Shura in Oman ...
a quarter century of public participation
and decision-making
The Council of Oman
|| The
Consultation/Shura Council
From an institutional and organisational point of view. Oman's consultative
process first saw the light of day over a quarter of a century ago with the
launch of the State Consultative Council in 1981. While the actual practice
of consultation already had roots deep in the country's history and
traditions, in its present form it was inspired by the country's leadership,
which [in the words of His Majesty the Sultan] wanted to see Oman embark on
"its own enterprise in the field of democratic action in which its citizens
play their part in taking national decisions." This enterprise would be
built up "brick by brick on firm foundations based on the realities of Omani
life and the circumstances of the age in which we live."
In 1991 Oman's Majlis ash Shura (Consultation Council) began its life as "a
partner of the government with the aim of building this nation and serving
its citizens." Its members represent their respective wilayats and are
elected by citizens aged twenty-one and over, and Omani women enjoy the
right to vote and stand as candidates. The Majlis has evolved over the years
in terms of both its composition and its functions, and today - as His
Majesty the Sultan pointed out in his speech at the annual inauguration of
the Council of Oman on 14th November 2006 - it is "a ground-breaking
enterprise and a strong building-block in the creation of the
institution-based state, the pillars of which we are seeking to establish
without abandoning the strong foundations of Omani society, While at the
same time adopting those elements of the modern age that are useful."
Oman's continued evolution in the field of democratic practice was reflected
in the creation of the Majlis ad Dawla (State Council) and - in 1997 - the
Majlis Oman (Council of Oman, comprising both the State Council and the
Majlis ash Shura in joint session) which aimed
[to quote His Majesty the Sultan] "to enrich the process of development and
construction through the expression of views and ideas that serve the public
interest and help promote further progress and a decent life for all
citizens, by putting forward recommendations, to which our government pays
the greatest attention, and through open dialogue between the members of the
Council and government ministers."
Oman's consultation process and democratic experience are based on the
principle -established by His Majesty the Sultan - of close co-operation,
cohesion and integration between the different state executive and
parliamentary institutions so that they can work together to satisfy the
aspirations of the country's citizens and channel their energies and
potential towards the achievement of national goals. This is the principle
that has galvanised all the efforts of the Majlis ash Shura, the State
Council and the Council of Oman in their activities and their collaboration
with the government.
His Majesty the Sultan's annual Royal Tour of the wilayats is a uniquely
Omani example of the regular, extensive and direct contact that takes place
between His Majesty and the people in different parts of the country, during
which they discuss a wide range of topics of concern to the nation and its
citizens.
Extensive powers and wide participation
The Majlis ash Shrua, whose members are elected to represent their
respective wilayat, enjoys a wide range of legislative, economic and social
powers to enable it to carry out its task of broadening the scope of p`ublic
participation in the development process, Alongside the exercise of those
powers, it also keeps citizens informed about the country's development
efforts and impresses on them the need for active public participation.
Its powers include:
Reviewing draft laws before steps are taken to promulgate them, with the
exception of those laws which the public interest requires should be
submitted directly to His Majesty the Sultan. The Majlis ash Shura submits
its recommendations on the draft laws referred to it to the Council of
Ministers. Proposing improvements to the economic and social laws in force
in the Sultanate where it considers this appropriate.
The Majlis ash Shura helps prepare the draft five ¬year development plans.
The Majlis Chairman is a member of the Supreme High Committee, which sets
out the general guidelines for the development plan. The draft plan is also
debated in the Majlis before it is promulgated. The debate is attended by HE
the Minister of National Economy and Deputy Chairman of the Financial
Affairs and Energy Resources Council, who is also the Supervisor of the
Ministry of Finance, as well as I-IE the Secretary-General of the Ministry
of Finance. This was the case with both the Sixth and Seventh Five-Year
Development Plans (2001-2005 and 2006-2010 respectively) before the issue of
the Royal Decree promulgating them. The government refers the draft General
State Budget to the fajlis ash Shura, which studies it and debates it
following a report on it from its economic committee.
The debate is attended by HE the Minister of Nation Economy, who replies to
members' questions am provides clarification on points raised in the debate.
