I found this article "Oman: The Death of the Last Feudal Arab State" from 20 Dec 1970, five months after the coup in
which Sultan Qaboos took over from his father.
It was written by Chris Kutschera, a French journalist and author who
covered the Middle East for over 40 years.
It’s a pretty detailed article, covering the background to the coup, the
challenges the new Sultan faced from ambitious relatives and a rebellion in the
South, as well as the general difficulties of building a country up from a
level comparable to the Middle Ages. I've
included a few excerpts I found particularly interesting.
First, a description of the state of backwardness that characterized Oman
at that time:
“In
this country of more than 80.000 square miles -- the second largest Arab
country east of Suez after Saudi Arabia -- with 750.000 inhabitants, the clock
of history was stopped somewhere in the Middle Ages. Everything, it seemed was
forbidden. The inhabitants of the coast were forbidden to travel inland, and
those of the inland valleys could not go to the coast, or even from one
valley to another. No one was allowed to go to Dhofar, in the extreme
southwest.
There were, in all Oman and Dhofar, three primary schools and not
a single secondary school. Students who wanted to pursue their studies had to
leave their country illegally and start a long life of exile in the Persian
Gulf or Kuwait. It was forbidden to build new houses, or to repair the old
ones; forbidden to install a lavatory or a gas stove; forbidden to cultivate
new land, or to buy a car without the Sultan’s permission.
No one could
smoke in the streets, go to movies or beat drums; the army used to have a band,
but one day the Sultan had the instruments thrown into the sea. A few
foreigners opened a club: he had it shut, “probably because it was a place
where one could have fun”, says one of his former victims. Three hours after
sunset, the city gates were closed.
Then, the new Sultan’s philosophy on how best to build
up his country, which I found very interesting.
Qabus first
task since the take-over has been to lift all the feudal personal restrictions
and to set up the beginning of a government. As of now, there is a prime
minister -- Tariq -- and five ministers: education, health, interior, justice
and information. But as far as the writing of a constitution or the formation
of a parliament is concerned, Qabus is blunt.
“”It would be a mistake, a big mistake. Most of the people do not
even know what a vote is... In these conditions to draft a constitution, to set
up a parliament would be like building a huge dome without either walls or
foundations. It might perhaps give a nice impression to the outside world, but
it would be nothing but a big show. Look how people vote in Egypt. They are
driven to the polls in army trucks. If there were a parliament now, I would
have to choose its members among the sheikhs and a few others. What would be
the significance of such a body”?
"My mission is not to interfere with daily government but to
give a direction, an orientation, and also to keep an eye on the ministers to
see that they do not usurp too much authority and to prevent corruption."
Of note, it wasn't until 2003 that every Omani over the age of 21 had the right to vote. Prior to that, only a select number of Omanis
could vote, though I haven’t been able to find out what the qualifications
were. As it is, they are only voting for
representatives in the consultative council, which is exactly what it sounds
like. It is a council that advises the
Sultan, but ultimately he is the one who makes the final decision.
The article is especially interesting to read with 44
years of hindsight. Oman today is worlds
apart from the Oman of 1970.
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