STATE INSTITUTIONS

His Majesty the Sultan is Head of State, the highest and final authority and the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and the Royal Oman Police. He is the symbol of national unity, which he maintains and upholds.

Article 42 of the Basic Statute of the State defines the Sultan’s functions. These include maintaining the country’s independence and territorial integrity, protecting its internal and external security, safeguarding its citizens' rights and freedoms, upholding the rule of law, directing general state policy and taking measures to confront dangers threatening the security or national integrity of the Sultanate and of its people.

His Majesty presides over the cabinet of ministers. He appoints and dismisses deputy prime ministers, ministers and under-secretaries. He is responsible for declaring states of emergency, general mobilisation and war, concluding peace under the provisions of the law, introducing laws, ratifying treaties and international agreements, issuing the general state budget and granting pardons for punishments. Rulings are issued and carried out in the name of His Majesty the Sultan.

Modernisation of the state

Addressing the Omani people when he assumed power in July 1970, Sultan Qaboos bin Said said: “I promise you that the first obligation I shall impose upon myself is to begin modernising the government as quickly as possible.”

However, in the early 1970s, there were no laws or regulatory systems to define the functioning, principles and goals of institutions or the rights and duties of employees. The codification of government began in the mid 1970s. In July 1975, Royal Decree 26/75 introduced laws to regulate the administration. It set out the Cabinet of Ministers’ and other government bodies’ powers and responsibilities, in tandem with the Civil Service Law of Royal Decree 27/75, which outlined civil servants’ rights and duties.

List of Cabinet of Ministers

HH Sayyid Thuwainy bin Shihab

Personal Repesentative of His Majesty the Sultan

HH Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud al Said

Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers

HH Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq al Said

Minister of Heritage and Culture

HE Sayyid Ali bin Hamoud al Busaidi

Minister of Diwan of Royal Court

HE General Ali bin Majid al Ma’amari

Minister of the Royal Office

HE Sayyid Badr bin Saud bin Hareb al Busaidi

Minister Responsible for Defence

HE Sayyid Saud bin Ibrahim al Busaidi

Minister of Interior

HE Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah

Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs

HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulah bin Zaher al Hinai

Minister of Justice

HE Ahmed bin Abdulnabi Macki

Minister of National Economy

HE Dr Yahya bin Mahfudh al Mantheri

Minister of Higher Education

HE Sayyid al Mutassim bin Hamoud al Busaidi

Minister of State and Governor of Muscat

HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Ali al Qatabi

Minister of State and Governor of Dhofar

HE Malik bin Suleiman al Ma’amari

Minister of Transport and Communications

HE Dr Ali bin Mohammed bin Moosa

Minister of Health

HE Sayyid Hamoud bin Faisal bin Said

Secretary-General of the Cabinet

HE Sheikh Amer bin Shuwain al Hosni

Minister of Social Development

HE Maqbool bin Ali bin Sultan

Minister of Commerce and Industry

HE Mohammed bin Ali bin Nasser al Alawi

Minister of Legal Affairs

HE Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Matar al Azizi

Minister of Civil Service

HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Abdullah al Salimi

Minister of Awqaf and Religious Affairs

HE Dr Mohammed bin Hamad bin Saif al Rumhi

Minister of Oil and Gas

HE Dr Khamis bin Mubarak al Alawi

Minister of Regional Municipalities, Environment and Water Resources

HE Sheikh Suhail bin Mustahil Shamas

Minister of Housing, Electricity and Water

HE Sheikh Salim bin Hilal al Khalili

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries

HE Hamed bin Mohammed bin Mohsin al Rashdi

Minister of Information

HE Yahya bin Saud al Sulaimi

Minister of Education

HE Juma bin Ali bin Juma

Minister of Manpower

Council of Oman (Majlis Oman)

Oman’s government is a bicameral system.  The Basic Law Statute of the State provided for the establishment of The Council of Oman, which was created by Royal Decree in 1997.  It consists of the Majlis a’Shura (Consultative Council), whose members are elected by Omani citizens every four years, and the Majlis Al Dawla (State Council), whose members are appointed by the Sultan

The State Council (Majlis al Dawla)

The State Council acts as an upper chamber. Membership is for a period of three years and is renewable.  In the current year, 2003, the State Council has 55 members, including 7 women.

It is an advisory council that carries out objective, in-depth studies on the issues put before it or on topics that might arise during the course of its sessions. It reflects in its approach the plurality of views and ideas underlined by His Majesty the Sultan. The president and members of the State Council, appointed by Royal Decree, are senior members of the Omani community and are chosen for their expertise and competence in a wide range of fields.

A State Council member must be of Omani nationality by birth, not less than forty years of age and of good social standing and reputation with appropriate practical experience. A member is not permitted to combine membership of the State Council with membership of the Majlis a’ Shura or of public office, unless he or she is chosen from the categories of science, literature and culture or from the academic staffs of universities, colleges and institutes.

The Council considers issues referred to it by His Majesty the Sultan or the Council of Ministers, and submits its views, along with its proposals and recommendations, to His Majesty or to the Council as appropriate. The President of the State Council also submits an annual report to His Majesty the Sultan on the Council’s activities.

The State Council assisted in preparing the Sixth Five-Year Plan (2001-2005). It also studied several draft laws and submitted its recommendations to the Council of Ministers.

In addition, the Council carried out studies on  various topics ranging from challenges facing the Sultanate’s water resources, the future of tourism and diversification of the economy.

According to its constitution, the Council holds four ordinary sessions a year, in January, March, May and October. The President of the Council may also convene an extraordinary session if necessary.

