All opinions expressed in this article reflect the author's point of view only.


A stunning stereotype gets the chance to strike our minds while talking about Sultanate of Oman. The Omanis are a conservative, kind-hearted and decent people. They are known for their special miens and the way they launch forth into profuse thanks and tributes to whomever is being nice to them. They are characterized by their munificence, manhood and gallantry. Whenever and wherever you turn your sight, you find the Omanis with their unique and outstanding manners. In emigration, for instance, the Omani is being closely attached to his fellows and usually chooses to blend in with one group of people no more. When it comes to the nonconformist, who has been frequenting to bars, he is not seen tottering around or lurching drunkenly in public. They are Omanis from different regions in the Sultanate; from Dhofar, the North, Batinah and Dakheliyyah, but they come to share an impressive gentleness and pure kindness. As a matter of fact, what is said about Oman is nothing but the truth since this is what the country is famous for. Perhaps, it was those back-breaking years, the forties, fifties and sixties, during which they endured much that yielded the traits of modesty and humbleness. The years during which the Omanis were compelled to leave their country to end up either heading toward the coasts of east Africa to make a living or working as blue-collar workers in Gulf countries such as Bahrain and Kuwait. Even with the emergence of oil and natural resources, the Sultanate remained her self-effacing image and didn’t appear as one of the opulent countries producing tons of oil barrels. The unassuming oil production of the Sultanate was similar to the other countries production during the seventies. On the other hand, the system which was ruling the country at that time used to constantly clash with the remains of the Imamate in Al Dakheliyya region and the communism adherents in the South, and that disordered situation affected the country viciously. Time passed and all the expatriate Omanis went back home. Some of them had the chance to study and graduate from Iraq or Egypt. Others were sent by the government abroad for some other missions. Now, we have come to witness the ongoing cycle of development in all fields as a result of the advent of the flourishing governess of His Majesty. We have come to witness the graduation of the first batch of the Sultan Qaboos University.


Despite all the changes the country underwent, you still find the Omanis with their nice smiles and modest appearances as if they don’t want in the way or to impose on anybody's privacy. By the nineties, graduates from different collages started to work in various sectors. There are the traders, the businessmen and those who work in the public and private sectors. From that period onward, people have been living a prosperous and peaceful life. Despite the successive financial crises the country encountered during the nineties and which resulted in the delay of promotions and affected the future of many, the Omanis remained satisfied and grateful to the wise governance of His Majesty. Till this day, there is no radical change in the way the Omanis live.
Today, there are those who own a piece of land in Muscat and two pieces of land and a farm in the countryside. There are those who work in the capital city and return to their home in the countryside over the weekend. The dominant feature of the Omanis' life is a peaceful and quiet atmosphere. To some extent, the Omanis prefer not to interfere with the government. However, once HM decides to begin his royal tours, people start to prepare sacrifices, decorate carpets, and set the white doves free. Schools' students line along the street sides waiting for the huge queue of the military and civil vehicles, feeling eager to see HM driving his own car, waving to the large crowds who gather to meet him.
As it has been previously mentioned, life before was so simple and people's financial status was not that high. However, people those days were able to ask for reasonable loans. The public sector employee, for example, could build quite a small house for 20,000 O.R. He could also get married and buy a car for a reasonable amount of money. With the beginning of the new millennium, the media started to play an important role in conforming to the integral of the legislative, ministerial and judicial institutions. Development extended to all the fields, and streets, hospitals and schools till this moment meets the needs of all the Omani regions.
I suppose that the eighties’ youth don’t realize the amount of gratitude their ancestors have to the wise government of HM. Perhaps, there are those young people who inherited appreciation. And there are those who inherited fear and hatred of the government. There is the “imamatist” whose father is still interested in the imamate system, babbling about this imam and that imam, mentioning the glories of the imamate ruling and maybe the conquest of Nakhal as well. He may grieve at those insurrectionists who were bombed by airplanes in Jabal Al-Akhadar. Further, there is the nationalist who inherited from his father the love or hatred of his past. The nationalist who detests the new government for her support of the Messrs- “Al Sadaat”, and the founding of an office for business relations with Israel that might caused within him a feeling of some kind of danger. Along with other systems, adherents who don’t believe in the “renaissance” clashed with the people unanimously over the new government. Although there might be some incidents of officials benefiting from their high positions or favoring their relatives over other people’s interests, the Omani citizens lives peacefully educating and nurturing their children. Even with the economic crisis the country faced after the Gulf War and the compensations which kept declining so often that they stopped serving coffee and tea to the employees, the traditional Omani remains optimistic in their zealous feelings once they hear on the national TV; (Soutun lennahdhati nada, hubbu jam’an wa furada.. ) = (A voice of renaissance is calling for you people, groups and individuals…). During HM’s tours to the cities and towns you hear the machine guns firing and the thundering cheers (We will always be with you, heart and soul) of the students who have been practicing for a long time for the students festival to celebrate the blessed advancement of the country. In the past, the ministers’ reputations were not that notorious among people. Even if you ask someone in his twenties about the ministers’ names, he would know no more than three or four of them. Life has been going on pretty well despite all the difficulties.
