Coll 6/19 'Arabia: (Saudi Arabia) Hejaz-Nejd Annual Report.' [‎165r] (330/540)

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112. It was proposed early in the year to make Ibn Musaid himself
Governor-General of Asir. This plan was abandoned, and in the spring it was
decided to appoint as Governor-General Turki As-Sdayry, previously Governor
of Jauf in the north and a connexion by marriage of Ibn Sand. A certain
Hamad Ash-Shuwayir was made Governor of Tihamat Asir.
113. During the remainder of the year both parts of Asir presented an
appearance of complete tranquillity. It was not certain, however, how far
Ibn Saud made his authority effective in the mountainous regions towards the
Yemen. Posts were apparently established at various places, but it is note
worthy that, as the quarrel with the Imam developed, the loyalty of the tribes
to Ibn Saud became more and more doubtful, and, as described in paragraph 46
above, some of them actually revolted. The King held the Imam, or at any rate
his subordinates acting in conjunction with Abdul Wahhab-al-Idrisi, responsible
for this outbreak. He also accused the Imam’s people of tampering with the
Masariha and other tribes. In fact the principal tribes concerned in the rebellion
of 1932, on whom Ibn Saud claimed to have imposed his will, seemed to be
reappearing as factors in the dispute between him and the Imam.
Constitutional Development and Administration.
114. When Ibn Saud’s dominions were unified under their present name in
September 1932, it was announced (see paragraph 112 of the last report) that a
single Constitution would be drawn up in due course, and a rule of succession to
the throne would be established. No progress seems to have been made with the
new Constitution, and, indeed, it is difficult to imagine how a system could readily
be devised to meet the requirements of so diversified a country and people. The
Council of Ministers appears, however, to have more or less tacitly become a
council for the whole country. There are indications, in the Hejaz at any rate,
that the King increasingly observes certain constitutional forms, e.g., as regards
the manner in which he communicates his decisions through the Amir Feisal as
President of the Council. In the sphere of foreign affairs he certainly with
draws himself more and more behind the screen of the Ministry for Foreign
Affairs. On the other hand, he has not repeated the 1931 experiment of convoking
a partly elective National Conference of urban representatives, which was to be
annual, and in all important matters he retains supreme control. It may be noted
as a minor sign of the times that in 1933 official communiques began to be
numbered and dated.
115. The most spectacular constitutional development of the year was the
solemn proclamation of the King’s eldest surviving son in May as heir apparent.
This was done in accordance with precedents for the Baya or swearing of fealty
to an heir during the lifetime of a sovereign, of which the first great example
was the choice of a successor to the Caliph Muawiya in the person of his son
Yezid, and of which there was at least one notable instance in the earlier history
of the House of Saud. On the present occasion everything was done, as stated
in the Introduction, to make the selection of the heir appear to be the election
of a unanimous people, endorsed by the King and to commit the remainder of
the Royal Family to acceptance of it. The heir himself remained at Riyadh, while
his brother Feisal and the local Governors received the Baya of the people of the
Hejaz. Then Feisal and a posse of princes waited on the Amir Saud at Riyadh.
He and the King exchanged telegrams and letters full of injunctions on the one
side and piety on the other. Full justice cannot be done in the space available
to this great affair, but two of the King's injunctions are worth recording. He
bade his son respect the ulema, who were like stars adorning the sky, guiding
travellers and warning devils away, but added that they were of two kinds, those
who shone both in knowledge and counsel, and those who had knowledge but whose
opinions should not necessarily be followed. He also bade him to pay the utmost
attention to foreign affairs, remembering that the relations of States are founded
on exchange of benefits and inter-dependence of interests. He recommended
close study of the policy of other countries to a prince whose duty it would be to
promote the welfare of his own and defend it against enemies. Beware, he
said, “of statements made to you in the apparent form of advice, while inwardly
something else is meant.’’ But the policy of the prince towards other States
should be based, both outwardly and inwardly, on friendship and peace; and he
should be mindful of his duty towards all Moslems and Arabs.