Page 116 - Personal Column (Charles Belgrave)_Neat

pearl brokers in Bahrain; one of them was concerned in mixing cultured
able by October 1956 to submit a draft Labour Law to the Government
pearls with real pearls which, when Bahrain depended on the pearl trade,
which, after some amendments, was accepted. It was a considerable
was a serious matter. He and his brother finally left Bahrain and returned achievement. One might have supposed that The Committee, which
to Qatar. Bakr was a fat, unhealthy, light-complcxioned man, un­ claimed to be concerned with the rights of workers, would have wel­
reliable and excitable. He never made a success of any business and
comed it. They displayed small interest in it except by advocating one
he lived a hand-to-mouth existence. He
too was a most persuasive single trades union for all workers in Bahrain which would have placed
speaker.
great power in the hands of a few men who controlled it who, The Com-
Abd Ali Alewat, the third member of the hierarchy, was a small shop­
mittcc assumed, would be themselves.
keeper in Manama, a Sliia with little or no education. He was involved in
At about the same time Bakr and Shcmlan began to pay frequent
transactions in scrap metal, which once was a profitable form of business, visits to the houses of some of the British Residency staff at Jufair, and
but for him it was disastrous and he lost what little capital he possessed.
they told their supporters about the conversations which they had with the
He was bitterly opposed to the Ruling Family, especially to the judges in-
British officials. Their versions of these talks may or may not have been
the courts who had spent much time in trying to disentangle his com­
true, but it was believed by all the Bahrainis that the British were sup­
plicated financial activities.
porting The Committee against the Shaikh. Some of the young men on
Another member of The Committee was a mullah of Iraqi origin,
the Residency staff doubtl'ess found it interesting to take a hand in local
who had been disappointed at not having been chosen as a Shia Kadhi,
politics, though they knew little about the political situation. Their action,
owing to his unsuitability. He was a useful figurehead at meetings; he
however, did not tend to improve the relations between the Shaikh and
sat on the platform wearing an enormous black turban and a black robe,
the British, nor did it make my own position easier, for The Committee
looking the part of a learned divine, but he never spoke and never seemed
began to intensify its campaign against me.
to understand what was being said. The rest of The Committee were
When I went on leave, in June, I felt very anxious about what might
stooges. One of them, a little old man who kept a tobacco shop in happen while I was away; the day before I left I wrote in my diary: ‘I am
Manama, who could not sign his own name, told me that he stayed on
apprehensive at leaving just now. There are so many sparks that might
The Committee because he was afraid of the consequences if he resigned.
light up trouble and cause a conflagration.’ No major political crisis did
Below The Committee there was a second group of 100 members consisting
occur that summer. The cold season was the time for trouble. In the hot
of young clerks, schoolteachers and men who travelled frequently be­
weather, when the climate was damp and, to most people, enervating,
tween Bahrain and Egypt. It was said that if anything happened to The
there was less crime and less political activity.
Committee a hundred young men would leap into the fray, but when
Marjorie had gone ahead of me, and after a few weeks in London
five of the eight leaders were finally arrested not a single man came
forward. we sailed in the Queen Elizabeth on our first visit to America as the guests
of the Standard Oil Company of California. The restful days at sea were
In the spring of 1955 discussions began about introducing a Labour
a pleasant change after the worries of Bahrain and good preparation for
Law, which I had advocated some time before, though the final law
went our non-stop tour through the States. In a little over a month we travelled
beyond my original suggestions. I had thought that the time was not yet
by air, by train and by car, north as far as Buffalo, south as far as New
ripe for trades unions, and that they should be introduced at a later stage.
Orleans and across the continent to the West Coast, rarely spending more
We had no expert to tackle the matter, so when the British Government
than one or two nights.in the same place. It was a strenuous trip, but we
offered to lend a senior labour expert the offer was accepted. A Labour
met with so much kindness and hospitality from our American friends
Advisory Committee was set up to prepare a draft law.. It consisted of
that we enjoyed every minute of it. The Shaikh’s two elder sons were
three Government nominees, three representatives chosen by employers
visiting America and we were with them for some time, but they sailed
and three men elected by the workers. A second, less senior, labour expert
for Europe before we left. Their visit was a great success and they made a
replaced the first one, and it was mainly owing to his patience and hard
good impression on the people whom they met.
work that the committee, which began its sittings in April 1955, was We were tremendously impressed by America. The rushing, vigorous
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