QABOOS: “The Leader”

Over a period fast approaching four decades, Oman has witnessed a period of transformation unparalleled in its history, taking it from international obscurity to the frontline of regional politics, and international recognition as a measured exponent of stability, peace and diplomacy.

The intelligent exploitation of oil and the financial rewards accrued from this valuable resource have funded a social and economic development programme that is the envy of countries around the world. However, while there is no question that petrodollars helped forge the modern day miracle that is 21st century Oman, the power house behind such radical change is its leader Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

The only son of the late Sultan Said bin Taimur and the eighth direct descendant of the Al Busaidi line founded in 1744 by Imam Ahmad bin Said, Sultan Qaboos was born in Salalah in the Dhofar governorate on 18th November 1940.

The young Qaboos spent the first 16 years of his life in Salalah, later travelling to England where he received a private education before entering Britain’s prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as a military cadet at the age of 20.

After passing out from Sandhurst, he spent a year with a British infantry battalion on tour duty in Germany and later held a staff appointment with the British Army.

Having completed his military service, His Majesty studied local government in England before embarking on a tour of the world. On his return to Oman, he spent six years studying Islam and Omani history in Salalah, eventually assuming the reins of power on 23rd July 1970 with a keen determination to implement his personal vision for the development of Oman and its people.

Like his famous ancestor Imam Ahmad bin Said,, an outstanding leader who ended a turbulent era of civil war, bringing peace and stability to Oman, Sultan Qaboos inherited a troubled, divided land.

In his first address to the nation, he declared that the country would henceforth be unified as the Sultanate of Oman, with a new flag and a new forward-looking ethos. He ended all previous restrictions on freedom of movement and called on Omanis who had left the country to return home, bringing their talents and skills to the challenges that lay ahead in rebuilding a powerful nation that had fallen into poverty and decline.

His Majesty’s belief in the future of Oman and its people has never wavered and they, in turn, have not disappointed him with their commitment to working together in building a just and democratic society of which every citizen can be proud.

In addition to his role as leader, Sultan Qaboos is an enthusiastic horseman who enjoys many outdoor pursuits, including walking and tennis. His military training has left him with a keen interest in all types of weaponry and military equipment. Possessed of a lively and active mind he has studied a variety of subjects, ranging from religion to as tronomy and the environment, languages, world literature, history and music.

A royal mission
Sultan Qaboos’ mission has been to build the nation the state, its people and its society and to work for security, prosperity, progress and the restoration of its international standing. His Majesty has devoted the greater part of his life so far to achieving this end.

Over the past 39 years Oman has grown to maturity and reinforced the foundations of the nation’s future development. Despite the difficulties facing the country at the beginning of the 1970s, His Majesty resolved to include every citizen in the new Oman. He pardoned those who had made mistakes and forged the path to national unity, a vital prerequisite for development. And, although the region has witnessed various challenges over the years, Oman has remained an oasis of security, stability and peace.

The focus is on the individual citizen
“The development of the Omani individual, the formation of character, education and training are at the forefront of the noble goals that we constantly seek to achieve in order to provide everybody in this fine country of ours with a decent, prosperous life,” His Majesty has stressed.

Human development has been a cornerstone in construction of the Omani state. General and Basic education are available for everybody of school age and there are also thousands of students in higher education at the country’s colleges and universities.

High priority is attached to training young Omanis in the knowledge and technical skills required by the changing labour market and the country’s sustainable development programmes. Moving with the times and remaining open to change will keep Oman and its people at the cutting edge of development.

In his speech at the annual inauguration of the Council of Oman on 11th November 2008, His Majesty stressed, with regard to the importance of science and knowledge, “We have always been open to new developments in the field of science and knowledge, and information technology and telecommunications have become the main engine of development in the third millennium. That is why we have attached importance to producing a national strategy for developing people’s potential and skills in this field. We are keeping a close eye on the significant steps that are being taken in this respect as we aspire to push the Sultanate towards the boundaries of new knowledge.”

Education and health care services come top of the list of government spending allocations in the General State Budget and the general, year on year policy, has been to increase them a trend reflected in the 2009 Budget.

Culture and professionalism are two of the factors that have a positive effect on the citizen and society. In this connection, at His Majesty’s instruction, the Royal Opera House currently being built in al Qurm will have an arts complex and numerous other arts related facilities, in addition to the opera house itself. His Majesty has also ordered the formation of a committee to study and evaluate Omani theater and the standard of drama production in the Sultanate. Meanwhile, for Omani journalists, professional training courses are ongoing at His Majesty’s suggestion.

