Tuesday, March 8, 2011


Reshuffle fails to quell Omani protests
(AFP) – 1
MUSCAT — Omanis protesting against corruption said Tuesday they would not be mollified by a major cabinet reshuffle in which more than a third of the sultanate's ministers were sacked or shifted.
Sultan Qaboos announced Monday a new cabinet of 29 ministers in response to rare public complaints about corruption and the power of the old elite in the strategic Gulf state.
The economy and interior ministers were among at least 12 cabinet members to lose their jobs in what many saw as a significant concession to the demands of the protesters on behalf of the much-loved sultan.
Demonstrators at the Earth Roundabout in the northern city of Sohar, where a sit-in has been ongoing for 10 days, welcomed Monday night's royal announcement but vowed to continue their peaceful demonstration.
"Sacking the ministers is not enough. We want them to be put on trial," said one of the protesters, Ali Habib.
"We demand that they be taken to court and banned from travelling abroad."
The protesters are also demanding jobs or increases in their salaries and pensions.
The new cabinet has 29 ministers, in addition to the sultan himself as a prime minister. He also holds the portfolios of defence, finance and foreign affairs.
Economy minister Ahmad bin Abdel Nabi Mekki and interior minister Saud bin Ibrahim al-Busaidi were the biggest heads to roll, along with trade and industry Minister Maqbool bin Ali bin Sultan.
Mekki's ministry was abolished altogether, while Busaidi was replaced by civil service minister Faisal bin Said al-Busaidi, the official ONA news agency said.
The reshuffle had been expected after Sultan Qaboos on Saturday sacked two ministers in response to protesters' grievances, which include corruption and the slow pace of democratic reform.
At least one protester was killed in clashes with police in Sohar On February 27 but Oman has been largely spared the violence that has gripped other Arab states including Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and neighbouring Yemen.
Washington welcomed the reforms adopted in a key Western ally on the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which 40 percent of the world's oil shipments pass.
"We are encouraged by the recent steps toward reform taken by the government of Oman," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters.
"And we strongly encourage the government to continue to implement reforms that increase economic opportunity and move toward greater inclusion and participation in the political process."
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