Thursday 19 / September / 2024
Muscat: A project to decide standards for the Omani Dishdasha will “hopefully” get approval this year, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has announced.
According to engineer Sami bin Salem Al Saheb, acting director general of the Directorate of Standards and Metrology, the Dishdasha measures will be selected according to the provinces of the Sultanate. He explained that as of now, the project is in its final stage and will hopefully get metrological standard approval before the end of 2016.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry continues its march towards protecting Omani costumes from any deformities and maintaining the Omani identity, and is executing the third article in the ministerial decision No. 270 / 2015 (banning import of some goods).
It states that importing, designing Omani traditional clothes or transgressing these, or modifying anything in it in such a way that it harms the Omani identity, is banned.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry represented by the directorate general of standards and metrology will soon carry out inspections and awareness campaigns at shops in various provinces of the Sultanate where this Omani cloth is sold.
The aim is to make sure that no costumes violating the Omani standards are offered, and that there are no modifications,unnecessary decorations or indecent drawings or anything that offends public taste.
Al Saheb said the campaign was undertaken after some activists published photos of certain Omani costumes (Omani Kema and Omani Dishdasha) on social media, which showed the raiment as modified, and manipulated its standards, thus harming the Omani identity.
Such action violates the ministerial decision 270/2015 which considers selling such modified clothes through internet or social media as a violation.
The acting director general of standards and metrology, referring to the project to specify standards for the Omani Kema, said it was being undertaken in cooperation with the General Authority for Craft Industry.
The initial draft includes special standards for the Omani Kema, aimed at maintaining the Omani identity through this form of heritage passed down for generations and to protect it from any inputs that transgress the notion of identity.
Sami Al Saheb urged the people to report any shop, site, or online account that exhibits designs for the Omani traditional cloths or tries to carry out any procedure or introduces modifications that harm the Omani identity.
People can report it via mail, site, or social media, so that all legal procedures can be initiated against the violators.
It is worth mentioning that the Standards Circle in the Directorate General for Standards and Metrology in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry is the concerned party for setting the Omani and Gulf specific standards, as also international and Arab standards. These are to protect the health and safety of the consumer, and to raise the quality of the Omani goods.
The effort is aimed at enhancing the trust that consumers repose in these products. Also, it will lead to increase in sales, and inspire manufacturers to develop and make the best use of raw materials and industry inputs.
It will also help them in cutting down on wastage and make it more profitable.
Better production values will lead to more demand and consequently, more jobs and a better living standard for labourers. This will eventually lead to more tourism, thus adding to the national economy.