When subjects are referred to the Majlis by H Majesty the Sultan or the
Council of Minister the Majlis studies them and submits its views and
recommendations on them to His Majesty or the Council of Ministers, as
appropriate. The Chairman of the Majlis ash Shura also submits an annual
reps on the Majlis's activities to His Majesty the Sultan. The Majlis ash
Shura receives annual reports from the ministers of the service ministries
on their ministries achievements and plans. When necessary, the Majlis may
invite some of them to deliver statements their ministries' achievements and
plans in a relevant field or fields so that there can be a discussion at
exchange of views on them.
Monitoring the implementation of the five-year development plans.
Voicing the people's concerns and helping to raise their awareness of the
goals and priorities of the development process. To do this the Majlis hold
debates on issues of interest to the general public, such as the high prices
of some commodities, medical errors, electricity reconnection charges and
the sewerage system. The Majlis also receives requests and suggestions from
citizens on a range of general topics which are studied and discussed by the
committees and the Majlis Office; the Majlis Secretariat-General keeps the
citizens updated on the response to them. Taking part in efforts to conserve
the environment and protect it from pollution, and deliberating on subjects
related to it.
Promoting relations between the Majlis and parliamentary bodies in other
countries, as well as Arab, Islamic and international parliamentary unions,
with the aim of furthering common interests and highlighting Oman's
experiences in the realm of democratic action. There are a number of joint
parliamentary friendship committees and associations between the Majlis ash
Shura and parliaments in Arab and foreign countries.
How the Majlis ash Shura conducts its business:
Oman's Majlis ash Shura exercises its powers and prerogatives through
various procedures laid down in its internal regulations. They are:
- Questions. This means seeking information about the government's
intentions or about a specific issue within the Majlis ash Shura's
jurisdiction.
- Wishes. If the public interest demands it. the Majlis has the right to
inform the government of its wishes about matters related to public services
and utilities, including ways of upgrading them and improving their
performance, or on problems faced by the economic sector.
- Requests for debates. These enable the Majlis to express its views
promptly on general matters within its jurisdiction and debate them with the
ministers concerned, with a view to producing a set of specific
recommendations on them if necessary and submitting them to His Majesty the
Sultan.
- Ministerial statements and reports. The Majlis receives annual reports
from the ministers of the service ministries about their ministries'
achievements and plans. When necessary, the Maflis may invite some of them
to deliver statements on various aspects of their ministries' areas of
responsibility so that there can be discussions and exchanges of views on
them.
Some examples of the Majlis ash Shura's activities:
The Majlis ash Shura’s fifth term (2004-2007) ends on 30`h September 2007
and its sixth term (2008-2011) will begin after the final results of its
coming elections are announced.
It would be impossible to list all the Majlis’s achievements over the past
five terms since it was set up. We can say, however, that they have had a
significant impact on the country's development, particularly in the
economic, social, cultural, environmental and municipal fields, as well as
on services in general and every other area of concern to the country's
citizens, and His Majesty the Sultan and the government attach great
importance to the Majlis’s recommendations and proposals. Some examples arc:
One: Draft laws reviewed before promulgation
Draft laws referred to the Majlis before they were promulgated, include the
Labour Law, laws on the legal profession, the Civil Code, the regulation of
tourism, evidence in civil and commercial disputes, the conservation of the
environment and the prevention of pollution, the regulation of
telecommunications, scholarships and study grants, fisheries, the protection
of the national economy from harmful practices in international trade, and
the care and rehabilitation of the disabled.
The Majlis ash Shura submits the draft laws it reviews, together with its
recommendations, which are taken into account when they are promulgated.
Two: Upgrading economic and social laws
The Majlis ash Shura has studied, upgraded and amended a large number of
laws in force in the Sultanate. It replaced the regulations on hearing
claims and applications for arbitration before the Authority
for Settlement of Commercial Disputes with the Commercial Procedures Law. It
upgraded the law on the registration and classification of art and literary
works promulgated under Royal Decree No. 45/76 and the Commercial Agencies
Law promulgated under Royal Decree No. 26/77. It amended and upgraded the
Law on the Protection of Public Funds and the Avoidance of Conflicts of
Interest promulgated under Royal Decree No. 39/82. It upgraded the Law on
Printed Matter and Publications promulgated under Royal Decree No. 49/84,
the Law on Pensions and End of Service Benefits for Omani Government
Employees promulgated under Royal Decree No. 26/86 and the Social Security
Law promulgated under Royal Decree No. 87/84. It also revised Article 50 of
Traffic Law No. 28/93, amended in Royal Decree No. 91/2001.
