THE month of November is marked by an air of great joy and profound hope with the whole Sultanate being immersed in mirthful celebrations that reach the zenith on November 18, our National Day, the day His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said was born. As we celebrate the 38th National Day this year we witness a warm sense of happiness stemming from prosperity and peace in all parts of the Sultanate.

Hallmarked by tremendous achievements on all fronts, the past 38 years of His Majesty the Sultan’s reign have transformed a simple, primitive society into a sophisticated, modern country at the cutting edge of development and prosperity. The Blessed Renaissance of the last three-plus decades has made the Sultanate proud of its leader who has led the march of the country’s development with exemplary adroitness and meticulous care.

The great achievements of the nation in these past years have made absolutely unnecessary any need for promoting the Sultanate and its leader to receive praise and appreciation in the international arena; in fact, what we are being witness to is that accolades keep pouring in fittingly from all quarters in recognition of the country’s achievements under His Majesty’s wise leadership.

A few days ago, I had the opportunity to attend one of the joyful functions of November, the opening of the second annual session of the Council of Oman’s fourth term, the highlight of which was the royal speech of His Majesty the Sultan, which instantly drew praise from the Gulf, Arab and international media. In his speech His Majesty laid down clear frameworks with regard to work for the national workforce, directing the government institutions to enhance their performance through the utilisation of digital technology so that the country keeps abreast of the latest developments in the world.

His Majesty also called for all efforts to develop human resources by training national cadres and providing them educational opportunities in a way that would enable them to acquire knowledge, technical skills and expertise required for the labour market and for the development programmes in all spheres.

His Majesty emphasised the responsibility of each and every employee in the various segments of the government sector. He reaffirmed the necessity and importance of carrying out their duties with utmost honesty and responsibility for the common good and not for personal gain or interest.

His Majesty cautioned the government employees not to deviate from the right path or consider the job as an opportunity to gain personal influence or power. He told them not to impede others’ lawful interests or prevent them from performing their duties.

He made it very clear that such errant employees would be held accountable for their unlawful deeds under the principles of justice which have been the pillars of the last 38 years of the Blessed Renaissance.

To be sure, all citizens felt a sense of joy listening to the words of His Majesty the Sultan as it made them more confident than ever about the present and the future of our country. His Majesty’s speech amounted to a great reassurance that the various apparatuses of the government would shoulder their responsibilities in the most appropriate manner all through the development march of our country.

Regarding the current global economic turmoil, His Majesty reassured the citizens that the Sultanate has averted the negative impacts of the crisis, thanks to the prudent policies followed by the government during the last 38 years.

Each citizen is keen to soak up the joyful spirit of the November functions even as he witnesses the launching of a whole spectrum of development projects in various fields in all wilayats of the Sultanate. All this goes to reaffirm that the Blessed Renaissance will continue to pour out its manifold benefits on the citizens in every part of the Sultanate throughout the year, thanks to government’s wise policies and programmes. - emzedjali@timesofoman.com