In order for the Sultanate’s craftmaking history to be maintained, Sultan Qaboos issued directives in October 2008 for the provision of equipment and assistance in maintaining workshops. His Majesty also ordered that craft production and training centres should be set up in the Governorates of Musandam and Buraimi and the Dhahirah region to ensure age old crafts and skills are not lost to Omani society.

Sultan Qaboos, while encouraging ambition and achievement, attaches great importance to the weakest section of Omani society those on limited incomes and social security and has introduced a range of initiatives to enable them to attain a better standard of living.

In early 2008, payments and allowances for families on social security were increased. The minimum monthly pension for retired government employees was raised by 35%, while the figure for other allowance categories was increased by between 5–17%.

On His Majesty’s instructions plots of housing and housing/commercial land have been distributed to families on social security across the country and they as well as other eligible categories - were granted exemption from repayment of 50% of their outstanding loans from the Housing Bank. The government also provides thousands of study grants for the children of these families, up to university level. Sultan Qaboos has directed the government to “establish a suitable mechanism for providing assistance for this section of society to enable them to acquire a useful profession or vocation,” wherever possible.

Women
Women, who make up half the population of Oman, have been playing an increasingly full role in the country’s life and its economic and social development. They enjoy the right to vote and stand for membership of the Consultation Council (Majlis A’Shura) and occupy around a fifth of the seats on the State Council (Majlis A’Dawla), whose members are appointed by His Majesty. Women hold a significant number of government offices, including top positions in the state’s administrative apparatus, the diplomatic corps, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and in several other fields.

A 3-day Symposium on Omani Women was held at the Royal Camp in Sohar from 17th to 19th October 2009. It addressed four major issues: Omani women in society, their involvement in the economy and business, participation in the Majlis A’Shura, and women and legislation. Following its conclusion two Royal grants were issued the first for the construction of permanent Omani Women’s Association headquarters for those who did not already have them, and the second granted 500 annual scholarships for girls to study at private higher education institutions within the Sultanate. During the Symposium it was announced that the 17th October would be assigned as the annual Omani Women’s Day.

Human rights
A number of laws have been enacted in the Sultanate specifically to protect human rights, also enshrined in several of the principles and provisions of the Basic Law of the State, promulgated in 1996. Royal Decree No. 126/2008 on the Law on the Prevention of Human Trafficking, issued by Sultan Qaboos on 23rd November 2008, came into force with effect from December 2008.

Sultan Qaboos also issued Royal Decree No. 124/2008 in November 2008, setting up a National Committee for Human Rights to operate under the jurisdiction of the State Council (Majlis A’Dawla).

The Sultanate is signatory to international conventions on children’s rights and the prevention of discrimination. It supports labour committees and unions in the Sultanate within the framework of the General Federation of Oman Trade Unions, represented in the Omani delegation at meetings of the International Labour Organisation.

Integration and coordination between institutions
Sultan Qaboos has sought to ensure that all citizens are effective partners in the decision making process, whether at government or municipality level, or through the Sultanate’s consultative institutions the State Council (Majlis A’Dawla) and the Consultation Council (Majlis A’Shura). Oman’s consultative process is deeply rooted in its heritage and history. Over the years, mutual consultation, joint action and co-operation between the people and the state’s administrative bodies have become firmly established principles.

Widespread admiration for Oman’s performance
Oman’s political and economic performance including its response to the global financial crisis which has affected countries around the world to varying degrees since the middle of 2008 has won it widespread admiration in the region and beyond; the same may be said of its achievements in the development field.

In May 2008 the Sultanate was the top country in the Middle East and the Maghreb region and 22nd worldwide in terms of peace and security, according to the 2008 Global Peace Index issued by Britain’s Economist magazine’s Intelligence Unit. This was the second successive year that the Sultanate came out top in the Arab world in this category.

The international agency Standard and Poor’s credit rating service gave the Sultanate a long-term “A” rating in April 2009 and an “A1” short-term sovereign credit rating. The agency noted that the Omani government managed the windfall from the period of high oil prices prudently and transparently and estimated the country’s general government surplus in 2008 at around 8.8% of GDP. It added that the Omani government was able to fund a wide range of projects out of its available assets.

Meanwhile, the warm feelings expressed towards the Sultanate by various Arab and international organizations reflect the esteem in which the country and its leadership are held around the world. The Consultation Council (Majlis A’Shura) joined the Inter Parliamentary Union on 13th October 2008 with the unanimous consent of the Union’s 183 member states.

