Sunday 22 / December / 2024
Muscat: His Highness Sayyid Asa’ad bin Tarik Al Said, the Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Affairs, and the Personal Representative of His Majesty the Sultan, has paid tributes to the legacy of the late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said in shaping Oman, and expressed confidence in the abilities of His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik to lead the country forward.
Speaking on the 50th anniversary of the country’s National Day, and hailing the spirit of national unity and solidarity among people, in Oman, Sayyid Asa’ad said, “We have undergone several stages of development, but all of them have left their clear marks on Oman. It is not we who praise ourselves, but the world that praises us.”
“The anniversary of our glorious National Day will always remain a turning point in the history of modern Oman,” he said, speaking to Al Shabiba, the sister publication of the Times of Oman.
“A single meeting is not enough to share the achievements of the late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said over the past 50 years,” added His Highness. “We have been given many gifts, including good nature and decent manners, which helped in educating everyone.”
To ensure the needs of the country and its citizens are being met, Sayyid Asa’ad said His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik encouraged his ministers and employees to not just interact with each other during the meetings of the Council of Ministers, but to also hold dialogues with people and listen to their aspirations.
“His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik is the right choice for Oman,” he said. “He is well known among politicians and others in the country, and has assumed several positions in the state since the 1970s.”
Shedding light on the country’s economic progress, Sayyid Asa’ad highlighted the increasing number of Omanis running their own businesses. “As the late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said said during a meeting of the Council of Oman, ‘there is no government worldwide that acts as the only employer of its people’. Therefore, companies should provide more support to the government than they are currently doing.
“I always say to visitors to the country that Oman has big ports close to the Arab, and some African countries,” he added, pointing out the country is envied for its strategic geographic location.
His Highness Sayyid Asa’ad also stressed the importance of paying attention to further development of Omani heritage and culture, using camel racing as an example: “I encourage His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik to support camel racing, as nearly 40 per cent of the Omani people are, in one way or another, associated with this sport that has rapidly grown and developed.”
“We are all on the same page as His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik, and we pledge to continue to support His Majesty the Sultan and the government to proceed towards Oman Vision 2040, and the initiatives announced to provide solutions to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the decrease in oil prices.”
On the occasion of National Day, the Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Affairs also shared a few anecdotes of his experiences with the late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said.
“Since the dawn of our blessed renaissance, the Late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said had told us to ‘take whatever is good and leave whatever is not’, as he was concerned about Omanis following the traditions, lifestyles, customs and manner of dress of others, which do not fit in with our country,” recalled His Highness. “He directed them to seek inspiration from the legacy of our ancestors,” he added. “He was a good leader at both national level, and among the international community.”
Explaining how the late His Majesty was keen to take a personal interest in the wellbeing of others, Sayyid Asa’ad recalled, “In 1974, he asked me if I ride horses, and I told him I didn’t do so very often. That day, he told me we’d go horse riding in Wattayah. I wasn’t good enough to ride a horse back then, but the late His Majesty chose for me a quiet horse, and added with his sense of humour, ‘this is the one for a beginner such as you’. He was an intelligent and charismatic person. Any conversation with him encouraged you to speak to him without fear. I too am one of his students.”
