Page 225 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (IV)_Neat

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MUNICIPALITIES

Manamah Municipality
(From the report of Mr. Mohomed Saleh Shat tar, Secretary, Manamah Municipality.)
Statement of Revenue and Expenditure for the year 1369.
Revenue. Expenditure.
Rs. a. p. Rs. a. p.
Shop Tax .......................... 162,786 11 5 Administration :
I louse Tax 97.373 11 3 Staff salaries, etc..................... 65,289 10 9
Government Grant 36,000 o 0 Office expenses 6,978 11 o
Share of Vehicle Tax 19.395 5 6 Transport 63,744 2 o
Rent of Municipal property.. 27.039 ” 4 Works :
Garden Revenue 3.437 o 0 Town cleaning 91,576 9 0
Fees from butchers and Town lighting 10,943 10 o
slaughter house 8,588 o 0 Road metalling and repairing 71,765 II o
Building and mason fees 6,042 o 0 Widening roads 453 8 o
Miscellaneous taxes 58.340 5 o Pauper burials 3,386 8 o
Upkeep of Municipal properly 11,771 6 o
419,002 12 6 Muharraq shares in certain
taxes 21,438 5 o
Upkeep of public w.c. and
rubbish bins 33i 4 o
Miscellaneous 16,165 2 9
360.457 i5 6
Surplus .. 58.544 13 o
Total Rs. 419,002 12 6 Total Rs. 419,002 12 6
Cash in Bank at the end of
1368 ........................... 109,003 6 1
Cash in Bank at the end of
1369 ........................... 140.598 4 n
Municipal Elections.—The Manamah Municipal Council consists of 24 members with a
President who is appointed by the Government. At one time the Ruler of Bahrain was himself the
President of the Municipal Council but as this gave the highest authority to all decisions of the Muni­
cipal Council subsequently one of the senior members of the Ruling Family held this post. The
present incumbent of the post is His Excellency Shaikh Abdullah bin Isa Alkhalifah, c.i.E. Half
of the members are elected by the votes of those householders who pay not less than Rs. 4 per annum
in municipal tax, the other half are nominated by the Government. Government nominations are
made after the election. The town is divided into wards each ward being represented on the council
by two or more members according to the number of voters in each ward. Persons of all nationalities
are entitled to vote and to stand for election.

Over a number of years the system of representation and the methods of voting have been
improved yet there are still many Arabs of the older generation who regard a seat on the council
almost as a family prerogative, to be occupied by the senior members of certain leading families.
In the past people took little interest in elections and those who were persuaded, usually with diffi­
culty, to come forward as candidates for election regarded it as bad form to do any public canvassing
though occasionally they went to some trouble, and expense, to encourage people to vote for them.
It was more popular to be a Government nominee than an elected member because to stand for election
and not to be returned was regarded as derogatory. It came to be assumed however that any one
who was not elected, provided that he had a certain number of votes, would automatically be
nominated by the Government.
The Manamah election took place soon after the general election iu Great Britain which in
Bahrain had been followed with intense interest by the young educated Arabs, members of the clubs,
who listened to the election broadcasts. When notices announcing the Manamah election were issued
a number of young men, of a very different calibre to the usual type of municipal councillors, offered