Page 194 - The Origins of the United Arab Emirates_Neat

1 (io The Origins of the United Arab Emirates

distinguish between themselves as part of a governing body and
themselves as members of the AI-bu-Falasah; they referred to them­
selves as ‘a'l/al al-hnkmnah (the governing family). One incident
in particular may be used to illustrate thus. Jum‘ah bin Maktum
wished to have buildings constructed in the Suq al-Jarid of Dubai.
The majlis disapproved of the venture, but condemned it for two
different reasons. One objection stemmed from a family tradition,
which had originated during the reign of Bulti bin Suhayl, that
the income from a building that was constructed on a previously
empty lot in the Suq al-Jarid could not be used by the ruler
without the permission of his family, who usually allocated the
money to its needy members. In the present case, the majlis accused
Sa‘id of ignoring the tradition by selling empty lots and having
shops built on them, to his own pecuniary advantage.43 It also
claimed that the late Residency Agent, ‘Isa bin ‘Abd al-Latif,
had been bribed to help Sa‘id in his acquisitions.44 It was not
until some time later that the majlis referred to its second ground
for objection, public welfare, decrying Jum‘ah’s disobedience of the
government.45
The weaknesses of the majlis gradually became more obvious,
for, in the final analysis, the lofty ideals and worthy aims of the
reform movement were dissipated by self-interest. Besides allocating
a salary of too rupees per month to each of its members, the
majlis provided pensions to the old men and women of the ruling
family; these were only two of the state subsidies that the Al-bu-Fala-
sah received. Furthermore, patronage of the newly-created govern­
ment departments seemed to be monopolised by the same elite.
Gradually, the people of Dubai began to manifest their resentment,
and, according to the Political Resident, ‘a feeling spread that
for one despot there had merely been substituted a board of despo­
tism \46
On 3 March 1939 the majlis decided that the ruler was to
have a fixed annual income of 10,000 rupees,47 and that the income
from the oil concession and the air agreement was to revert to
the national treasury.48 This was extremely trying for Sa‘id, for
he then realised how dependent he was on the majlis, despite the
fact that he had virtually ignored it. He wrote a pathetic letter
to Hashar, pleading for a reply to his request for more money.49
He was by then totally alienated from the majlis, and had to
find a way to rid himself of it. The opportunity presented itself
on the occasion of the wedding, on 29 March 1939, of Rashid
bin Sa'id to Shaykhah Latifah, daughter of Hamdan bin Zayid
of Abu Dhabi, whose family, following his murder in 1922, had
lived in exile in Dubai.50 The bedouin of the hinterland,51 always
Sa'id’s allies, had previously promised to help him; they crowded