OMAN, the oldest independent state in the Arab world, has pardoned 234 people who were arrested during anti-government protests earlier in the year, according to the state’s news agency.
Zamzam al Rashdi, head of the agency, said two people died during the demonstrations, which have been ongoing since February. The protests were directed at obtaining greater freedom of expression, higher salaries and a clampdown on government corruption.
Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who has been ruler for 40 years, has helped prevent a possible rebellion by meeting some of the protesters’ demands.
Since the rebellion, sparked on by similar, albeit more extreme, incidents in the Middle East, Qaboos bin Said has tried to relieve the pressure from protesters by having several cabinet reshuffles, sacking 12 ministers and by promising 50,000 new state jobs.
These statements have been met with scepticism from locals as the public sector is already seen as a bloated entity.
The pardons have been met with mixed feelings – delight at the release but frustration as only those arrested for “street blocking” have had charges dropped.
The sultan, who was educated in Sandhurst in England, is being backed by the Gulf Co-Operative Council, who is supplying Oman with $20 billion in funding for socio-economic and infrastructure projects.
These funds are expected to create jobs and quell the protests which have tainted the regime over the past couple of months.
Although Oman is not a major world player in the oil industry, the Strait of Hormuz is viewed with importance as a substantial amount of the world’s oil shipping passes through there. Therefore the Gulf Co-Operative Council will view unrest in the country with serious vigilance.