NATIONAL UNITY, THE BASIS OF DEVELOPMENT
n the life of nations and their peoples, there are days of historical importance, and days which have made history as well.
In the case of Oman, July 23rd is considered to be one of the glorious days in the life of the Omani people; a day which has made history and future together.
On this day, the people stood united behind their wise leader His Majesty Sultan Qaboos towards building a strong nation, and contributing to human civilisation by enriching its multiple aspects.
The shining footprints thus etched in our history are still visible to all, reflecting the greatness of our civilisation and His Majesty’s legacy.
On the glorious day of July 23rd 1970 when His Majesty assumed the throne, the darkness enveloping the people’s lives was thwarted, and the walls of isolation with the rest of the world broken.
It also marked the end of ignorance and poverty suffered by the people of Oman, leading them to a new age of advancement and development in a relatively short time. The life and progress of people can’t be measured in terms of the number of years; instead it’s measured by the development and advancement achieved over the years.
Forty six years of renaissance is considered a short time in the history of other civilised countries, but for the Omani people it truly turned around their future.
During this time, the Omani people worked on building their homeland from scratch, which resulted in today’s highly developed country.
Over the course of time, they emulated many countries which flourished before them, and overcame many geographical, demographical and ideological challenges along with the ill effects of the country’s afflicted past.
However, one of the most important achievements accomplished in this period under the reign of His Majesty the Sultan is national unity, bringing together and uniting the country from north to south, and east to west, under the name of “Sultanate of Oman”. His Majesty rightly believed that there would be no development without strong national unity that acts as a strong base for the country. Therefore, His Majesty began uniting people under the name of Oman, bringing all corners of the country under the banner of homeland.
His Majesty established a system based on social justice for all, overcoming all the challenges for building a harmonious society.
National unity is all about denouncing the differences among people in terms of ideologies, tribes, and others that tore Omanis apart for a long time. His Majesty established Oman as a home and a tribe for all Omani people without any differences among them.
People of this country also appreciated the greatness and aims of his vision, and supported his efforts in fighting various negative things which keep tearing many countries apart even today.
The process of achieving national unity has been one of the difficult efforts which included bringing together groups and parties that remained so apart and separate, as well as hearts shattered by devastating civil wars and conflicts for decades.
However, His Majesty’s supreme wisdom succeeded in uniting the people of the country in removing the pains of history that divided the Omanis.
Thus national unity served as the foundation for building a bright future for Oman with a well-defined set of rules that can’t be violated, strong fundamentals that can’t be demolished and a clear vision that can’t be spoiled.
National unity was established on strong fundamentals that are based on disseminating justice and equality among all people, and strengthening state institutions. National unity, which serves as an invulnerable fence to our renaissance and development, was not achieved by force and weapons, but through principles of integrity, love and amnesty, and following a policy of “let bygones be bygones”, allowing all to work towards creating a better future for their children and themselves.
The Omanis have every right to take pride in this national accomplishment, which is considered one of the most important milestones of renaissance, as it is regarded as the basis of any development or nation building process. All are allowed to participate in nation building and share the benefits.