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The Reform Movement of Dubai 159

political reform of Dubai, and were very serious about their purpose.
That this was so is plain from copies of the correspondence between
the movement’s leaders, Shaykh Sa‘id and the Residency Agent,
and the minutes of meetings of the majlis, which documents were
carefully conserved and finally, after the collapse of the reform
movement, deposited with the Political Agent in Bahrain. The term
wajibat wataniyyah (national duty) that Mani‘, as the chief spokesman
of the majlis, used in his correspondence with Sa‘id36 is indicative
of the approach taken by the majlis during its brief tenure of
power. The members of the majlis also expressed the sentiment
that their first duty was towards their country (biladina) and that
their personal wishes had to be put aside in favour of the common
good.37 They specifically referred to themselves as a reform movement
(thawrat al-islah).38 Shaykh Sa‘id at first forcefully complained about
the measures taken by the majlis. He protested that changes in
Dubai should be brought about with the guidance of the shariah
(the canon law of Islam), which he regarded as the only true
basis for law and progress. It is evident that he did not consider
the majlis a tool of his own power, but regarded it as an alien,
usurping body. He rarely attended its meetings, but nevertheless
was indignant when decisions were taken without his knowledge
and without taking cognisance of his opinion. Mani‘ continued,
however, to inform Sa‘id when meetings of the majlis would take
place and what would be'the agenda; he remarked to Sa‘id on
his failure to attend, and stressed that a number of the reforms
that the majlis was contemplating had been suggested to the ruler
many years before.39
To enlarge the port of Dubai and to beautify the town were
two of the more ambitious projects on which the majlis worked.
Since the income of the state was not sufficient to cover the costs
of enlarging the port, it was decided that they would have to
be subsidised from the revenues provided by the oil concession
and the air agreement.10 The streets of Dubai needed to be laid
out properly, and the majlis considered improving the general appear­
ance of the town.41 In line with this, improvements to the main
roads and the seafront of the town were started, but on 12 February
1939 Shaykh Sa‘id issued an order forbidding the work on the
roads, saying that he did not wish to have them widened. Annoyed
at such disregard of their plans, the members of the majlis complained
to the Residency Agent, accusing Sa‘id of having had personal,
probably financial, reasons for putting an end to the road-works.42
There is little doubt that Sa'id wished to maintain the growth
of his personal investments regardless of the new regulations. The
members of the majlis, on the other hand, weakened their case
considerably, in their programme of reform, by their inability to