Muscat: Oman’s Consultative Council, the Majlis Al Shura, awaits a response from the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers on request of sixteen members to grill the Minister of Higher Education over alleged administrative and financial irregularities in the ministry.
A member of the Shura told Gulf News that the council had asked to conduct quizzing on December 29.
“We haven’t got any response so far from the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers”, said the Shura member on condition of anonymity.
The member added that the council wants to discuss the irregularities with the minster of higher education and then forward a report to the audit control department.
Article 58 of the Basic Law stipulates that upon a request signed by at least fifteen members of the council, any of the “services ministers” may be subject to interrogation on matters related to them exceeding their mandates in violation of the law.
The council shall discuss the same and submit its findings in this regard to the Sultan. It came after a local daily newspaper, Al Zaman, highlighted administrative and financial irregularities in the Ministry of Higher Education.
Al Zaman published with evidence financial losses exceeding one milion riyals which it said was due to the negligence and poor planning by the ministry, mostly in scholarships.
Meanwhile, Omanis launched a campaign on twitter demanding the government establish an anti-corruption authority in Oman, demanding to exterminate the corruption from its roots.
Ahmed Al Hadrami, a social worker, told Gulf News that Omanis should unite to expose anyone who misuses his power for his or her own personal benefit.
On his side, Shaikh Abdul Malek Bin Abdullah al Khalili, Minister of Justice, affirmed recently that the Omani government spares no efforts to investigate cases involving corruption, which are followed up by legal action, but added that the greatest responsibility lies with the society.
Saif Said is a journalist based in Muscat.
