Page 120 - Personal Column (Charles Belgrave)_Neat

the palace chore were stormy meetings of the Khalifah Shaikhs, who
most trying social function that I have ever attended. On the surface
advocated a show-down. The Committee members and the public
everything was as usual: the band in the gallery played old musical
expected that the ringleaders who had instigated the demonstration would
comedy tunes, servants in scarlet coats moved among the guests, the
illuminated fountains sparkled in the courtyard and the big reception- be arrested, but no arrests were made. Conciliatory counsels prevailed; it
rooms looked very impressive. The Shaikh was deeply concerned over was decided that no strong action should be taken and chat I, the main
the Muharraq incident, never before had he and an honoured guest been object of The Committee’s attack, should have a talk with four of the
insulted by a crowd of his own people, yet he preserved his dignity and members of The Committee to see what I could do to improve the
played the part of a perfect host. The Foreign Office party too, although situation. The position was in some ways quite ludicrous.
shocked at the news of Glubb’s sudden dismissal, about which they heard Ac first the four members were unwilling to come to my office, not
during their flight, and by their hostile reception at Muharraq, tried to wishing it to be known that they were meeting me, but I refused to see
appear as if nothing unusual had happened. But the guests, who knew them anywhere else as I disliked so-called secret meetings, so eventually
nothing of the affair until they arrived at the palace, were buzzing with they capitulated and I had quite an amiable talk with them. I did not
excitement. believe them when they told me that it was not they but their followers
We used one of the anterooms as headquarters, and I spent my time who wished to get rid of me. I showed them a notice which the Shaikh
there listening to reports and giving orders to the police, returning every was issuing, which permitted the formation of committees ‘to work for
few minutes to give the latest news to the Shaikh. During a quiet interval the benefit of the people of Bahrain’, and they said that they would
I sat down to dinner next to Lord Lambton, whose conversation dis­ change the name of their organization and start afresh. As there had never
tracted me for a while from my anxiety about how to convey, in safety, been any objection to people forming committees, although normally the
the Foreign Secretary through the maelstrom of Muharraq to the aero­ approval of the Shaikh was first obtained, the exercise seemed to be a
drome. I soon left the table and returned to the telephone. The situation
face-saving expedient.
was still so uncertain that we could not risk allowing the party to run the I also discussed the Education Council, which had been summoned to
gauntlet of Muharraq, so it was decided that the Foreign Secretary would meet, but only the nominated members had appeared. The elected
await events at the Residency. The party broke up and the Shaikh joined members refused to attend because they did not like the men who the
us in the anteroom, but after an hour or two I persuaded him to go back Shaikh had appointed. There was little to choose between the two groups;
to the palace at Rafaa. In the early morning the police reported that all none of them were men of standing and most of them knew nothing
was quiet. The visitors, with a strong poUcc escort, drove rapidly through about Education, not having been educated themselves. Leading citizens,
Manama, across the causeway to the aerodrome. The streets were deserted who normally sat on such councils, declined to do so because they were
apart from a few coolies waiting for buses to take them to the oil field. not prepared to associate with some of the characters, such as a dismissed
The Committee and their supporters had long ago got tired of waiting schoolteacher, who were nominees of The Committee. However, after a
and had gone home to bed. discussion about this and other matters I began to feel that there was some
I spent most of the week which followed between the Residency and slight hope of being able to achieve a modus vivendi, but my hopes of a
the Rafaa palace, taking part in endless discussions. I had no time to deal peaceful settlement were shattered by an incident which occurred on
with my normal work and often there was no time for meals. The
March nth.
Committee published notices in English and Arabic apologizing for the There was bad feeling between the Manama Municipal authorities and
Selwyn Lloyd affair, which they ascribed to the natural feelings of the the fruit- and vegetable-sellers, who occupied a new market built by the
public. At the same time they demanded my dismissal, but neither then, Shaikh opposite the Town Hall. The market people were Shias, and the
nor at any other time, did they produce any real reason for this demand. Municipal officers'were Sunnis. The fruit-sellers really preferred the dirty
Meanwhile the Residency was negotiating with Abd al Rahman Bakr, old market which they had previously occupied, and they spread them­
the Shaikh’s bete noire, who offered to leave Bahrain for five months if the selves and their wares over the street. A policeman was called by a market
Residency would persuade the Shaikh to recognize The Committee. At inspector to move a man who was selling i in an unauthorized place. There
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