken place between the Administration and the HEC. Although nationalist

papers such as Al-Watan had adopted a call for women’s rights as it had published

articles in this field like ‘On the Issue of Women’s Freedom in Bahrain’ by Shala

Khalfan and ‘We must Equip Women for Freedom’ by Abdul-Rahman Al-Shamlan, 429

remarkably the HEC objected to the Administration’s wish to allow women the right

to vote for the three councils. Oddly the Party only insisted on men voting and for

the minimum age of voting to be set at eighteen. The Bahraini Government on the

other hand thought that the minimum age put forward by the HEC was too low.

Furthermore, Gault revealed that Al-Bakir believed in private that ‘Bahrain would

not be ready for a Legislative Council for another five or seven years’, contradicting

the main objective set by his Movement. 430

In November the HEC publically announced its intention of organising a cris

de coeur to assist Nasser financially for the purchase of Soviet weapons. Al-Watan

published a series of articles in relation to the matter that provided details of the

event and its sponsors. A committee to raise and deliver the funds was established

and consisted of Yusuf bin Isa BuHiji, Ebrahim Al-Maskati, Al-Alaiwat, Al-Shamlan,

428 TNA, FO 371/114587, Gault to FO, 28 November 1955.
429 S. Khalfan, ‘Hawla Tahrir Al-Mar’a fi Al-Bahrain’ [On the Issue of Women’s Freedom in Bahrain] Al-
Watan, 26 August 1955, 5; and ‘Yajib and Nu’ahil Al-Mar’a ila Al-Huriyah’ [We must Equip Women for
Freedom], Al-Watan, 12 August 1955, 12.
430 TNA, FO 371/114587, Gault to Burrows, 20 November 1955.

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