Three: Expressing opinions on topics referred to it by His Majesty the
Sultan and the government
Topics referred to the Majlis ash Shura on His Majesty's instructions
include the regulation of fishing for rare fish in the Sultanate and a study
on merging the sports clubs. Topics referred to the Majlis by the government
have included: ways of absorbing general preparatory and secondary school
leavers, draft regulations on supporting private schools, alternative road
projects and ways of funding them, and national population policy documents.
Four: Taking part in efforts to conserve the environment and protect it from
pollution
The Majlis ash Shura supports the competent authorities in their efforts to
conserve the environment and attends events organised by them. During its
second and fourth terms the Majlis set up specialist committees in this
vital field with responsibility for studying environmental issues and
raising public awareness.
Topics Studied by the Majlis in this field include for Settlement of
Commercial Disputes with the Commercial Procedures Law. It upgraded the law
on the registration and classification of art and literary works promulgated
under Royal Decree No. 45/76 and the Commercial Agencies Law promulgated
under Royal Decree No. 26/77. It amended and upgraded the Law on the
Protection of Public Funds and the Avoidance of Conflicts of Interest
promulgated under Royal Decree No. 39/82. It upgraded the Law on Printed
Matter and Publications promulgated under Royal Decree No. 49/84, the Law on
Pensions and End of Service Benefits for Omani Government Employees
promulgated under Royal Decree No. 26/86 and the Social Security Law
promulgated under Royal Decree No. 87/84. It also revised Article 50 of
Traffic Law No. 28/93, amended in Royal Decree No. 91/2001.
Five: Other reports and recommendations
Since it was first set up the Majlis ash Shura has prepared numerous studies
and reports on various economic, social and cultural subjects as well as on
ways of improving public services and utilities. These included important
recommendations which were approved by the Majlis following extensive
discussions and meetings with the competent authorities, members of the
public or public and private sector experts. After the recommendations had
been approved they were submitted to His Majesty the Sultan.
In the economic field. The Majlis studied and approved a number of reports
and recommendations on the following subjects: the development of the date
palm, coconut palm, livestock and agricultural industry sectors;
privatisation (sale of government assets in existing establishments to the
private sector): banks, including an evaluation of banking efficiency and
banking policies and their impact on economic activity; the system of offset
trade and investment deals; the role of industry in economic growth; the
employment of national manpower; the dimensions. effects and causes of the
Muscat Securities Market crisis and ways of resolving it; the role of big
companies in boosting the economy and developing local communities soft
loans; a study on commercial monopolies (taking the motor-vehicle market as
an example); and a review and assessment of national manpower employment
policies.
Social development and health. Reports and recommendations approved by the
Majlis included: traffic accidents and ways of preventing them; health
services in the regions; social welfare for the disabled; juvenile
delinquency; updating the system for implementing zakat; the cost of
treating victims of traffic accidents without valid insurance; and the
social security system.
Education and culture. The Majlis submitted studies and recommendations on
the following subjects: the educational and cultural aspects of bringing up
an Omani child; teachers' conditions; a review of the educational system
proposed in the Oman 2020 strategy; co-education in the public school
sector; cultural development in the Sultanate; the intake of Omanis in the
medical colleges in the light of Oman's need for doctors: intake policies at
the College of Law; educational qualification policies and the situation of
Omani graduates from the College of Islamic Studies; and the role of private
universities and colleges.
Ways of improving public services and utilities. Majlis reports and
recommendations in this area included the following: local community
development:. arrangements for holding regular Arab thoroughbred camel
races; sewerage services; civil defence services and the approach to dealing
with major disasters; public soups and Omanisation of their trading
activities; setting up local councils in the wilayats; and financial demands
by companies for electricity consumption charges.
The Majlis ash Shura also held a seminar on simplifying the state's
administrative procedures.
The Consulion/Shura Council (Majlis A'Shura)
The Consultation / Shura Council (Majlis A'Shura) was established in 1991
and evolved from the State Consultative Council, which had been in operation
for a decade from 1981 to 1991.
