I can't believe a whole year has gone by since the Arab Spring reached Salalah. So much has happened. So much changed. I have changed. On February 25th, 2011 a group of men went out onto the streets demanding change. They set up a few tents in the Governor of Dhofar's parking lot and stayed there until May 12th when the army arrested them. Between February 25th and May 12th, people demanded jobs, better benefits for orphans and widows, consumer protection, a new university, an end to government corruption, the ousting of several ministers. And guess what? They got what they asked for. During those few months my sleep was interrupted every few nights by messages from the palace announcing yet another Royal Decree from His Majesty changing this, changing that, firing this person, appointing that person, .... it was truly amazing to be part of that and no matter what anyone says, the protests were good for all of us. God bless Oman.
PS (I heard a few young men were planning to go out into the streets today to stage an 'Anniversary Protests'. Nothing happened. Not that I'm aware of anyway. There were plenty of police checkpoints though....)
We passed police checkpoints on the way in/out of the Port and also on the road to Mughsayl. I can't really understand what the point of them is? What are they looking for? Checking peoples' documentation isn't going to prevent a protest. It seemed like all they were achieving was creating traffic jams!
ReplyDeleteThe law enforcement officers (ROP) are out there to maintain security and ensure safety. Nothing strange in doing so. Rather than blame them for the traffic jams they should be thanked and their diligence and efficiency appreciated. Law and order is an integral part of any modern society therefore we should be grateful to those enforcing it round the clock.
ReplyDeleteHave a nice day!
Mti
Mti why don't you start a blog?
ReplyDeleteI have every respect for the police and have no problem with sitting in a traffic jam if security necessitates it. The point I was making is that I can't see how what they were checking would have any impact on whether or not a demonstration took place.
ReplyDeleteMti
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more!
The ROP do a sterling job of keeping Oman safe.
There are groups of people out there who want to thrash this place with a mixture of ignorance, lies and greed.
The "Boys in Brown" put their lives on the line a lot more than people give them credit for.
Walk up, shake a policeman by the hand and thank him!
Lawrence
The ROP seemed very polite, organized and helpful to me. They even apologized to me for having to check my license!
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your postive comments on ROP.
ReplyDeleteHave a nice day!
Mti