Coll 28/97(2) ‘Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎98r] (195/252)

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4* Constituent AssemHy*
It has for some time been known that the Shah was anxious to introduce
constitutional reform though the way in which this would !e done was
uncertain. At length, on 24th February, after many disaassions behind the
scenes with elder statesmen and others, the Shah summoned various Ministers
and leaders of political fractions, and told then that the state of the j*
- country clearly shewed that the principles of the Constitution were not in
keeping with the times and that certain reforms were necessary. He said
there should be machinery for dissolving the Majlis and for revising the
Constitution. He therefore required the Gkrvernnent to issue a decree for a
Constituent Assembly and take all necessary action as soon as possible. He
further said that if the existing Majlis were unable to pass the Senate Rill
and to amend the Electoral Law by the time the Constituent Assembly was
invoked (this is expected to be about the middle of April) these two natters
would be dealt with by the latter. The ’' firman A Persian word meaning a royal order or decree issued by a sovereign, used notably in the Ottoman Empire (sometimes written ‘phirmaund’). " for the convocation of the
Constituent Assembly together with regulations for its election were
published today. So far, reactions to the formation of a Constituent
Assembly appear to be favourable but it is as yet early to judge.
5* The Majlis.
The Majlis was apparently jerked into activity as a result of the attack
on the Shah. On 15th February a notion was approved by the Majlis calling
on the Government to submit to the Majlis 7 Year Plan Committee within 3
months, its own plan for the implementation of the 7 Year Plan. Considerable
attention has also been given to the Press Law, certain details of which are
given in para 6 . The Economic Commission approved a new Income tax law
though the ability of the administration fully to implement any law of this
nature is always open to doubt. Later in the month enthusiasm again declined
and the Majlis failed to form a quorum on several occasions, but on 23rd
February the Minister of Finance tabled the budget for the Persian year 132®
which begins on 20th March,1949* This constitutes something of a record
being the first time for many years that a o'pnpletc budget has been presented
before the start of the year to which it applies. Supplementary clauses for
the last 4 months of the present year's budget, however, still await approval.
During the month Eskandarij Communist sympathiser and author of the inter
pellation last month, perhaps thinking discretion the better part of valour,
left the country. Engineer Razavi, whose voice has also been heard
frequently in the Majlis of late, and who is considered by some to be mentally
deranged,, also departed a few days ago for the United Kingdom.
£* The Dress Bill.
On 8 th February the Minister of Education, Dr Zanganeh, introduced in
the Majlis a Press Pill with the request for "double urgency" procedure. This
bill provides for the immediate arrest and trial without jury of any editor
or writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. responsible for a seditious article or one defamatory to the Shah,
the Royal Family, the religion of the country, Ministers, Deputies and
Government officials, or Heads of Foreign Governments. This measure aroused
considerable antagonism amongst Majlis Deputies who considered it a device
completely to muzzle the Press. The Press itself, in spite of the existence
of martial lav/ and the consequent fear of being suppressed, protested
vociferously agiinst the Bill. In the Majlis the proposal- for "double
urgency" was lost by 2 votes and the Bill passed to the Education Commission
who referred it to the Justice Commission. Here it was re-drafted to limit
its provision to immediate arrest and trial for articles inspiring sedition
or those attacking the Shah, his near relatives, the Islamic religion and
Heads of Foreign Governments. Owing perhaps to opposition to the Bill,
there was no quorum in the Majlis on several days round the middle of
February and the new draft was not presented to the Majlis until 22nd
February when a lively but inconclusive argument ensued.