Comments on The Muscatis: Shura Elections

Since the elections, there was much talk about how...

2007-11-04T12:54:00.000+04:00

Since the elections, there was much talk about how women candidates took their first downfall and how women didn't use the opportunity given to them well and how women voters didn't support their own in these elections in spite of the large turn out of female voters.. What do you guys think?

I do think that women have been given the opportunity but some of the candidates were vertually unheard of in the few weeks preceeding the elections and have had no presence in society to allow those voting to weigh their merits. I think women vote for who they believe would serve them better, it doesn't necessarily mean it should be another woman. On the other hand, woman candidates need the vote of the male population of Oman. Has the time come for Omani men to trust being led/served by Omani female council members?

Your thoughts please..

Contrary to popular belief, lawatia are not all re...

2007-11-02T22:34:00.000+04:00

Contrary to popular belief, lawatia are not all related to each other. They are a group of people who formed a community by living together in the same area while having a common origin and a common religious sect. While Oman is majorily sunni and then ibadhi, here is group which is shi3i. And while even other ethnic groups in Oman are relatively large in number, like the balushis for example, lawatia probably are less than 1% of Oman's population. And yet economically, yes while it would be wrong to say they're all well off financially, it's true that as a whole, the lawatia community is significant to Oman due to their standing as leading merchants in the country.

And despite what AP said about one of the leading ministers being lawatia (I assume you are referring to the minister of commerce), having a voice on the council of ministers is different from having a voice in the shura council.

The majority of all the votes for the Shura counci...

2007-11-01T22:18:00.000+04:00

The majority of all the votes for the Shura council are done in the same way as the Lawatia have done, which is not necessarily a good thing. The eldest members of the tribe select among themselves the person to nominate himself for the council, the rest of the tribe do not necessarily have a say on the issue.

I do not think that ethnicity in Oman rules the voting of Shura council as much as families do. For example, I do not think that Lawatis from all around Oman decide to vote for a single person, but 'families' (scaled-down tribes) do Muscati labeled the group from which the nominee was selected as an ethnic group, a tribe, and a community, which I think is essential a family association.

I did not vote because I do not see how a Shura Council could ever make a change that I would feel personally in my daily life.

wow! nice rationalization of the lawatia vote.
...

2007-11-01T18:39:00.000+04:00

wow! nice rationalization of the lawatia vote.

The country will be really served, if other minorities/communities/tribes also join in and just elect their own.

This is how merit is killed.

Very good point you mentioned there about the Lawa...

2007-10-31T14:57:00.000+04:00

Very good point you mentioned there about the Lawati community having a voice in the Shura Council!

I didn't vote and was not interested to, only I wa...

2007-10-31T14:46:00.000+04:00

I didn't vote and was not interested to, only I wanted to register to follow the trend (and because some people are saying that voting will show good in my CV, I don't know how). Yet I didn't register,

Because I don't see a point of the shora representative questioning a minister. What after the questioning and after the whole scene is done. I don't know!

you dont have to quit your job is you are working ...

2007-10-31T09:44:00.000+04:00

you dont have to quit your job is you are working for the private sector, only government emplpoyees are asked to quite thier jobs.

I really respected what Lawatia did when choosing thier candidate .. if every willaya did that, we would definatly have a better chance at choosing a prominante and strong candidates in the majlis.(and you cant call Lawatis minority, one of the most powerful ministers is a lawati ;) )