CO885-(11-12) — Page 636

554

3

and other heirs apparent, and take a prominent part in public affairs, in order to fit himself for his future duties as Sultan. I inquired whether it was solely on account of ill-health that the Prince lived in such complete retirement, and His Highness replied in the affirmative. I said that I understood that the Prince wished to visit India to fulfil a vow and consult doctors, and suggested that it might be a good thing if he were to do so, and that if on his return his health were improved he might take a larger part in public affairs.

His Highness cordially welcomed this suggestion, which he said accorded with his own wishes. I then said that I was disappointed to learn that His Highness himself took so small a part in the business of Government. I understood that he was not much consulted by his Ministers, and this appeared to me to be wrong. His Highness, after a little hesitation and an uneasy glance at the Prime Minister, replied that he had not travelled and, from lack of knowledge of outside affairs, was obliged to leave matters largely to his Ministers. I responded that he must certainly trust his Ministers in matters requiring special knowledge, but that he knew his people and their needs; his people, I was well aware, were devoted to him, and I felt sure that they would be happier if his general guidance were more in evidence than at present. I suggested that the work of Government should be somewhat decentralized by having more Ministers, with greater powers, who should, under His Highness' control, share the responsibility for finance and for the general management of affairs. The Sultan replied without hesitation that he welcomed this idea, and would consider with His Ministers any definite suggestions which I might put forward. He agreed with my suggestion that the Prime Minister had in fact more work than one man could do, and said that I was correct in believing that there had been a larger number of Ministers in the past. I asked how the proposal to buy a steamer was progressing, and His Highness replied that the matter had been held up during the absence of the Prime Minister in Egypt. I then suggested that the erection of a Wireless Station to communicate with Colombo would be of great assistance from the point of view of trade. I understood that they had been much concerned over the movements of a strange vessel, believed to be Japanese, which had been cruising about the Atolls for some months on an apparently secret mission, and pointed out how much their inquiries about this vessel would have been facilitated if they had been in wireless communication with Colombo. His Highness agreed and asked me to furnish him with details of the cost of a wireless set, and of training operators. I promised to do this on my return to Colombo. 1 then expressed the gratitude of the Government of Ceylon for the great kindness which had been shown by the Maldivians to some shipwrecked Ceylonese fishermen, and after promising to arrange for the ship's surgeon to visit His Highness and the Prince, I presented His Highness with a chiming clock and took my leave. I understood that the Prince was concealed behind a curtain throughout the interview.

7. At the door of the Audience Chamber I shook hands with the Prime Minister, the Private Secretary, and the Qadhi or Chief Justice, Fadiyaru Manikafanu, and accom- panied by them and other notables, walked through the streets of Malé for about three- quarters of an hour. Being anxious to cultivate friendly relations I did not talk busi- ness, but conducted a general conversation in Arabic, which the Private Secretary and Qadhi spoke well. The Prime Minister took little part in the conversation, partly because his knowledge of Arabic is limited, but chiefly I think because he was not altogether pleased with the turn which the conversation at the Palace had taken. Abdul Hamid Didi returned with me to the ship, and told me that practically everyone but the Prime Minister welcomed my suggestion for a larger Cabinet with corporate responsibility, but that the Prime Minister would strongly oppose it.

8. On the Friday morning Surgeon-Commander Brennan visited His Highness and found that he was in sound health except for tropical ulcers (akin, he thought, to Leishmaniasis) on his legs, and suffering from no organic disease. The Prince refused to see him, on the ground that he needed a course of treatment in India or Ceylon, and that one visit by a doctor would be useless. During the morning I visited the Island of Funadu, and found the graves referred to in Sir Herbert Stanley's Confidential despatch of October, 1928, in excellent condition and well cared for.

