Page 429 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (IV)_Neat

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MUNICIPALITIES
MANAMA MUNICIPALITY
(From the Report of Mr. Mohammed Saleh Shntar, Secretary to the Manama Municipal
Council)
At the end of 1370 the Manama Municipal Council consisted of Sunni Arabs and a few
foreigners, the Sliia members having resigned. This was the situation until the Government
dissolved the Council. Attempts were then made to hold an election, in the usual manner,
after some adjustment had been made by the Government over the boundaries of the wards
which would have resulted probably in equal representation by Sunni and Shia members.
It is thought that the local population of Manama, including Persians, is, roughly, divided
equally between Sunnis and Shias. The Sunnis, in the beginning, agreed to hold an election
and a number of Arabs intimated that they would stand for election. The Shias then let it be
known that they would boycott the election, so the Government postponed it. When it was
again decided to hold an election the Arabs boycotted it. The situation appeared to have
reached an impasse. After continuing for some time without a Municipal Council the Govern­
ment invited seven Sunnis and seven Shias to form a temporary committee until the elections
could take place. The Sunnis accepted the proposal, the Shias rejected it.
From then, until the end of the year, the committee of seven Sunni Arabs dealt with
Municipal affairs to the best of their ability. Owing to the situation little except routine work
was carried out and no progress was made in various important matters such as the codification
of Municipal Laws.
On many occasions the Government made attempts to reconcile the two sects and it went
so far as to promise that an equal number of members from each sect would be nominated by
the Government in future, the other half of the Council being elected by public vote. The two
parties reluctantly agreed to attend a joint meeting, under the chairmanship of the Adviser,
in order to try to settle the matter. The meeting was held, it was unproductive and served
only to aggravate the feeling between the two sects.
The main contention of the Sunnis was that because they were more wealthy and influential
than the Shias they ought to predominate on the Council. The Shias argued that because they
were numerically equal to the Sunnis there should be equal representation for both sects on the
Council. The Sunnis arc wealthier and more influential and probably there is an equal number
of Sunnis and Shias in Manama, including the Persian community.

This Municipal dispute is the most serious display of sectarial feeling that has occurred in
Bahrain for many years, and it caused repercussions in many directions. In the case of both
Sunnis and Shias the matter could probably have been settled amicably between the older
members of both communities were it not for the excitable youth factions who exerted influence
on both sides, behind the scenes. More than once one of the parties was willing to accept
proposals which were made by the Government, but their supporters refused to agree to any
compromise. Inevitably the work and the efficiency of the Municipality suffered and many
people pressed the Government to take it over and to turn it into a Government Department,
but to do this would destroy the whole system of a public body, half elected and half nominated,
a system which has been built up over years and which in the past has operated with success.
The Government intimated clearly lhat it had no intention of taking municipal affairs out of the
hands of the people.

Finance.—In the 1371 budget it was anticipated that the revenue would be about 51 lakhs
and that expenditure would exceed the revenue by 11 lakhs. Instead of a deficit there was a
surplus at the end of the year of Rs. 28,000/-. This was due to more revenue being collected
from house and shop taxes and to the substantial increase in the Government subsidy which
was raised from Rs. 54,000 to Rs. 100,000/-.

Two pieces of land in what used to be the Municipal Garden were c'Md for Rs. 42,000, as
building sites, and at the end of 1371 the Municipality had a balance of over 21 lakhs. About :
half a lakh from this balance was set aside for the cost of a new fire engine which had been !
ordered from England.