Sultan Kabus transformed Oman almost from scratch into a modern state. Now the beloved and absolute ruler died. He leaves no offspring. But a legendary envelope.
When an absolute ruler dies and his subjects cry, it makes you initially skeptical. Brainwashing, coercion, acting? in the Oman the grief, on the other hand, is real. Because the people loved their “father”. Even though the Omanis were denied real participation. Sultan Kabus died on Friday after a serious illness and almost 50 years as ruler of the Arab state.
When he took power on July 23, 1970 and banished his father to the old part, the country had only ten kilometers of paved road. And not only that, his subjects know to report: “There were no gardens, no streets, no (electric) light,” said a taxi driver while his fully air-conditioned car slid over one of the perfectly paved lanes in the capital Muscat.
Undisputed sole ruler
The streets are just one example of the achievement of the Kabus era. Medical care was free of charge and even reached western levels in the cities. Schools are also free of charge. Pensions for the elderly, widows and orphans and a minimum wage were also introduced. Oil has made Oman and its people wealthy, but not as megalomaniacal as other Gulf States.
Stability and prosperity have made Kabus the undisputed sole ruler. And that despite the fact that he denied his people freedom rights, for which uprisings break out in other countries. The media in the Sultanate are controlled, there is practically no political participation – even if the ruler was very sensitive to responding to the needs of different parts of society.
Human rights organizations criticize the restricted freedom of expression and assembly. Human Rights Watch reported prison terms for Facebook and Twitter users who allegedly offended God or the Sultan. But in Oman it remained comparatively calm even during the wildfire of the Arab uprisings in 2011. The ruler enacted minor reforms. The year of the overturn passed him unscathed.
“Switzerland of the Middle East”
Kabus also developed the country into a leading mediator in international diplomacy. Many international conflicts were negotiated in and with Oman. So the basis for the atomic deal with Iran also created in the Sultanate. The prerequisite for this was that Oman had made a name for itself as “Switzerland of the Middle East” and was considered neutral.
“The Sultanate has a good relationship with all countries. This is one of the cornerstones of Oman’s relationship with all countries,” said Foreign Minister Jusuf Bin Alawi. A phrase-like quote. Still an accurate one.
Kabus has hardly appeared in public in recent years and mostly sent its ministers. In the magnificent snow-white opera Maskats, which opened in 2011, one chair has been empty for years: the Sultan’s opera throne covered with red velvet. At times, Kabus had to be treated in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Kabus liked to travel to the Bavarian city – and always came back shortly before his death. The man with the accurately trimmed white beard suffered from cancer, according to media reports.
But the childless Kabus had provided for the day of the day with a letter legendary in the Sultanate. If the council of the ruling family cannot agree on a successor within the next few days as prescribed in the constitution, the envelope will be opened in Muscat. There is a name in it. The last will of the “father”.
A new sultan should be found soon because Oman faces new challenges. Similar to Saudi Arabia his household consists largely of oil money. Whoever will sit on the velvet-covered chair in the Muscat Opera in the future: there is work waiting for him. And a people whose love he must first earn.
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