Page 25 - The Arabian Gulf States_Neat

POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS xxv
1. The powers of the Federal Government vis-d-vis the Member
Emirates: Bahrain, counting on the support of Abu Dhabi, was in
favour of granting the federal government wide legislative and
executive powers. Throughout the negotiations for the formation of
the federation, the Bahraini delegation insisted that the Member
Emirates should not exercise, within their boundaries, more than
residuary administrative powers. Some other Emirates adopted an
opposite line on this issue. They took the position that, apart from
defence and foreign affairs, which were to be vested in the federal
government, all the other sovereign powers were to be left within
the jurisdiction of the respective Emirates in their capacities as
sovereign entities. According to this viewpoint, it was suggested
that the proposed constitution should authorise the local authorities
of the Member Emirates to exercise executive powers in respect of
such matters as customs tariff, civil aviation, communication,
ownership and exploitation of natural resources and membership of
certain international organisations (i.e. Opec & Oapec).1
2. The Basis of Representation in the Federal Assembly: The
majority of the Rulers insisted that representation of Member
Emirates in the Federal Assembly should be on equal basis.
However, Bahrain (which has about one half of the total population
of all the Member States of the federation) objected to this principle
and proposed that each Amirate should be represented in the
Federal Assembly in proportion to its population. It is noteworthy
that Bahrain had already modified her position on this point in the
end by accepting the principle of equal representation for the first
period of four years, provided that this principle would be
reconsidered, after the end of this period, in the light of the principle
of proportional representation for each Member Amirate.
Moreover, Bahrain held the position that representatives of the
proposed Federal Assembly should be elected, rather than
appointed, by the Emirates concerned.2
3. The Site of the Federal Capital: It was agreed in the beginning
that the city of Abu Dhabi should be regarded as the site of the
provisional capital, pending the decision on the location of the
permanent capital. However, Dubai and Qatar insisted that the
proposed constitution should also provide in one of its articles that
the permanent capital would be established, within a definite period
of time, on a site to be located between the coastal boundaries of
Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Bahrain disagreed with this view on the
ground that it was quite premature to predict the site of the
permanent capital in the constitution. Bahrain’s point of view was
1. Official Records of the Bahrain Government (1970-1971); Official Records of
the Secretariat of the Provisional Federal Council.
2. Ibid.