Page 201 - The Origins of the United Arab Emirates_Neat

The Exercise of Power: British Representatives 167

that no interdepartmental meeting in London on Gulf affairs would
readily sanction such overt use of force, which would only serve
to incite greater anti-British sentiment.
Other, less obvious and dramatic, but nonetheless potent, factors
contributed to the British success in the Gulf. The most outstanding
of these was the power exerted by its officers in the area, particularly
‘Isa bin ‘Alxl al-Latif, Residency Agent in Sharjah from 1919
to 1935, and T. C. W. Fowlc, Political Resident in Bushirc from
1932 lo 1939.

K. B. ‘ISA BIN ‘ABD AL-LATIF obe, RESIDENCY AGENT
*9*9-35

The enormous personal influence of K. B. ‘Isa bin ‘Abd al-Latif
cannot be overestimated; his functions as British representative on
the Coast extended well beyond any official statements of policy.
Until 1932, when his authority was curbed by an increase in the
authority of the Political Agent in Bahrain, ‘Isa was in virtual
control of the entire area; this was largely owing to the remoteness
of the Coast from the Residency in Bushirc, in terms of both
distance and communications, and to ‘Isa’s awareness of his own
powers.
He was the third member of his family, known on the Coast
as the ‘Bayt Sarkali’, to have held the position of Residency Agent,
his father and grandfather having done so before him. The special
power and influence of the family had been built up over the
years, and aroused considerable jealousy in the area; members of
the family were even reputed to have tried to steal the wives
of the rulers, ‘sometimes with unfortunate results’.9 ‘Isa succeeded
his father in 1919, by which time he was already well acquainted
with the intricate procedures of the job. His exact lineage is unclear:
some reports identified him as a Perso-Arab from Kuwait, others
as a native of Bahrain. His appearance has been more specifically
described: ‘a big man and a wall-eye adds a somewhat crafty
expression to his face, and though genial in manner the impression
he creates is that his service and loyalty are dependent on the
manner in which he is reimbursed’.10 He had a large personal
fortune, which had been amassed through use (and abuse) of the
prestige of his office. He lived in Sharjah, where he owned a
valuable part of the suq (market place), and in summer he moved
to Ras al-Khaimah, where he had rich date gardens.
Until 1929 his salary was a mere 150 rupees a month. With
that he had to employ a clerk for the Agency, entertain all official
British visitors (political officers and officers of the Navy and RAF)