His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, presided over a military parade at the Mua'askar Al Murtafa'ah yesterday to mark Oman's 33rd National Day.

Although the ceremony was simple, November 18 marks a special day for the people of Oman. Thirty-three years ago, Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the builder of modern Oman, initiated the nation's "renaissance".

"We should point out that if, by the grace of God, we are enjoying prosperity today then we also have a duty not to forget that our thought and plans should be focused on the future," said the visionary leader. "This is because major targets and many challenges lie ahead of us and the road is long.

"We are, therefore, required to arm ourselves with knowledge, a firm will and a readiness for hard work, and to seek success from God."

Sultan Qaboos has always stressed the need to develop Oman's human resources, and as such, special attention has been accorded to education and training.

Moreover, the private sector has been encouraged to establish private universities and colleges to provide Oman's youth with better opportunities.

This year's celebrations were especially significant as Oman entered a new era of parliamentary elections last month. Sultan Qaboos was pleased with the elections' progress and overwhelming participation by his subjects.

Buoyant by the success of its own democratic process of Majlis As'Shura elections, Sultan Qaboos pushed forward the Omani Shura process.

Now, officials in the Census Department are optimistic that their efforts to complete the population, housing and establishment count by next month will bear fruit and help Sultan Qaboos' government to plan for the future.

The future is in the hands of the younger generations and Oman has a large number of young citizens ready to take part in the sweeping development process.