At the latest meeting of the esteemed Council of Ministers, chaired by His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, several key decisions were issued to support economic and social development activities in the next phase, following a difficult growth phase due to global challenges. The country has faced significant social and economic hurdles, largely as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the state's focus on reducing public debt, and high bank interest rates. These factors have increased operational costs for institutions and companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises. Additionally, many citizens have struggled to find employment in public and private sectors. Several large companies also suffered losses due to the departure of expatriate workers and the inability to secure new contracts, which in turn led to layoffs of national workers over recent years.
The economic and social impacts of these challenges require careful monitoring by the relevant authorities, prompting the establishment of specialized platforms and units to track complaints from citizens and their respective ministries and agencies. In response, the Council of Ministers recently decided to launch a new electronic platform dedicated to receiving complaints and suggestions across 45 government institutions. This national platform, scheduled to be operational by 2025, will be connected to the Oman Vision 2040 Foundation, allowing authorities to lay the groundwork for its successful implementation and prepare the necessary steps.
This initiative does not imply that authorities were not addressing citizens’ complaints in the past, but many felt that the response times were lengthy and did not adequately reflect the concerns raised. With the launch of this platform, various media outlets will also be informed of the number of complaints received, allowing visual, audio, and print media to report on citizens' issues more directly and understand the nature of the complaints being submitted to the competent unit. By receiving these complaints, authorities will be able to take official and timely action.
There is no doubt that the new platform will establish a direct link between citizens and relevant government agencies, ensuring that problems are conveyed to the appropriate departments and resolved fairly. It will facilitate and accelerate the process of receiving and addressing complaints, thereby increasing institutional efficiency in handling these issues and ensuring they are resolved within a specified timeframe.
Additionally, the platform will enhance citizens’ awareness of their rights and encourage them to actively engage in community issues, helping them better understand the facts that concern them and participate more fully in societal matters.
Haider al Lawati
The author is a Muscat-based economic analyst who previously worked for CBO and OCCI
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