'Muscat. Desire of Sultan Taimur bin Faisal to Abdicate.' [‎22r] (51/408)

rtior to oeayi-d xaionix's acce3sion .,(jovernj.aent's attitude was tnaftaey
would view with, satisfaction the succession in iaaua. of one 01 tiie ues-
-oendants of Saiyid baid provided ne were capable of presc-rTina mter-
-nax order, conducting tlie (iovernnent of tne State and upholding
existing relations between Muscat and tiie ari-xsh GoTe. -.nt tut t-it
tjie succession must be settled by tne chiefs and people of the country",
foreign secretary to Hesident dated June lodl; •
xn o/tiier words / uoverniient reaognized tne de facto ruler after ne Jaad
succeeded in estaoxisnxng nxmst-.-*
In the case of Saiyj-d Xainur.the position was somewhat different.
iOis tribes / botn Simmt and Lrhafir^ were in rebellion;ostensicly Rowing
to tne Arms ,areaouse,and we were forced to recognize ni^even though
he nad not succeeded in establisning himself ./ith the interior tnuea.
sfith tne formation of a separate administration in the inte-icr,tie
pooit-ton remaxns tne same to». ay»
it seems to me tnat to introduce a system of election jmcn nas
%een in abeyance for close on a hundred and fifty years would be a
dangerous innovation^wmlst to call upon tne various members of tne
Bultan's family to establish themselves by force of arms seems equally
unthinkable. Az best it could merely result in a process of eiiminatio
by assasination such as is taxing place at Abu Dhabi, .-resumapiy
we could do would be to satisfy ourselves tnat aaiyid aaid is the
most suitable candidate and the one wnose succession is most lilceiy
to commend itself to the rignt minded portion of tne population, ^f
tnis I thirus: there can be little doubt.ne is already acknowledged as
heir apparent tnroughout the sultanate whilst ne is being addressed
as such by Isa bin salen wno is avowedly well disposed towards nmu
The administrtion of the country is being carried out, at pre Bant,
by a Council of ministers who might be said to be tne equivalent of
a Council of itegency. oaiyid said is now tne rresident of tnis Cioun-
-cil,virtually acting as itegent for ms father.
At the end of next year,tne possible date of the sultan 's %Ddi-
-cation, saiyid said will nave been acting as x-resi .ent of tne uoun-
-cil for lo inontns and will be approaching nis 21st oirt -aay.
Wingate 1 s proposal appears to have been applicable in U2o when
baiyid baid was 10 years olda
The situation is certainly a delicate one. Whilst or: the one