As we see global equilibrium challenged by a geopolitical ‘new order,’ where civilisation, as we know it, is being challenged to accept that threats of brute force and violence matter more than dignity and respect, let’s take the time to appreciate that the Sultanate of Oman is on a true course.
Since 1970, Oman’s leadership has observed how its neighbours across the border have utilised their natural resources and climate to develop as tourism and lifestyle destinations, global hubs of finance, commerce and transport, and most importantly, creating a standard of living and social responsibility for their citizens, amidst what has always proven to be a volatile region.
The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have become more open to global influences while retaining their national identities by remaining socially aloof from the West yet completely allied to the commercial and financial imperatives of the traditional powerhouses of the US, Russia, China and the United Kingdom.
Much of the world does not know where Oman is, or anything about it, but really, that’s fine, because it is ‘looking after’ home first, and that’s the way it should be, with the focus inside its borders, not outside. Just like at home... our families have priority, then society, then our country. Oman’s leaders have looked and learned, and impressively, it appears their observations have been accurate, their responses measured, deliberately paced, and aligned with, the country’s more modest oil and gas resources, its reliance upon ‘imported’ expertise, and probably too, the need to reassure a population of their safety and security following several less pleasant decades when survival was of primary importance to most.
A succession of planning initiatives has rightly prioritised three imperatives across this last half-century, of education, social development and fiscal responsibility. Education, of course, improves an entire nation, in every way, exponentially, with the investment ensuring an assembly line,’ if you like, of confident, informed, aware, young people, who will see beyond the boundaries of borders, seas and skies, who will not only want to care for their elders and societies, but have the intellect and wherewithal to be able to so, and in doing so the societal responsibility that Oman is renowned for will be perpetuated.
Certainly, through prioritising education, entrepreneurship, commerce and finance development, the Omani people are, by degrees, continuing what is a journey of self-discovery, towards maximising their potential, and with far less reliance upon expatriate knowledge, skills and experience.
How? The focus on education has been the most significant factor in developing Oman’s undoubted potential, and in fact, is the panacea, or universal remedy, for all ills if you believe ancient Greek mythology. Often used sarcastically, to reflect something that is not a cure for everything, I believe that the prioritising of education is what is driving Oman’s renaissance, or resurgence, as its young artists, scholars, entrepreneurs and inventors reach out into new and exciting areas of research, development, academic and cultural awareness and development.
I have fond memories of my Omani students, particularly of how they ‘switched on’ to their opportunities and possibilities once they had progressed beyond their initial year of higher education. What was so evident too was the amount of work the students would do, the passion with which they discussed, and inevitably argued, their perspectives, with absolute respect. Not so great with homework... but otherwise outstanding.
Ray Petersen
The writer is a media consultant
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