BY INVITATION
Musandam and Masirah, two flagship boats of Oman Sail
By Stephen Thomas Mohsin Al BusaidI’s success with fellow crew members of ‘Musandam’ circumnavigating the globe nonstop under sail Is symptomatic of a mounting body of evidence that Oman is a nation “whose time has come” 54
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Oman: The Fruits of a modern Renaissance enaissance means ‘re-birth’. In Oman, we associate the term ‘Renaissance’ with the period of outstanding change and development that has galvanized the country since the accession of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said in 1970. Oman’s Renaissance has witnessed transformational positive change in all fields of life, including education, health, commerce, security and infrastructure. One of the truly remarkable achievements of this era is that the dazzling acceleration of modern progress has been achieved alongside the preservation and deepening appreciation
of Oman’s rich heritage and culture. Deep in the Omani psyche lies, not only a love of the beauty and wilderness of the desert, but also a yearning for the high sea. Throughout history, Oman has produced skillful seafarers who have been the interlocutors for Oman’s exchanges of culture and knowledge with the outside world and the perpetrators for trade and prosperity through the ages. That is why the Oman Sail project is so important, with its aim to rekindle Oman’s maritime heritage. At 15:43:12 local time (11:43:12 GMT) on 25 March 2009 Oman Sail’s 75-foot Trimararan Musandam crossed the finish line in
Mohsin Al Busaidi and the Musandam crew Muscat and Mohsin Al Busaidi became the first Arab to sail non-stop around the world. As a member of a 5-man crew, including skipper Loik Gallon, Charles Darbyshire, Thierry Duprey Du Vorsent and Nick Houchin, Mohsin had completed this most arduous of seafaring challenges in 76 days, 1 hour, 12 minutes and 42 seconds. As a team and as individuals this is a rare and tremendous life-changing achievement. But the entire Oman Sail team recognises the significance of the collective achievement lies in Mohsin’s and Musandam’s specific success and what it means for Oman.
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Taking on challenges While Mohsin was on his journey round the world Oman’s national football team won its first ever Gulf Cup. On 18 January 2009 a 6-5 win in the penalty shoot-out sent a football-crazy and expectant nation into a frenzy of joy. It had been a long climb, including the pain of two final defeats in the previous two competitions losing to the respective hosts in Qatar 2004 and UAE 2007. It was fitting that Oman’s
Nabil Al Busaidy on his expedition to the North Pole 55
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BY INVITATION captain Mohamed Rabia should be the one to slot home the winning penalty. Oman’s free-scoring midfielder Hassan Rabia had been instrumental in the team’s success throughout the competition, as had the parsimonious top-class goalkeeper Ali Al Habsy, who did not concede a single goal in open play throughout the competition. Ali had already brought great recognition to the nation as the first Omani goalkeeper to play in the benchmark English Premier League as a member of the Bolton Wanderers squad over the past 4 years. But this was not the isolated success of individual stars who made up the Oman team. Just like Mohsin and the crew of Musandam, Oman’s footballing heroes had the support of all the backroom staff and indeed the whole nation behind them, Omani and Expatriate alike. How we cheered those moments of glory! Yet this was not simply the euphoria of fleeting success, but a deepening sense that these very public successes are a reflection of the lower profile but equally important achievements of Omanis in all walks of life. A sense that Oman’s remarkable Renaissance has reached a tipping point: That all the effort of the last 39 years, standing on the shoulders of a rich heritage and culture passed on over centuries by the nation’s forefathers, is leading to the fact that Oman is a nation whose time has come.
Role models Such a nation needs role models to epitomize its success and successful adventurers and sporting heroes do just that. Sailing round the world and winning major football tournaments are one thing; but look around us at Omani doctors, nurses, teachers, cooks, lawyers, carpenters, plumbers, welders, scientists, soldiers, policemen, masons, cleaners, engineers, waiters, pilots, dentists, painters, sculptors, photographers, travel agents, journalists, tour guides, writers, poets, aid workers, supervisors, managers, electricians, businessmen and many more. Every day young Omani men and women graduate into employment 56
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or service in society at every level and in all walks of life. This is their Everest. Omanis are being tested in fire and they are not found wanting. Just one example: When we fly safely in and out of Muscat International Airport the control tower is manned exclusively by Omanis. This is the new watchtower of a modern nation on the move. This is not to say that expatriates do not have a role to play. On the contrary, expatriates are needed to take up jobs where there are, as yet, an insufficient number of Omanis to meet demand. But the most important role of the expat must be to pass the torch on
lective successes of Oman’s people. So ignore the critics. It is not the critic who counts. It is the man or woman who stands up to be counted: The person who is willing to work hard and have a go. We now read with great anticipation of another emerging role model with Nabil Al Busaidy’s ongoing attempt to become the first Omani to walk to the North Pole. ‘Attempt’ is the optimum word, because success in any such endeavour is never guaranteed. The North Pole is a position, not a place. It sits in a moving frozen sea and any one of a number of factors can thwart his brave attempt. So we must see heroism and inspiration
Omani players celebrate their victory in the 19th GCC Cup to a new generation of Omanis. The expat who understands that is worth his or her weight in gold. There is little room for those who simply choose to mock the faults and errors of the progress. We all stumble. We all make mistakes. Not every industrialization, real estate, or economic diversification project will run smoothly. The market could actually do with a lot more openness on failure and shortfalls. Not everything is a runaway success. But what is undeniably successful is the forward momentum of Oman’s economy, the leadership in standards of its oil & gas industry, and the individual and col-
in the very fact that he is willing to try in the glare of public view. As Mohsin al Busaidi will tell you, no journey is without peril; or as Ali Al Habsy and his team-mates will confirm, no victory in any game or competition is guaranteed. If it was that easy, where is the interest, and where the satisfaction? But there comes a moment when time, effort, preparation and commitment pays off. 39 years into an extraordinary Renaissance, Oman is a nation whose time has come. The author is CEO of Renaissance Services