The Consultative Council (Majlis A’Shura)

he function of the Majlis A’Shura, inaugurated in 1990 to replace the State Consultative Council, is to advise and assist the government in matters concerning Omani society and to help reinforce its fundamental values. The Majlis exercises its powers and legislative, economic and social functions in several ways through its members and main bodies.  The Majlis consists of 83 democratically elected individuals representing the various wilayats as independent spokespersons of their citizens. The term of office was increased to four year in October 2003.

Ordinary Sessions

Four sessions of the Majlis A’Shura are held annually when reports on progress and future plans are given by the Ministries. In 2002 and 2003, statements were made on topics such as privatisation in transport and communications, changes to the Basic Education programme, the upgrading of higher education, conservation and management of the environment, improvements to the health service, reforms to the Civil Service, proposed household utilities projects, developments in industry and free trade, investment in agriculture and Omanisation of the private sector. 

At the end of each session the Majlis Office – with the participation of the chairmen of the standing committees – meets to review and evaluate the meetings and discussions that have taken place.

Closed Sessions

Closed sessions for exchanges of views between ministers and government officials were also held in 2002-2003. Discussions covered fishing regulations, research and development at Sultan Qaboos University, oil and gas reserves and the youth and sports sector.

Internal Activities

The Majlis reviews draft laws referred to it by the government and also takes the initiative in studying economic and social laws currently in force with a view to updating and amending them.  In the current year the Legal Committee carried out a study of the draft Fisheries Law and submitted its report to the October 2002 Majlis session.  The draft Law on Protecting the National Economy from the Effects of Harmful International Trade Practices was studied and then debated at the May 2003 session. 

Majlis committees produced several reports on social and economic topics, which were put before the Majlis and approved, and then submitted to His Majesty the Sultan. A special committee was also set up to raise public awareness about environmental conservation and prevention of pollution.  

External Activities

In 2003 a number of Majlis delegations took part in events around the world and these included attending the 4^th session of the Union of Councils of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) member states in the Philippines, and participation in the Conference on Arab-African parliamentary dialogue in the Ethiopian capital.  The Majlis also received delegations and public personalities from friendly countries during their official visits to the Sultanate, and explained the shura (consultation) process to them.

Co-ordination with the Government

Government departments, public and private sector corporations and institutions supply the Majlis with information and provide facilities to assist its committees during their field visits to the governorates and regions.  There was extensive co-ordination between the Majlis and the various organisations throughout the year. 

Elections for the Majlis’s Fifth Term

The Majlis is due to complete its fourth term (2001-2003) at the end of 2003, and general elections for the members of its fifth term are planned for 4th October 2003.  Any male or female citizen over 30 years of age may stand as a candidate for election, and all citizens over the age of 21 are now entitled to vote for their representative in the Majlis.  The fifth term election has a total of 584 candidates including 16 women for 82 seats.

here are no political parties in the Majlis, but once candidates are elected they will form a group with others holding similar views.

The Civil Service

In 1970 the responsibility for the administrative structure was assigned to the Diwan of Employee Affairs which began to introduce laws and regulations for Oman’s civil service, culminating in the Civil Service Law by Royal Decree No.27/75.  In 1988 Royal Decree No.17/88 established the Ministry of Civil Service and defining its powers and responsibilities, and these were upgraded in 1998 by Royal Decree No.89/98.

At the end of 2002 some 91,237 men and women (64% men, 36% women) were employed in the departments subject to the Civil Service Law.  The level of Omanisation rose from 78.1% at the end of 2001 to 80.9% at the end of 2002.  Expatriates employed in the health- and education-related field accounted for 92.6% of the total (17,471) at the end of 2002.

Training

Between 1997 and the end of 2002 13,527 training opportunities were offered in the Sultanate, either at the Institute of Public Administration or at private institutes.  During the same period a further 692 opportunities were offered abroad in a range of disciplines.

Higher Qualifications

The Civil Service Law allows employees to be sent abroad on scholarships in order to obtain higher educational qualifications.  Between 1992 and 2002 the number of employees with university and post-graduate qualifications rose from 4,041 to 22,312.

Monitoring Omanisation

A 1997 Royal Decree created the Omanisation Monitoring and Follow-up Committee as a department of the Diwan of the Royal Court in order to monitor programmes for employing nationals in the public and private sectors. The committee compiles progress reports on such employment and proposes solutions to obstacles to Omanisation targets. The decree requires public and private sector authorities and bodies to provide whatever information and statistics the committee requires.

Several specialised sub-committees supervise Omanisation in the public and private sectors, with members drawn both from government and business. These sub-committees have identified obstacles to the Omanisation drive and proposed alternative solutions. The main committee has discussed their recommendations and submitted their findings to the Sultan.

Women’s rights

From the outset of his reign, Sultan Qaboos resolved that Omani women should not be marginalised in the new, modern Sultanate.  He has advocated the advancement of women in all spheres of society and championed their right to help determine society's future.

In 1988, Oman appointed its first female under-secretary in a ministry in a first for any Gulf state. In 1989, a woman was elected to the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s board of directors. In 1999, Oman appointed its first female ambassador to The Hague, and in 2003 the first woman was appointed a minister (as President of the newly-formed Public Authority for Craft Industries).

Many other women have emerged in government and the private sector, becoming more visible in government posts, the oil sector and banking. Numerous Omani women also work as teachers, doctors, nurses and in the clerical and computing fields. Others engage in voluntary work through the national body, the Omani Women's Association.

.