Page 118 - Personal Column (Charles Belgrave)_Neat
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The Committee had no means of enforcing decisions they soon left off
appealing to them. The Shaikh had approved of Public Health and
Education councils being set up, but their form and functions had not
been decided. He wished to nominate the members himself, but The
Committee wanted them to be elected; a compromise was reached by
which half the-members were to be elected and half to be nominated, with
Twenty-two a chairman from the Ruling Family. This was according to the practice
on the Municipal Councils.
Cloak and dagger meetings between The Committee and the Resi
Confusion now has made its masterpiece. dency staff continued. Though supposedly secret they were freely dis
Macbeth. Shakespeare cussed in the bazaar. Even if the object was to find a way out of the
political impasse it was an unwise manner in which to go about it, and it
caused astonishment among the leading Arabs and indignation among the
W months’ leave, but I soon found that I would need all the Shaikhs. The Committee spread wild stories about their conversations,
e returned at the end of September refreshed after three
saying that the British supported all their aims, one of which was to get
energy which I had accumulated to deal with the situation in
Bahrain. Outwardly everything seemed quiet; various projects were rid of me.
Before I went on leave the Shaikh had appointed my son, who had
progressing, the scheme for generating electricity from natural gas, piped
been in the Public Relations Department of BAPCO for two years, as
from the oil field, and for providing the villages with electricity,
was Public Relations Officer to the Government, a post which included
nearing completion. The new T.B. hospital, with fifty beds, and the
organizing the Bahrain Broadcasting Station, ‘B.B.S.’, which came on
chest clinic were ready for use and the deep-water pier was getting on
the air in August 1955. It was not an easy undertaking because everyone
well. The women’s hospital, which was still under construction, looked had a different idea about the functions of the B.B.S. The views of the
alarmingly large when I considered the cost of the staff which would
British about what should be relayed did not always coincide with the
be needed to run it; but financially we were in good shape, it was still views of the Government, the British were apt to forget that B.B.S. was
possible to invest a third of the oil revenue in productive schemes and not B.B.C. During the difficult period which followed the B.B.S. was of
British Government stock.
great value to the Bahrain Government, and it is now a most popular
But the political situation was grim. There was far more tension and institution.
anxiety than when I left. A British contracting company, working in On Christmas Eve Anwar Saadat, who was mainly responsible for
conjunction with an Arab firm, had run into difficulties. There had been Egyptian propaganda, came to Bahrain on his way to Kuwait. The
disputes and even fights between the European and Arab employees, Committee, with a crowd of excited, enthusiastic supporters, assembled
followed by strikes. Evidently an Anglo-Arab undertaking was no at the airport to meet him. There had been rain and the ground was
guarantee against labour trouble. The Committee had taken an active covered with puddles of oil and water. The aeroplane arrived. The
part in stirring up this trouble and had then offered to mediate, a game Committee and their supporters rushed forward and lifted Anwar .
which was often played in Bahrain. shoulder high, carrying him in triumph towards the airport building. But
The Committee was still not recognized by the Shaikh, though he somebody slipped. The next thing that one saw was a very angry Anwar
had met one or two of the members privately, which incensed the party Saadat sprawling in the oily mud.
which advocated a strong line of action. The Committee was trying by He was to have luncheon with the Shaikh at Rafaa and the Shaikh’s
all means to acquire influence, the members persuaded villagers to bring car was,at the airport to meet him. Still covered with mud he was politely
their disputes to them, arguing that it was the duty of good Moslems to ushered into the car and driven briskly out to Rafaa. On arrival, angry
settle the disputes of their neighbours, but when the villagers found that and apologetic, he asked for hot water and soap. A servant took him to a
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