The Omanis began the new millennium facing a situation that was difficult in a way to cope with. In an accelerated manner, the Ministry of High Education started applying the new policy of “Omanization” for hundreds of schoolteachers. Many batches of graduates, however, were still ending up unemployed. Although the Government kept telling people that, “the education sector is having the largest proportion of the whole market”, the government was not capable of providing job opportunities for them. At that time we began to see Omanis complaining about the whole miserable situation. And in the State Consultative Council, it is an entirely different story. There are the members of the council discussing the policies adopted with the ministers, all in a beautiful abstract setting “Going nowhere!” You find one of the Information Ministers going wild when he hears a member saying that “Oman is not a well-known country abroad”, and accuses this poor Omani of betraying his country. Another Minister ignores half of the questions. The former Prime Minister, as well, is engaged in a significant role in this mockery when he firmly stands in the way of anyone who tries to violate the regulations. And again, the Omani muddles through this parliamentary situation with some satisfaction and anger. Yet, a group of people who are politically aware or aiming for a constitutional and parliamentary ambition emerged to tell those people that this is not what ought to happen to this country. Despite all of these troubles and obstacles, the Omani stands high. He never bothers himself with others’ doings. The only thing he cares about is educating his children, even if he is obliged to go to the bank and ask for a loan. He hires tutors for his children, just to make sure that they get their chance to enroll in a college, or get one of these scholarships provided by the Ministry of Higher Education.
After 2003, the cycle of change that the country has been encountering started escalating. The number of the unemployed became noticeable. Very often, you could find a house with two or three of its members unemployed. And for some reason, in one of his speeches given during one of his tours, His Majesty decided to change the concept of “unemployment” to “work seekers”. The graduates of high schools and colleges increased obviously. The Omani girl, whose only desire was to get married and be a housewife, became feeling really worried about not getting married if she had no income. The Omani boy, on the other hand, fed up waiting for a job in the military or the government decided to work at petrol stations where once you used to see only Asian workers. With time, the Omani woman started to work in stores and tailoring shops. Others deal with restaurants to prepare some meal orders for a sum of money. At that time, people started to be more or less content. However, the complaining tone began to grow. The Minister of Manpower came up with two projects which the citizens didn’t see the significance of. The Ministry of High Education is continuing its unjust Omanization pushing the Omani youth into schools despite all the impotent circumstances and frail potentials, the graduates of collages are too many and the ministers and the governmental institutions capacity can take no more. Not to mention the Omanis returning from abroad.
Later on, came the leap of oil, which resulted in a double in the price of oil barrels. There was some increase in salaries but even this did not narrow the gap. Nevertheless, the Omani remains loyal to HM, hating anyone entitled with the name of “Your Excellency the Minister” or “Your Grace the Undersecretary”. Scandalous public charges appeared and some officials were held in custody for their involvement in robbery and embezzlement. Nonetheless, the Omani continued feeling grateful for HM, and in Friday speeches they kept asking God to confer upon him the good retinue. Moreover, the Omani is known for his bravery. He keeps demanding his rights not bothered by whoever tries to stop him, even if he is brought for an investigation or juniyyah as the legend of the security system would call it. Furthermore, the apartment rents increased surprisingly and the government did not do anything about it until everything went out of control, not mentioning the residential complexes that are owned by their Excellencies and Graces. The Omanis, however, remained more concerned about their own personal affairs, yet; a minority of Omani youth who detest the current situation started to express their own opinions on T.V and in gazettes. Perhaps, the unforgettable example is that incident which affected the country’s poise badly when elements involved in a secret attempt at revolt against the current regime were arrested, yet; everyone called it a “conspiracy” or a “fabricated story” made up by the security apparatus. However, because of HM’s amnesty, the situation was settled.
And still, the Omani is thankful to God no matter what, even if he feels angry sometimes that his salary, which used to satisfy the needs of a family of six members, is not enough anymore even for two. A house which used to cost around 20,000 R.O., is now more than 50,000. From 2007 till the first half of 2008 the land prices increased dramatically. Now, you find the employee, correspondent, teacher, student and housewife all becoming real estate brokers. Everyone is looking for an extra income because of the wave of high prices. On the other hand, the ministers’ public transactions and land trading in the millions became everyone’s talk. People came up with the idea of saving and hundreds of them adopt this plan, not as some kind of greed- as may some would think, but it is a way to get out of their wretched financial situation. Some lost huge amounts of money, others ran into wells of gold. You find a simple person with millions in his pockets, and an employee losing tens of thousands. Banks lend people money, and they consequently sell and buy lands. And actually, only a minority of people built houses for themselves.
The iron price went up so viciously due to projects of the government that cost hundreds of millions and mending airports zillions of time. Here, the Omani began to make his voice loud enough, the names of Maqbool Ali Sultan, Abdullah Abbas, Khamis Al Alawi, Ahmad bin Abdennabi Makki and Jum’aa Al Jum’aa have been frequently heard. A group of young people, on the other hand tried to get some advantage from these everyday stresses to overcome some of the social restrictions along with feeling of being less than the neighboring countries. We see that the UAE continues increasing its employees’ salaries, and our government increased the salaries by 15% at a certain period of time. And it was the first in Oman history that the citizens’ suppressed objections burst out as short phone clips for a regular individual who became later on a “national” figure; a drunkard denigrating the government and ministers.
