From darkness to light

THE WAVE OF CHANGE

The Renaissance Day, from then to today, is a story of glory that Oman and its citizens still reminisce.

For people in Oman, all these developments were a testimony to the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos. He made the life of Omanis better bringing political stability, development technologies, flowering literature and art, and prosperous economy.

The July 23rd celebration is a rich time for recollection of amazing stories especially of the transformation that brought the country from darkness to light.

Abdullah al kindi is one of those people who witnessed the changes. He was already there when His Majesty took the helm of the country’s then young and growing economy.

“The first infrastructure that brought significant change to Oman is electricity. We were amazed of this great invention. It changes the night life of the country,” he shared.

As a point, His Majesty also changed the name of the country from the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman to the Sultanate of Oman. bringing unity to the whole country and developing its own identity. Along with the name change, also introduced were other changes like schools, hospitals, universities and malls, the country introduced election systems, empowered the role of women, enhanced the economy by using different resources of energy, explore the precious treasure in the land of Oman and discovered various capabilities of Oman and its people.

Not without a glitch, this rapid growth spurt came with its own challenges, one of them was the ability of the nation to empower the country with skillful manpower. Once a sustainable plan with allocated finances and manpower was allocated to the government institutions, His Majesty shifted his focus to develop the private sector in order to enhance the economic performance and to have various options on behalf of the demands of oil.

The private sector was also asked to develop existing human resources and to train them efficiently and sufficiently. As human resources were being increased and enhanced, the public and private sector thrived creating better job opportunities in the country. Extending roads networks was also a large part of this development drive, connecting not only cities and other parts of the city but also connecting the Sultanate of its neighbouring countries. With all its potential, the Sultanate of Oman remains known as one of the most tolerant and peaceful countries in the world.

Before these steps of advancement, Oman was completely living in a different world. Access to education was limited, those with the resources, with to other countries to receive better education and job opportunities. Those that stayed back, often only went to school for a few years.

Mohammed Al Kindi, who’s a father in his mid-forties, said that his grandfathers were only able to study until their 6th year due to the limited number of schools available in the country.

Generally, the way of life people used to live was hard and tiring. However after the blessed renaissance, the life for farmers, engineers, doctors, teachers irrespective of status or position became much easier.

OMAIMA AL KINDI