Page 78 - The Origins of the United Arab Emirates_Neat

54 The Origins of the United Arab Emirates
The first major uprising occurred in 1929. Sa‘id usually consulted
his large and influential majlis before taking any major decisions,
and was usually able to obtain the support of its members, but
in 1929 he found it difficult to convince them of the validity
of his method of governing. That year, the majlis was annoyed
at Sa‘id’s general acquiescence to the British Government, particularly
in view of the firmness with which he enforced the payment of
debts: the members of the majlis were principally pearl merchants
and were resentful that the ruler obliged them to honour their
debts to the Indians of Dubai, especially as the pearl market had
been flagging and this had had a severe effect on their financial
positions. Furthermore, Sa‘id had not proved strong enough to
protect the people of Dubai from the ravages of marauding bedouin,
notably the ‘Awamir, in the outlying districts of Dubai, and this
had greatly diminished his prestige. Above all, however, he was
taken to task for the Iranian authorities' seizure of a Dubai vessel
in 1928, and reminded that British help had not been immediately
forthcoming/’0 On a visit to the hinterland in April 1929, therefore,
Sa‘id wrote to the majlis and offered to resign if the members
would not help him to honour his duties.61 The tribal elders at
first viewed the letter with some suspicion and refused to accept
the resignation. On 15 April, however, they met under the leadership
of Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Dalmuk, an influential merchant
who was also the father-in-law of Mani‘ bin Rashid, and proclaimed
Mani‘ ruler of Dubai; they gave as their justification Sa‘id’s letter.
Mani‘ then notified the Residency Agent that Sa‘id had resigned
and that he had replaced him. But the British Government was
not prepared to recognise a new ruler who had come forward
in such ‘unsatisfactory circumstances’. Therefore the Residency Agent
was instructed by the Resident, Lionel Haworth, to inform the
majlis that only a change that could be properly established as
having been brought about by the will of the people would be
acceptable.62 Haworth’s decision was based on the assumption that
Sa‘id commanded the loyalty of the majority of the people of
Dubai as well as that of the bedouin, and he hoped that his
message would bolster the ruler’s weakened position. It had the
desired effect, for on 17 April 400 men of the majlis met to discuss
the Resident’s message. The next day they decided that Shaykh
Sa‘id was to remain in power,63 although his strength was by
no means established; and for the next decade he continued to
be beleaguered by his family. By 1938 the opposition had grown
so strong that Sa‘id was forced to accept the terms laid down
by the Al-bu-Falasah.