Tomorrow (18th November 2014) Oman will celebrate it’s 44th National Day. This year marks 44 years since Sultan Qaboos’ accession to the throne, but the day also celebrates 74 years since his birth right here in Salalah. Flags, posters and colourful lights in Oman’s national colours are springing up all over town, however this years’ National Day is tinged with sadness. His Majesty has announced that he will not be in the country for the occasion, due to ill health.
Speculation about the Sultan’s condition has been rife behind closed ex-pat doors for some time, but we have maintained the same public silence as the Omanis. It seemed like an unwritten rule. Omanis did not mention or discuss it and therefore it seemed only right that we respect and maintain their stance. It was therefore something of a relief when local blogger Dhofari Gucci finally opened up on the subject following the Sultan’s recent televised address to the nation.
People are worried – and that includes the ex-pat community. Whilst we can not possibly begin to properly understand the unconditional Omani devotion to their leader, we do of course recognise what he has achieved for his country and his people. We are also acutely aware that it is what he has done, what he has created and the international relationships he has fostered that allow us to live comfortable, peaceful, happy lives here. We, as much as the locals, worry about an uncertain future and what our place in it will be.
Other world leaders can only dream of eliciting the reaction that Sultan Qaboos does. After his appearance on TV earlier this month people celebrated and took to the streets with flags. Whole towns became swathed in red, white & green. Italian tourists might feel particularly at home at the moment! 
Cars have had their side mirrors adorned with what I can best describe as flag socks (!) and some have gone so far as to cover their entire windscreens with images of the Sultan (how do they see through those?!). The loyalty, love & dedication appears all encompassing. I can not think of a single other leader who is so unilaterally adored. If British Prime Minister David Cameron turned up in my home town there would likely be a handful of supporters, a number of protestors and a majority of indifference. Whilst the Royal family might fare better (because they are ultimately figureheads rather than policy makers) they are not without their detractors either. Oman is unique. His Majesty may not have been democratically elected in a sense that the West recognises, but he has a following and support that no Western leader will ever achieve. This is precisely what makes his ill health and the recognition of his mortality so frightening. It is nigh on impossible to imagine any other person who could command such a comprehensive & unquestioning following. No-one wants to imagine a future without the Sultan so we behave like ostriches and bury our heads in the sand (there’s certainly plenty of it here!). It may not be realistic or sensible, but somehow the alternative is too depressing. It is easier to beep our car horns, fly flags and celebrate, and ultimately that’s perhaps exactly what National Day should be about.
Whilst I can’t equate the birth of my blog with the birth of a nation, Salalah Insider is nonetheless ‘born’ today! I hope by my next ‘birthday’ I’ll have many readers with which to share my insights and, more importantly, hope that the Sultan will be preparing to celebrate his 75th!
Whilst my blog name suggests that I am an insider, in truth I am really the exact opposite. Dhofar is a funny old place and, no matter how long you live here, as a foreigner you will always be on the outside looking in. Perhaps I should have called myself Salalah Outsider! Too late! I do hope though as my blog progresses that you’ll feel like you do get some insider insight – even if it’s only a partial, obscured view from the sidelines!
Just some of the Omani nationalism on display!
Impressive lighting! To hell with the electricity bill!
Another adorned Salalah home