The Sultanate hosted the Arab Parliamentary Union’s 15th conference in Muscat on 7th March 2009 and HE Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Isa’ee, the Chairman of the Consultation Council, was unanimously chosen to chair the Union’s 16th session. In April 2009 the Sultanate was unanimously chosen as deputy chair of the Arab Transitional Parliament.

Several other steps were also taken to promote closer relations between the Sultanate and other countries in the 12 months under review. In February 2009 the foundation stone of the Lebanese-Omani Cultural Centre was laid in Beirut. The following month, a protocol was signed between the Sultanate and the Republic of Uzbekistan on the construction of an Oriental Studies Institute at the Al Biruni Library (Academy of Sciences) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Academic chairs have been established in several of the world’s leading universities to promote the study of Arab and Islamic civilization, as well as intercultural dialogue and a better understanding of this region. These universities include Melbourne in Australia, Harvard and Georgetown in the USA, Oxford and Cambridge in the UK, Utrecht in the Netherlands, Bahrain, Pakistan and Beijing University in China, as well as a Sultanate of Oman Corner at Moscow University Library.

Meanwhile, the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Centre in Washington promotes intellectual and cultural contacts between Arab and American peoples through its activities, including a programme of cultural and art events which, in early 2009, included the Arab Folklore exhibition in which Oman took part.

In April 2009 the Oman Qaboos website won the prize for the best Arab leaders’ website in a competition for the Arab region’s top website held by Arab Web magazine. The website was launched in November 2008 in seven languages Arabic, English, French, Korean, Portuguese, Persian and Hindi.

An influential role
With its candid, unambiguous policies, Oman’s dealings with all countries in the region and the wider world are based on mutual respect, neighbourly relations and common interests. Thanks to its cordial, trouble free relations with other states, the Sultanate is well placed to offer assistance in matters of diplomacy. The Sultanate and its leadership enjoy the confidence and respect of Arab, regional and international players.

As His Majesty has noted, “We live in a world of overlapping and interconnected interests and policies, and our co-operation with this world is based on the Sultanate’s higher interests and designed to help promote security and prosperity across the globe. These policies have earned our country the respect and admiration of the international community. It is vitally important that there should be co-operation and the pursuit of mutual interests between states within a framework of peace and harmony.”

His Majesty’s annual Royal Tours

During his annual tours of the Sultanate His Majesty meets his people and discusses issues of concern to Oman and its citizens

The relationship between His Majesty the Sultan and the people of Oman can be summed up in three words: simplicity, spontaneity and directness. This is also the aim for relations between government officials whatever their level and individual private citizens. In building a better and stronger Oman all citizens are on the same side, and this directive comes right from the top.

During the course of the year, His Majesty goes on several tours of the country for the purpose of inspecting projects, monitoring work in progress or simply to meet members of the public. However, the annual Royal Tour, which covers several governorates and regions and lasts for several weeks, is of far greater significance for the country’s economy, social policies and development than merely bolstering the relationship between Sultan Qaboos and his subjects.

The Royal Tours began in the 1970s, following His Majesty’s accession to power. These ongoing annual meetings and discussions with ordinary citizens allow Sultan Qaboos to hear their views and observe their daily lives first hand whether they live in the mountains, the deserts, the plains or the wadis.

His Majesty holds face-to-face meetings with the local sheikhs, dignitaries, members of the State Council and Consultation Council

During the Royal Tours, His Majesty holds face-to-face meetings with the local sheikhs, dignitaries, members of the State Council (Majlis A’Dawla) and Consultation Council (Majlis A’Shura) as well as members of the public, all of whom are able to put their ideas and views directly. These meetings, which are a sort of open parliament, highlight Sultan Qaboos’s strong relationship with the Omani people and the importance he attaches to their personal experiences and opinions.

Oman’s guiding policy is to ensure that the fruits of progress are evenly spread across the regions, and Royal Tour discussions frequently highlight an area of local concern that benefits from his personal intervention. As well as development projects originally covered by the General State Budget, additional projects in the roads, electricity, health, education, municipal and other sectors are implemented on orders given directly by His Majesty, as a result of information gathered during his annual tours.

Seminars held in the Royal Camp during the Royal Tours have covered a variety of topics, including the employment of national manpower and the sustainable development of the agricultural sector and the regulation of its labour market. The recommendations put forward as a result of these seminars held at the request of Sultan Qaboos have proved successful in providing greater job opportunities for nationals and their implementation, particularly by the Omani private sector, is ongoing.

Such factors make the annual Royal Tours a unique multi dimensional forum for His Majesty to exchange views with his people on any matter of concern to the nation and its citizens.