While members of the State Consultative Council had been appointed by Sultan
Qaboos, the members of today's Consultation Council are representatives of
the Sultanate's distracts, elected by Omani citizens in general elections
where women vote and stand for office on an equal footing with men. There
have been women members of the Consultation Council since 1994; Omanis were
the first women in the Arab Gulf Co-operation Council (AGCC) states to enjoy
this right. Two women were elected to the Council's fifth term (2004-2007)
in the October 2003 general elections.
Oman's Consultation Council is a financially and administratively
independent legal entity based in the Governorate of Muscat. Its role and
functions have been reinforced over the years to keep pace with the needs of
Oman's rapidly changing society.
A wilayat with a population of 30,000 or above is represented by two
members, while a wilayat with fewer than 30,000 inhabitants is represented
by just one. The winning candidate is the one who obtains the greatest
number of votes according to the official election results.
During its fifth term (2004-2007) the Consultation/Shura Council has 83
members including two women.
Omani citizens are eligible to stand as candidates for the Consultation
Council provided that they are Omani nationals, as defined by the law, not
less than 30 years old and of good social standing and reputation in their
wilayats. A candidate must not have been convicted of a crime, indecency or
dishonesty unless he or she has been completely reinstated, and he or she
must have a reasonable standard of education and appropriate practical
experience.
Membership of the Consultation Council is for a period of four years and is
renewable. The next election of members is due to take place in 2007. A
member may not combine membership of the Consultation Council with
membership of the State Council or public office. The Chairman of the
Consultation Council is appointed by Royal Decree.
The Majlis A'Shura enjoys wide-ranging powers under the law. The range of
legislative, economic and social powers enjoyed by the Consultation Council
enable it to fulfil its role of broadening popular participation in shaping
and directing the course of the country's development.
The Consultation Council operates through a system of established channels
and procedures, which involve making the maximum use of the expertise of
ministers while taking into account the effects on the general public of any
decision making resulting from such consultation. The Majlis A 'Shura
debated the draft Seventh Five-year Plan (2006-2010) and the 2006 draft
General State Budget.
As far as the Council's organisational system is concerned, the Chairman has
two Deputy Chairmen who arc elected from the Council membership. The Council
has several standing Committees: the Legal Committee, the Economic
Committee, the Health and Social Affairs Committee, the Education and
Culture Committe, and the Services and Local Community Development
Committee. Special committees have also been set up to deal with national
manpower employment programmes and the tourism sector. These special
committees cease to exist when they have fulfilled the functions for which
they have been set up.
6th Term Elections, 2008-2011
The elections will take place in October 2007. However, prior to this a "Get
Out and Vote'' campaign will be launched by the Ministries of Information
and Interior, the aims of which will be to encourage all eligible Omanis to
register to vote towards the end of the year, and also to familiarise them
with the voting procedures
Co-ordination with other institutions
The government works in close co-operation with the State Council (Majlis
A'Dawla) and the Consultation Council ( Majlis A'Shura) in the interests of
the country and its citizens. On the Sultan's instructions an annual meeting
is held between the members of the Council of Ministers, the State Council
and the Consultation Council to promote closer and broader contacts between
the members of all three bodies. The latest of these, which took place at
the Diwan of Royal Court building on 24 December 2005, was an open meeting
that provided an opportunity for all comers to exchange views.
External activities
The Consultation/ Shura Council (Majlis A'Shura) takes part in activities
and meetings of Arab, Islamic and international parliamentary unions, as
well as exchange visits with parliaments and similar bodies in Arab and
foreign states. In doing so its aim is to strengthen Oman's relations with
other countries and contribute to efforts to deal with issues of concern to
the states and peoples of the region.
In this connection the Chairman of the Consultation Council attended the
first preparatory session of the Arab transitional parliament at the Arab
League on 27th and 28th December 2005 where Oman's representatives were
nominated for membership of the Arab transitional parliament. Omani
representatives also attended meetings of the Arab Parliamentary Union in
Jordan in February 2006. The Council Chairman participated in both the
eighth council session and the fourth conference of the Organisation of
Islamic Conference's union of councils of member states in Turkey in April
2006.
Council members also travelled abroad to promote Oman as a centre of
regional stability and have enthusiastically received return visits from
dignitaries from around the globe.
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H.M. News 
