Abdullah Saleh Al Mulla
Abdullah Saleh Al Mulla MBE (died 1955) was Secretary of State in Kuwait under the Emirs Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and Sheikh Abdullah III Al-Salim Al-Sabah. He was one of the first Kuwaitis to be educated in Britain during the early 1900s, and the country's first Secretary of State that was able to directly deal with the Western world during a pivotal period of Kuwait's history, the discovery of oil. During his tenure as Secretary of State, and given his fluency in the English language, he acted on behalf of the Emir in discussions with major international oil companies to start exploration and drilling for oil in Kuwait. He was instrumental in negotiating terms between the Kuwaiti government and the companies, which eventually led to the first oil wells in Kuwait. He was also the first to recommend and negotiate on behalf of the Kuwaiti government for the installation and commissioning of Kuwait's first desalination plant located in Shuwaikh, as well as the first to coordinate the commissioning of Kuwait's first major power station. In 1938 Al Mulla and a business partner opened a store for electrical appliances in downtown Kuwait City. This later became Al Mulla Group.[1]
Having effectively been the government of Kuwait since the start of the 20th century, Al Mulla attempted to organise opposition to the new Legislative Council when it was created in 1938.[2] In August 1938 the council threatened to have him stoned if he did leave Kuwait, which the emir responded to by threatening to abdicate.[2] Eventually the emir agreed to send him on indefinite leave, a decision which led to discontent amongst the Persian community, who were over a quarter of the country's population.[2] The dispute contributed to the emir dissolving the council and calling early elections.[2] Al Mulla was replaced as secretary by Sulaiman Al Adsani.[2]
In recognition of his efforts in strengthening bilateral relations between Kuwait and the United Kingdom, he was recognized as a recipient of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, and was also awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.[3]
He died in 1955.[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Historical Background". Al Mulla Group.
- ^ a b c d e Kamal Osman Salih (1992). "The 1938 Kuwait Legislative Council" (PDF). Middle Eastern Studies. 28 (1): 66–100.
- ^ "Our Founder". Al Mulla Group.
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