Democracy News
Oman Sultan Tries to Quell Unrest with Concessions
March 14, 2011
By: Chinyelu Odunze | Printer Friendly
The large scale nationwide protests that have been ongoing in Oman since February, prompted Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said – who has led the country for 40 years – to offer unprecedented concessions. On March 7, the Sultan restructured his royal cabinet, appointing 11 new ministers. He also called for the creation of 50,000 jobs and offered unemployment benefits to job seekers. The Ministry of Manpower has been swamped with applicants for the new benefits. Additionally, Oman's ruler responded to demonstrators by giving some governing power to officials outside the royal family for the first time.
In late February, young job seekers inspired by the uprisings across the Arab world, started protests in Oman. The protests have resulted in several causalities. Everyone from students to professionals seem to be reveling in their newfound ability to articulate and press for their rights. According to the Christian Science Monitor, Yusef Ahmed al Hooti noted that “it’s all of Oman…everyone is talking.”
As a result of the protests, on March 13, the Sultan granted legislative and auditing power to the state council, a body that previously served just an advisory role, the state news agency reported. However, the Associated Press notes that it was not immediately clear if the Sultan would retain full veto power. The new power for the council, which consists of elected and appointed members, was the Sultan's latest attempt to quell the most serious civil unrest Oman has seen since he took power from his father in 1970. According Oman-based political analyst Saeed Awad bin Bagoer, the Sultan's plan to transfer powers to the council is a "historic political reform."
However, the protestors are not satisfied with the Sultan’s concessions. The Christian Science Monitor reports that the measures have so far failed to quell protest, asserts Shadi Hamid, director of research at the Brookings Doha Center. Hamid said, “people aren’t buying it…it’s transparently a political bribe, and people don’t like being bribed.”
Additionally the Christian Science Monitor reported that Ahmed Al Hooti, a risk officer for a bank in Muscat, stated that people in the sultanate want real changes in their government and want corrupt officials to be prosecuted for their actions. The protesters are demanding more jobs, higher salaries and democratic reforms in the Gulf state.
Oman is a small country on the Arabian Peninsula that is normally quiet, even calm, but that has not been the case in the last couple of weeks. It is also a strategically important nation, which shares control of the Gulf waterway that carries 40 percent of the world's oil tanker traffic. The oil-rich country has been an ally of the United States (US) and Britain and it is an important diplomatic bridge between the US and Iran. According to Voice of America, the US is urging Gulf ally Oman to show "restraint" and engage in dialogue in response to several days of anti-government protests that have turned violent and deadly.
Most of the protesters in these Gulf nations are seeking reform, not the overthrow of the royal ruling families. Regime change may not come swiftly to the Gulf, as it did to Tunisia and Egypt, but the newfound boldness to press for more rights is a revolution in its own right in countries where people have long been subdued by fear.
Sources:
Associated Press - Oman Sultan Shifts Lawmaking Powers Amidst Unrest
BBC News - Oman Protests: More Unrest Despite Sultan’s Vow
The Christian Science Monitor- Day of Rage in Saudi Arabia: How Much Change Can the Gulf Expect?
Voice of America - US Urges Oman to Show Restraint in Response to Rare Protests
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