MUSCAT, June 25 - The State Council’s vision prevailed over that of Majlis Ash’shura on Monday at a joint session voting held vis-à-vis seven articles on the Mining Wealth Law. A joint committee from the State Council and Majlis Ash’shura had previously held a meeting in which it discussed the law. After a thorough discussion, the committee agreed on a number of articles. Seven articles had remained undecided. These articles were tabled for discussion at the joint session. After the discussion, the articles were put to vote, in which the vision of the State Council won unanimously.
In response to the orders of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, State Council and Majlis Ash’shura on Monday held the first joint session of the third annual session of the sixth term under the chairmanship of Dr Yahya bin Mahfoudh al Mantheri, State Council Chairman.
It was held in the presence of Shaikh Khalid bin Hilal al Maawali, Chairman of Majlis Ash’shura, members of State Council and Majlis Ash’shura and Secretary-General of the State Council.
The meeting, which emphasised the establishment of state institutions and law, saw extensive discussion of articles to identify the points of agreement between the two councils on the draft Mineral Wealth Law.
The two sides discussed differences on the draft law in preparation for raising it to His Majesty the Sultan.
State Council chairman, in his speech, said the meeting was part of the Royal orders of His Majesty the Sultan to return the Mineral Wealth Law to the Council of Oman for a joint session between the State Council and the Majlis Ash’shura.
The two councils, on receiving orders from His Majesty, formed a joint committee of members of both councils. The committee identified the points of agreement on the draft as well as articles on which they differed.
Monday’s meeting enabled the councils to resolve these differences.
The State Council chairman said the joint meeting comes under the scope of the Council of Oman, and within the framework of cooperation and joint coordination as called for by His Majesty the Sultan to serve the nation and strengthen state institutions and law.
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to His Majesty for the trust that he has extended to the Council of Oman in order to contribute to the service of our beloved country. We hope what we decide will be in the best interests of our country.”
The draft law has 74 articles divided into five sections: Definitions and General Provisions, Licences, Concessions Agreement, Penalties and Final Provisions.
Members of the State Council and members of Majlis Ash’shura discussed the differences between the two councils regarding the draft law, which led to constructive proposals by placing high priority on public interest.
The meeting adheres to the provisions of Article 58 (37 bis) of the Basic Law of the State, which says: “If the two councils disagree on draft laws, they shall meet in a joint session under the chairmanship of the Chairman of the State Council at his invitation to discuss the differences between the two councils.
“The meeting results in decisions arising from absolute majority of the members present, and in all cases the Chairman of the State Council will submit the draft to His Majesty the Sultan, accompanied by the opinion of the two councils.”
The members discussed the differences between the two houses in the draft law in a positive atmosphere full of constructive proposals and giving priority to public interest.
They stressed the importance of the law in supporting the growth of the mining sector, which is one of the five promising sectors of focus in the 9th five-year plan, pointing out that the development of the sector will contribute in enhancing its contribution to the GDP, which will have positive effect on the economy and serve the overall development objectives.
Earlier, Dr Khalid bin Salim al Saeedi, Secretary-General of the State Council, said: “The convening of the joint session will strengthen the concept of the state institutions and the principle of the rule of law.”
He said that there are specific mechanisms to discuss differences regarding the Mineral Wealth Law between the State Council and Majlis Ash’shura.
Dr Saleh bin Said Masan, Chairman of the Economic Committee in Majlis Ash’shura, said in a statement that seven main articles were discussed on Monday. He said that the meeting comes within the framework of complementarity between the two councils to reach the level of balance in legislation.
He said that the articles under discussion relate to the mineral wealth and revenues collected on this wealth in the public revenues of the state.
He referred to the discussion on licensing process to stimulate investment and improve business environment in the country, and open the doors for small and medium enterprises to enter the sector.
(With ONA inputs)
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
