Page 237 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (I)_Neat
P. 237
-2-
235
question of the oil concession granted by this State to
the Eastern and General Syndicate, They appeared to suppose
that it was a very recent matter. The Arab papers contended
that it was entirely wi thin the rights of the Bahrain Govern
ment to grant the concession, the Persian papers obviously,
regarded it as an infringement of their sovereignty over
Bahrain.
nAl-Ihramn Cairo, 31st August 1930.
"One who does not know Bahrain will truly believe that
Shaikh Haraed bin Isa, the Shaikh of Bulirain. is the person
who grants concessions and does things which suits lum.
The fact is that the Shaikh cannot do onything, not even
can he visit his father, without asking the tuviae of the
British. The rule in 3airuin is in the hanis of the
British. The British adviser is the person who rules
over Bahrain and Iv levies taxes. lie" collects the reve
nues and the Customs duties of the country. lie orders
and he executes, and the Shaikh puts his iionuui-ed signa
ture on all papers v/liich the British Adviser submits to
him, without"giving any oDinion of his own. In return
for thisx(the signature) the Shaikh gets from the British
(Eastern) Bank in Bahrain, on the first of ever^v Arabic
month, tne allowance wliicn was fixed by-him foruiimi by
the British Government namely Its 10,000/- or 12700/-.
The Shaikh of Bahrein is therefore the ruler in name where
as all the power is in the hand cf the British Adviser
who was appointed by the Colonial Office, London. The
Shaikh visits the Government offices for half an hour every
fortnight. From this it will appear that the concession
which the British Oil Comncny obtained in Bahrain was
granted by the British and not by the Shaikh, and the
Adviser is the person who entered into agreement with I
~ .mpany. The Shaikh had si^ied the deed of agree-
ithout knowing what-was written and aay not have
Pori rvf* nnnnpqqinn.
"Fata al-Arab" 1st Se-tr. 1930. referring to the oil con-
cession.—
"We do not know whether her protest will have some effects
as her previous one or if the League of Nations will lay
aside and pay no attention to it, but we know that her
claim is absolutely baseless for Bahrain is g pure Arab
State which became under Persian control for a short time !
and then they (Persian) lost it since a long time. If
we deny the Persians their rights in Bahrain islands, it
does not mean that Bahrein should be under British control
for the population of these islands are pure Arabs as we
-a said before and the national theories have occupied their
minds perfectly in the last years and it became their sole
intention to get rid of British control and to join one
of the two neighbouring Arab kinddoms of iiejd and Iraq.
But they should do nothing as their opinions are hardly
pressed and they have no note in win t England does whether !
from the economical or political point of views. ""