The tense criticisms increased and a new website, called “Farrq” was designed by those who protest against the government. Renegades, dissenters and so many others called for a constitutional royalty, not mentioning those religious fanatics who unrolled their political greed and were scheming secretly for a coup d’état that people didn’t want to believe in. In spite of all of this and the disinclination felt by most of the public towards specific ministers who I don’t want to mention their names for juridical reasons, the nation prays and praises constantly that God may permanently bless the country and her leader His Majesty the Sultan. Now a new stereotype is in ascendency, which may not be genuine but I mention it here as it is based on talk circulated by everybody That stereotype which divides the government into the “symbol” which is HM, troops and thieves.
The security system is divided into: the Minister of Royal Office, the Inspector General of Police and Customs, the Chief of Internal Security System and the thieves’ team that includes several ministers. As I previously mentioned, this may be not more than gossip. On the other hand, the country is implanting new ideas the people do not understand. A decree is issued on an undersecretary preceded by the title “Sheikh”, universities are named by the region where they are located (Al Sharqiyya University, Muscat University, Nizwa University and Dhofar University). Occasionally, some of the ministers dare to compete with the normal citizens in public for business or real estate deals.
It was told that the dilemma of high prices spread dangerously, and ministries are doing their best to curb the worldwide effects. The Ministry of Information as usual, with her old, repeated programs, is not promising anything new. And once a sole program “This Morning” is broadcasted to give the opportunity for people to divulge their grievances, Al Zuweidi circulates a document about the Council of Ministers discussing that broadcast’s basis. Therefore, the truth soon comes to light after being hidden behind those curtains. Despite this situation, people continue to chant “Ya rabbana.. ehfadh lana.. jalalat a’sultan.. washa’ba walawtaan”(1), and the Friday orator prays to God to bless our Sultan, strengthen him by justice and strengthen the justice by him, and confer upon him the good retinue. In spite of everything, nowadays the country is waiting for the fortieth national day.
I hope that dear readers would excuse me for not providing a chronological order for the events described since I believe that the Omani would comprehend the idea without getting into any specific dates that would turn this vox populi into a kind of research paper.
Anyhow, there is a clear-cut reason behind these teasers. Some people are optimistic that HM would take into consideration a lot of issues concerning the people, and that he would execute several replacements regarding some positions. Others expect that 2010 will be a distinguishing year in the history of Oman. They are expecting that HM would appoint, and for the first time, a Prime Minister, a Minister of Defense and a Minister of Foreign Affairs, and more importantly that he would (perhaps) declare the Heir Apparent of the country, or at least make the people know the coming ruler after HM- may God prolong his life, is unoccupied as a Sultan (as stipulated in the Basic Law). Of course, it may sound unpleasant getting into such issues but actually it is something we cannot deny, as it is one of the citizens’ rights. Anyhow, I have been talking about the majority whispering about some kind of truth. Perhaps, these people would find it fine, when they are abroad, to talk about this truth in public for they feel safe being away from the oppression of the security systems, which I don’t believe are repressive. Yet, I suppose that these systems are trying more likely to round up the dispersed of this country. There is a decisive truth about which many refuse to speak out for that it may cost them their lives if they do. Perchance, I descant discussing this issue, as dear readers may notice, without pointing out any specifics. I guess that only the subtle would get what I really mean since even if I try to spell it out, I wouldn’t be able to do so. Possibly, I should put on an “amulet” that would protect me from the tyranny of law, yet what would protect me from its provisions?
As an Omani, I cannot be but an Omani, and I would state what I believe clearly. I am not with the Imamate at all, neither the parliament of Kuwait nor the constitution of Bahrain. I am satisfied with the reign of Al Said. I have been loyal to the Sultan and I won’t defy him in any way. However some other people are tongue-tied. With all due respect, I blame the Minister of Information and his Undersecretary who perhaps are busy with some other plans, ignoring that the whole population now do not count on what they broadcast. On the other hand, the Ministry of Education keeps mentioning the name of HM in all its curriculums. In fact, those who are scared, and so do I, are afraid to say that whoever obeys the Sultan, the Sultan is a human being, and whoever is passionate about Oman, Oman is an everlasting country.
I am writing this article shuddering out of fear, yet I am certain that I didn’t get into anything forbidden. It is one of the rights HM had decreed in the university, from which I was expelled because of my low grades, that everyone should enjoy his right of freedom of speech. I think loudly and state clearly what I believe as a full-blooded Omani who will never betray his country at any cost. As already mentioned, I am not the one who would dare to get behind the public rage since what I am afraid of is being the one who is plotting for total anarchy. However, in case those Ministers continue their fooleries and their defalcations, would the troops, riot fighting forces and smoke bombs protect them from the people’s destruction if they had gone wild?!