Oman's two houses of parliament have thrown their full weight behind Omanisation in line with the directives of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos to develop human resources as a top national priority and minimise dependence on expatriates who constitute more than a quarter of the two million population.

Majlis al Shura, the elected lower house of parliament, and the State Council, the upper house, concluded their fourth ordinary sessions of the year but the first since the Omani monarch's address to the joint session of the two during which he exhorted the private sector to open its doors to job-seeking citizens.

The royal address has indeed given a new impetus to Omanisation started years ago and the whole nation is being mobilised to drive home the message that no job is inferior and work is a virtue.

Sheikh Hamoud bin Abdullah Al Harthy, spending his fourth successive three-year term as President of Majlis Al Shura, praised the work done by the national employment forum, saying the 83-member house would play its due role to speed up Omanisation as a national cause.

"The forum has taken a major step in response to His Majesty's directives to ensure the presence of Omanis in all areas of work and production to contribute to the nation-building," he said.

He said the Majlis, out to meet the expectations and aspirations of the people, has already done its bit to promote Omanisation and was redoubling its efforts in the light of the new royal directives in order to remove joblessness among the local populace.

Sheikh Hamoud, spending his second term as the president of the 45-member State council, which includes five women, called for collective efforts to ensure jobs for every citizen, saying the house would spare no effort to translate words into deeds.

The two houses also approved separately a draft labour law to be sent to the cabinet.