"تقارير إدارية ١٩٢٠-١٩٢٤" [و‎‎١‎٢‎٩] (٤١٢/٢٦٢)

PEHSUK GULF POLITICAL HESIDE^CY, 1923.
9
Khan that in the altered circumstances which had arisen since the War, it was
not to the interest of the British Governmerit to continue such close relationships
as formerly with tribal leaders to the exclusion of the local Persian authorities ;
and he was strongly urged to adapt himself to the new situation and arrive at
a " modus vivendi " with the Governor of Bushire.
One result which followed this rapprochment was the inclusion of Hayat
Baud Bandar Rig and Lirawi among the districts called upon to nominate candi
dates for election to the new Majlis. Voting papers were distributed, and
at one time it ^ was supposed that of the total of 13,000 votes permitted for
Bushire with its two representatives, Haider Khan would command enough
to be able to secure the election of his own nominee. In the end after a great deal
of intrigue and wire-pulling Mirza Ali Kazeruni, resident in Tehran, and Ahmed
Akhgar of Shiraz were elected to represent Bushire - and its Hinterland. The
former was one of the two deputies in the previous Majlis, and is notorious as
an anti-British politician of the worst type, who had to leave Bushire some years
ago as a result of pressure b^ the British on account of his fradulent bankruptcy
and forgery among other things. Akhgar has not even that claim to represent
Bushire with which place he has no connection whatsoever. He is also believed
to bo strongly anti-British. The election of this man is due to the anomalous
fact that a large area in the electoral district of Bushire Dashti ( and Dashtistan)
is at the same time under the administrative control and influence of the Governor
General of Fars. The voting for a deputy to represent Bushire is therefore
controlled not from Bushire but from Shiraz. The Residency has for years
recommended the inclusion of Bashti and Dashtistan in the Bushire Province,
so far without result except in 1912-14 when it was so included ; the position
however now is that the Prime Minister has promised to consider matter when
the present Governor-General of Fars leaves. The announcement of the
results, of the election was followed by an intensive campaign of bribery and
wire-pulling the object of which was to upset the election of Akhgar which the
partisans of Nizam-es-Saltanah's son—who was next on the list of candidates-
claimed to have been illegal. An official was appointed to hold an enquiry into
the circumstances and much money was poured out especially by Nizam-es-
Saltanah's faction, but to no purpose ; for the upshot was that Akhgar's elec
tion was confirmed.
Consistently with the instructions received from His Majesty's Legation,
the officers of this Residency remained entirely aloof from all connection with
these elections, and from the canvassing and contrjoversy, which went on before
and after the ballot was taken.
The deportation of the Muptahids from Iraq in mid-summer caused little
or no excitement in Bushire. In response to orders from Tehran the bazaars
were closed for one day ; but this enforced stoppage of business aroused no
sympathy among the trades people. At the end of September Haji Shaikh Mehdi
al Khalisi, the Chief of these deportees, arrived in Bushire from Aden, en route
for Tehran. He was given an official reception on a very modest scale ; but
his visit aroused almost no interest among the public of Bushire and absolutely
no anti-British demonstrations as had been expected. The Mujtahid himself
handicapped as he was by an almost total ignorance of the Persian language,
kept very quiet, and did nothing to foment any ill-feeling.
SECTION 7.
♦ R ussian A ctivities.
Whatever his secret propaganda may have been (and we have very little
indication of any such except the fact that he has an extensive correspondence
with Indian nationalists) outwardly the Russian Consul-GeneraPs activities
in Bushire do not seem to have been particularly successful. Monsieur Lindin's
attenipts to form a communist party and to start a democratic Persian news
paper in Bushire both failed—probably owing to lack of funds—and he has not
been able to form anything like a pro-Russian party among the business men or
officials of the place.
Monsieur Lidin is a quiet young man, and has been on the whole discreet
He exchanged visits after his arrival with Colonel Knox ; but he had no further
rela/tions with the British Consulate throughout the year. He did not call on
the French Consul. ~
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