His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik today gave a speech on the occasion of the day on which he assumed the reins of power in the country, the 11th of January. It reads as follows:
“Almighty Allah. Thanks be to You for bringing back this blessed occasion at a time when our march of development is forging ahead and our renaissance renewed and deriving impetus from a glorious history. It is anticipating the future with strong will based on the solidarity of its citizens.
Loyal people of Oman, to safeguard our gains and the accomplishments made on this benign land and to establish a prosperous future for our young generation in all parts of this country, we will spare no effort in utilising all means to realise the objective.
We are confident that you all perceive the volume of challenges that we have been through, that we have tackled with tact and patience and then, with the Almighty’s divine support, proceeded with the implementation of our social and economic plans and programmes, guided by Oman Vision 2040. Our economic and fiscal performance has improved and we have started to accomplish for you and with you the march of growth and prosperity.
Sustaining the State’s ability to meet its financial obligations has been the prime aim of the current stage. We feel satisfied with the positive change in fiscal performance which, thanks be to the Almighty Allah, has improved fairly well.
This has been further consolidated by the expansion in economic stimulus policies and the establishment of a social protection scheme catering to the welfare of citizens, thus giving this improvement a humanitarian dimension.
Dear citizens, we have placed youth at the forefront of our government’s concerns. We have followed up the efforts made to engage youth in the nation-building process. We will ensure that this partnership is more comprehensive and more effective. The State’s institutions and officials are endorsing a sustainable course of action focusing on highlighting the salient contributions of youth in this auspicious march and organising their role in serving society.
We have been impressed by the achievements made in the field of recruitment during this year, which saw the employment of a good number of Omani jobseekers, despite the difficulty of this stage. We look forward with hope, combined with determination, that all sectors of the State and the private sector will play the role expected of them in promoting employment, being the cornerstone of the economy and development. The aim is to provide jobs for our qualified sons and daughters and to qualify those who need to gain the necessary skills to join the labour market. As for our sons and daughters from among entrepreneurs who wish to establish their private projects, we are resolved to lend them our support and encourage their entrepreneurship programmes. We will offer necessary support and incentives to small and medium enterprises, given their vital role in stimulating economic activity and employment opportunities.
Loyal people of Oman, local investment constitutes one of the basic pillars of diversification of the national income. After launching a set of national programmes and furnishing proper suitable grounds, we hereby urge all to invest funds locally. We have lucrative investment opportunities at hand in all fields and we look forward to seeing our country a destination for pioneering investments, notably in spheres that consolidate our approach to expand the volume of the national economy and diversify the sources of income. Our country, thanks be to the Almighty Allah, boasts a wide range of competitive incentives, great potential and promising opportunities that need to be utilised. The government will unleash all its efforts and capacities to serve cooperation and integration that ensure channelling development to the governorates. They will enhance their preparedness for investment and develop their local role based on the comparative advantage of each governorate in a manner that creates development models. This will be substantiated by a set of strategic goals to be executed by the government within the context of five-year plans. Thus, the march of development can be perfected and empowered to cover all parts of this dear homeland.
Over the next stage of the Renewed Renaissance, we will take action to transform government performance from the level of emergency solutions to a more sustainable level having a set of lasting and comprehensive solutions that place economic growth, fiscal sustainability and social welfare at the forefront of its priorities.
Dear citizens, it was the Almighty Allah’s will that our country was subjected to adverse climatic conditions. Based on our keenness to provide maximum levels of protection and care for citizens and residents, we hereby direct the government to speed up the rate of support and development of the early warning system and to endorse the best urban planning schemes to curb the impact of such climatic conditions.
Dear citizens, elevating Oman to the higher strata of progress that it deserves is a national duty and an immense responsibility to be shouldered by each and every citizen.
We hereby urge all our sons and daughters to stick to the values and principles emanating from our glorious history. Let’s take pride in our identity and the core essence of our personality, while at the same time opening up to the world in a balanced and objective manner and in a positive stance that does not compromise our originality or identity or make us lose or forget either of them.
Loyal citizens of Oman, the sincere national efforts have always been the object of our appreciation and pride. In this context, we would like to register an expression of commendation for our military and security services. We salute them for the honourable national roles they have undertaken in protecting the nation and defending its interests and sovereignty, at every time and place, willing to offer their lives in sacrifice for every inch of this dear homeland. To you, armed and security services, we proclaim our deep thanks and praise for your valuable contribution towards building the dear homeland and elevating its status. We pray to the Almighty Allah to lend us all support to bear this great responsibility. We pray to Him to grant us success to realise the good of the nation and its citizens.
May the Almighty Allah protect Oman. May He protect you all, loyal citizens of Oman!”
