Sultan of Oman moves quickly to contain protests

SMA NEWS – MUSCAT

Sultan Haitham bin Tariq moved quickly in response to young protesters demanding work and ordered the implementation of a plan to employ more than 32,000 jobless youths, despite the difficult economic conditions Oman is going through as a result of the pandemic and the decline in state revenues with the fall of oil prices.

Omani analysts told The Arab Weekly that Sultan Haitham moved faster than all the state agencies that are supposed to handle the issues at hand.

They attributed this to the sultan’s conviction that the role of the state is to listen to the people’s demands attentively, whatever the circumstances, especially when they concern young people who are the pillar of the country’s stability and the key to its future prosperity.

Omani state television showed footage of the sultan while chairing a meeting on youth unemployment.

Sultan Haitham said, “Young people are the wealth of nations and their inexhaustible resource … We are keen to listen to them and find out what their needs, interests and aspirations are.”

The official Oman News Agency ONA said the sultan also issued new directives to create up to 32,000 full-time or part-time jobs in government departments.

Additional directives will provide government subsidies to those who join the work force for the first time

In addition to the expedited announcement of  the employment plan, it was clear to everyone that there were orders from the sultan for the civil treatment of the protesters, making sure that  no arrests are made.