Coll 6/19 'Arabia: (Saudi Arabia) Hejaz-Nejd Annual Report.' [‎189v] (379/540)

Constitutional Development and Administration.
110. An undated decree, published in Mecca on the 15th January, 1932,
announced the creation of a Council of Ministers consisting of a president, who
was to control four named departments, the Under-Secretary (or Deputy-Minister
as Fuad Bey Hamza prefers to call himself) for Foreign Affairs, the head of the
Finance Department, and the vice-president of the Legislative Council.
president of the council was to be ex officio Viceroy in the King’s absence. TUj
decree was obviously drawn up with reference to a particular person’s position,
that of the King’s second surviving son, the Amir Feisal. The Amir had
previously held the offices of Viceroy and Minister for Foreign Affairs. The four
departments now placed under his control were the existing Viceroy’s office, and
the Ministries for Foreign Affairs, the Interior, and War. Each of these three
Ministries was described as a Wazara, which may be translated Ministry or full
Ministry. The other members of the council were described by the title of Wakil Elected representative or attorney, acting in legal matters such as contracting marriage, inheritance, or business; a high-ranking legal official; could also refer to a custodian or administrator.
or deputy, which may be interpreted as meaning either a person acting for the
head of a department or the head of a department acting on behalf of the
Sovereign. In effect the decree brought into existence a council of four persons
having apparently joint responsibility and comprising one full Minister with
several portfolios and three others of inferior status. It is doubtful incidentally
whether it was seriously intended that even the Amir Feisal should be Minister of
War, a post the only effective incumbent of which always has been and is still
the King.
111. This decree was the last up to date of a series of enactments modifying
the Constitution conferred by Ibn Saud on the Hejaz, as such, in 1926. They were
collected and ably reviewed in a despatch addressed by Mr. Hope Gill to the
Foreign Office on the 18th May, 1932. His study of the matter revealed a complete
lack of cohesion in the patchwork. In August there was a new development when
it was announced that the Department of Finance had been raised to the status
of a Wazara, the head of which was to be Sheikh Abdullah Suleiman. It was
expressly stated that he would be Minister of Finance for the whole of Ibn Sand’s
dominions, with a Wakil Elected representative or attorney, acting in legal matters such as contracting marriage, inheritance, or business; a high-ranking legal official; could also refer to a custodian or administrator. , his brother, to assist him. This singular constitutional
development had an appearance of even greater political significance, inasmuch
as it conferred upon Sheikh Abdullah Suleiman, a henchman of the King, but a
notorious enemy of the Amir Feisal and Fuad Bey Hamza, a title hitherto reserved
for the Amir.
112. Only a few weeks later the King decreed the union of his dominions
under the new name of Saudi Arabia, in circumstances described above. The
decree contained two other important provisions, namely, that, while existing
arrangements were maintained provisionally, the united country was to be
endowed with a single Constitution in due course, and a rule of succession to the
throne was to be instituted. No further public announcement was made up to the
end of the year, but it was understood that the King had designated his eldest
surviving son, the Amir Saud, to succeed him, and had taken steps to ensure the
acceptance of this decision by the members of the family.
113. Although these experiments in Constitution-making, which have been
largely the work of that bright young Syrian, Fuad Bey Hamza, are interesting,
they have had little effect on the administration of the country. The King still
runs it with a motley collection of underlings, of whom those most conspicuous at
the centre of things are his very powerful Minister of Finance, his ingenious
Deputy-Minister for Foreign Affairs, his factotum Sheikh Yussuf Yasin, and,
perhaps, the Vice-President of the Legislative Assembly, Sheikh Abdullah-al-
Fadhl. A curious recruit was added late in the year in the person of
Muwaffaq Bey A1 Alusi, who came to Jedda in 1931 as a member of Nuri Pasha’s
delegation, fell foul of the Iraqi Government later, and was appointed legal
adviser to the Saudi Government in due course. The principal posts in the
provincial Administration are held by relatives or connexions of the King. His
eldest son runs Nejd proper, and, perhaps, more. His cousin, Abdullah-bin-Jiluwi,
is Governor, and a strong Governor, of Hasa. Another relative, Abdul
Aziz-bin-Musaid was Governor of Hail and was chosen late in 1932 to be
Governor-General of Asir. Two Sudairis, relatives of the King’s mother, have
governorates in the country adjoining Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan . The other governorates are
mostly held by Nejdis. In some places hereditary rights seem to be respected.