The ordeal of an expat who was denied NOC in Oman

Muscat: I joined a communications company in Muscat almost four years ago, initially on a two-year contract. I signed a second two-year contract after two years.
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My employment ended recently by mutual consent after I resigned. I had a couple of job offers with other companies in Muscat, but my company refused to give me a NOC (No Objection Certificate), despite the fact that I had completed my initial two-year contract with them.
First, the company told me they wouldn’t give me a NOC, because it was ‘company policy.’ When I pushed them further, they said it was for ‘legal reasons’ and that they would lose a visa clearance for my position if they gave me a release. I’m not even sure if that is true.
I was really upset. I had been with the same company for almost four years and had always been very loyal to them.
I understand that companies don’t want to invest in expat staff only to see them leave after a few months and go to a rival company but in my view, if you have finished the initial two-year contract, then you should be allowed to leave and move around freely. In my case, I felt I had more than repaid the company for their investment in me.
Companies should be obligated to give a NOC to staff who have completed their contracts.
I have heard of other expats who have had the same problem as me and can’t get NOCs. One of them, who worked in civil engineering, had to leave Oman after three years but has now got a job in Abu Dhabi. It was the company who ended his contract but they still wouldn’t give him a NOC.
It seems to me that companies are coming up with excuses not to give a NOC to expat staff, even if they have completed contracts. The NOC system, as it was set up, is being abused by employers and needs to be urgently looked at. We need to follow Qatar’s lead and scrap the whole NOC/release system.