9. On the Friday afternoon I went ashore, and spent from 3.0 to 6.30 p.m. interviewing individual Ministers and notables, to the number of 37. The interviews were conducted in an open Audience Chamber, with a crowd of some 300 to 400 standing in the courtyard, out of earshot, but within full view. They watched the proceedings in complete silence, but with obvious interest and good humour, which expressed itself in laughter when the ex-Master Attendant, a pleasant old gentleman who was acting as usher, found difficulty in producing any of those whose names were on the list. The list had been compiled by the Prime Minister, and Abdul Hamid Didi told me that he had not attempted to interfere, as, though the majority were friends

9

and hangers-on of the Prime Minister, the list also contained the names of a number of persons who would, he thought, express their views freely. I interviewed each person separately, and conducted the conversation direct where it was possible to do so in English, Arabic, or Hindustani. In other cases Abdul Hamid Didi interpreted. 10. I do not propose to weary Your Lordship with a detailed account of these conversations, but my general impressions were as follows: The obvious nonentities, and the Army Officers, briefly expressed themselves as quite satisfied with the present state of affairs. Abdul Hamid Didi told me afterwards that the Army has considerable power, and is entirely subservient to the Prime Minister, by whose son it is commanded. The son himself, however, who spoke English, told me quite frankly that he thought his father had too much work, and that some devolution was necessary. notables a considerable number expressed the opinion quite strongly that the present Of the other arrangement, in which all the power is in the hands of one man, is unsatisfactory, and contrary to Maldivian custom. It was noticeable that those who spoke English or Hindustani confined themselves to generalities, using words like "constitution "democracy," of which their understanding was obviously imperfect. The Arabic speakers were much more definite and coherent in their ideas, the majority of them favouring more Ministers and corporate responsibility for finance, two of them going so far as to suggest some sort of Legislative Assembly, and one suggesting that the "Cabinet

should be strengthened by the inclusion of several Ministers without port- folio. The Prime Minister himself, whom I interviewed first, expressed his approval of the proposals which I had outlined at the Palace on the previous day, but said that it would take time to work out the details, and that it would be impossible to make any public announcement before I left. He was obviously playing for time. The Quadhi agreed with the need for a change, but said that he knew nothing of the financial position, and that the number of Ministers must depend upon this. The Private Secre- tary expressed himself as strongly in favour of a change, and Galosuge Mohammad Didi, an ex-Treasurer, who, although he holds no office, still appears to carry some weight, held the same opinion.

or

11. That education abroad does not necessarily produce striking results was exemplified by the contribution to the discussion of one young man who had been educated in India and spoke English. The only fault which he could find with the present state of affairs was that the Qoranic law of there being no capital punishinent for murder. Murder (and, indeed, any crime of a life for a life" is not observed, violence) is practically unknown, and the punishment authorised by Maldivian custom is a public flogging of 400 lashes, delivered in instalments at various cross-roads in the town. As the instrument used is that described in Sir Herbert Stanley's despatch of October, 1928, and as the executioner is compelled to hold an orange under his armpit throughout the proceedings, the punishment is not a very severe one.

12. The general impression which I gathered as a result of these conversations, an impression which was strengthened during the remainder of my visit, was that the Maldivians as a whole are an exceedingly docile and " governable" people, that they

are contented and comparatively prosperous, and that the present administration is in most respects surprisingly efficient. Trade is, however, almost entirely in the hands of the Indian merchants, who belong to the Bohra community and who undoubtedly make excessive profits. That these merchants are given special facilities by the present Government, which make it difficult for the Maldivians to compete with them, is an acknowledged fact, and the conclusion that the Prime Minister in some way shares their profits is almost irresistible. Added to this. financial control is entirely in his hands. There is no attempt at any kind of a budget. Treasurer, receives all the revenue, and he alone authorizes all payments, there being The Prime Minister, as no corporate responsibility of any kind. While it would be a great mistake to attempt to introduce a complicated constitution, there is no doubt that the Prime Minister has too much power, and that a continuance of this state of affairs would lead, sooner or later, to grave abuses and justifiable discontent. It appeared to me essential that there should be a wider distribution of the power wielded by the Prime Minister, and that his financial responsibility should be shared by his colleagues.

13. Accordingly, upon my return to the ship on the afternoon of 6th March I addressed and despatched to His Highness a letter, of which I enclose a copy. The titles which I suggested for some of the Ministers may appear somewhat fantastic and high-sounding, and several of them would obviously have but little administrative work to do. But I thought it advisable to suggest a fairly large body in order to ensure that there would be a real change from the present system. I included a Minister of Court because I considered that this post, which used to exist in Turkey

EOCLI

PECORD OFFICE

| ། ༄། 「 །། །

Reference -

mimi C.O.882/12

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BF REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

: