Everyone the world thinks that Oman is the most peaceful piece of Earth on this planet. But there are those hidden facts that are need the 'transparency effect' that Muscati calls upon in how our government shows in it's guidelines, in it's line of information to the public and everyone in this proud nation; because it's their right to know what it is going instead of being lead on.
Take into example, for instance, that when the numbers were released after results were brought together for the number of road accidents, the numbers had a horrifying effect on everyone in the street, parents, drivers, foreigners, and most of all, all the organizations who put young drivers behind the wheel. Raising standards for safety measurements everywhere - granted that only went on for only a short amount of time, nonetheless it had the needed effect to change the society's and community's decision about how things were done in the manner of driving. We had the 2nd highest death rate in road accidents after the United States of America and following us was the United Arab Emirates.
Not exactly something you'd be proud of. Though, it shows how information can be used to a certain advantage.
Now, having you know that the Sultanate of Oman is a Muslim country that would produce an image in your mind saying that it doesn't deal with issues that Islam prohibits in all standards like Alcohol, bank interest and the such, right? But if you were told that you can't buy Alcohol cannot be bought legally off the public shelves but can be purchased in hotels and places that have such licenses. What does that say to you?
Many are the GCC countries that follow this procedure even like Saudi Arabia - even if they shut down the manufacturing plants. Whose to say that they don't produce it locally for their own consumption? If Saddam Hussein had a wife and his sons had some different booty to choose of every single night they were with daddykins, whose to say that we are no better than him? All of us?
It is rumored that the number one crime 'infester' is alcohol in Oman. When you hear of people getting drunk in Oman and actually doing the most atrocious things that could ever be conjured up in somebody's sick demented mind. Like for instance, a father returning drunk only to rape his own flesh and blood. The poor soul goes to a police station seeking sanctuary. Or when a brother gets his own sister impregnated after the two get drunk?
I have a question to those who actually drink: Just what is it that makes you feel like you need to drink to have a nice time when you can easily do the same without having to sip one drop of that poison, without having to pay tickets to get inside a bar and having a couple of free drinks on the house? You could easily sit at a cafe', sit down with your friends have a couple of laughs and enjoy the atmosphere, the ambiance of the place and enjoy the please of being with the ones you really enjoy being around with - your friends.
It is this kind of information with-holding against the society that leades the society members on that they live in such a peaceful country when the truth is contrary on that. When confronted with such info there's always an answer to our question, like it is in the best interest of the country nationalits to keep such information out of reach so as not to panic society members and cause alarm, when the truth is that when this information is released, it lead to better control on the people who actually cause these crimes.
This may not be the last you see of such a post.
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Update: There was a not-so-recent rampage of killing not so long ago in the Muscat capital of a drunk Religion teacher who got fired because they caught him drunk on the job and when confronted with the command he turned against all those were 'culprates' in his case killing several and injuring more until he comitted suicide. Such information was not released in local tabloids but was known through the informal marketing effect of word of mouth.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
the transparency effect
Posted by Sleepless In Muscat at 01:00
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13 comments:
ma32ool???
That is just absurd. They just can't handle alcohol. Genetically speaking as well, it is not something they are used to and when they start pouring it like mad they loose it for real.
Unfortunately a lot of people these days don't seem to be able to just sit down and have a cup of something.
Oh and Eid mabrouk! :)
A rather unsettling thought. We hear about people unable to hold their liquor all over the world but when it comes this close to home it really gets driven into perspective.
A drunk guy nearly ran us off the road last night in his X5. Like as if Dubai's roads aren't bad enough, throw in alcohol into the mix and we'll all be dead sooner than later.
Shaykhspeara Sha'ira:
Eid Mabrouk to you too, thanks.
There was a day when me and my best friend were out for a movie and as we were coming back at a pair of traffic lights, there was this drunken old man in a dishdasha who couldn't stand straight for the life in him and he was upholding the cars because he was acting like a policeman.
You do the math. :o)
Sex and Dubai:
You're telling me. There is worse shit that I've heard going on in the interior parts of Oman. But I'll leave that to the people who actually know what's going on in that part of Oman, if you know what I mean.
Wouldn't want to have a spell on me the very next day sending me to Niagra Falls.
Sorry to be negative, but you can't just make statements as if they were facts when you don't provide proof or references to substantiate them. Oman has never been the most transparent od countries, but statistics on traffic accidents were never hidden from the public. In fact Oman has always been very vocal about us having one of the worst road fatality per capita ratios in the world. We've been so open about it that our government has even taken it to the UN General Assembly.
As for blaming crime on alcohol, I think it's a lame excuse. Alcohol has always been legally readily available in Oman. So unlike Kuwait, say, or Saudi Arabia, Omanis don't go on huge drinking binges whenever they have access to liquor. They can drink whenever they want. It's just not sold in retail outlets to the locals but they can drink in any bar or licensed restaurants, and they sure are plentiful.
As for that crazed teacher's killing spree last year, he was fired from his job because of his repeated absences. It was said to be because of a drinking problem but I don't remember ever hearing or reading that he was drunk on the job. And either case regardless whether he was a drunk or not, it wasn't the alcohol that made him kill people. The news was reported in the press. I think the only part they didn't report was that he committed suicide when he was finally cornered by the police.
Muscati:
Actually, you're being overly negative. Oman never went to the General Assembly with that information with a gleam on their face, they went to show that they had a plan in mind to implement and they did. But the bigger effect came only after they actually kept publicizing those numbers in numerous local newspapers to show the horrifying statistics.
And the only time you get to hear those statistics these days is on an annual basis just to compare one year to another.
And since when did Oman ever become the transparent country? The Minister of Information declared himself in a statement to the Shabiba Arabic newspaper that they dliberately with-hold the right to publish any information for 'certain' newspapers.
They are never transparent, unless they want to show the world they are with 'freedom of speech' gaga boo hoo hoo type of scam.
If Alcohol is legally allowed in Oman then tell me howcome it isn't allowed on the shelves of local retail stores? Legaslization of a product means it is available everywhere and not exclusively to the people who can afford it and don't want to be seen in public with it. Which leads me to another question: if it is legal as you say, then howcome you can't walk around with a bottle of it in the normal streets? Because it's not.
It is not a lame excuse. Alcohol is the excuse behind many assorted differentiations of crimes all over the world and exclusive to Oman only. After all, was it not that a Prophet was tested against such a situation being the case of drinking it, or a dagger to kill a baby or having sex with some woman but as it turned out he refused all of them and came out clean? Alcohol is the mother of all crimes, my friend. And I am sorry to say this: but lame is the person who chooses to denounce anyone who says that it is not a crime and the birth of all crime sprees.
And that press release of the insane madman was hardly a press release. Barely a quote on the incident. Whereas you read about the full incident in other neighboring countries' newspapers.
Muscati, I choose the facts and figures that I know I can trust and interpret them the way they look to me. You have a right to tell me that I have misinterpreted, but you have no right to tell me that I making up stuff as I go along because all the sources are home-bred, whether they are word-of-mouth, local newspapers, or known city gossip.
Go back and read what I wrote. I said "Oman has never been the most transparent of countries." I never said that they were. But I stand by what I said, when it comes to road accidents and fatalities they always admitted that we have a problem. As far back as I can remember there were always monthly reports of how many people died in road accidents last month, how that compares with the same month last year, how many in the year to date, and sometimes even how many this week so far.
As for your comment:
If Alcohol is legally allowed in Oman then tell me howcome it isn't allowed on the shelves of local retail stores? .. if it is legal as you say, then howcome you can't walk around with a bottle of it in the normal streets? Because it's not.
There are different ways to legalize. Oman chose to legalize alcohol by allowing Omanis only to consume it in licensed venues while foreigners can buy it by getting special permits issued to them by the ROP and they get assigned monthly quotas and then buy their drinks from retail outlets. Some organizations are allowed to sell liquor to their staff (PDO used to have a staff liquor shop that even sold to Omanis. Dunno if it's still there). The government was on the verge of allowing the sale of liquor in retail shops to all Omanis but then the mufti and other top religious scholars made their opposition vocal to the government and the govt stepped back fearing a political situation.
And for your knowledge, even in the America, you aren't allowed to walk around with a botter of any kind of alcoholic beverage. Consuming alcohol isn't allowed in the streets. Except in Las Vegas, I think.
Oman has always been open about traffic accidents especially as it is second most leading cause of death in the Sultanate after heart disease as per reports issued by the Ministry of Health at various workshops related to the Sultantate's presentation to the UN Assembly on the issue. Other effects that have a burden on the country's economy and society are those related to patient aftercare. This was highlighted with a frankness that is to be commended on the Sultanate's part. Let's commend what is to be commended!
FYI, the leading cause of traffic accidents is negligence at 53% as per ROP's statistics.
Also, you need to substantiate your blame on alcohol as the major root cause for crime with figures. This statement can't be based on a few incidents heard through "word-of-mouth" because your statement is a generalization that may not necessarily be true.
Muscati:
Perhaps I stand corrected about legizlation issues about Alchohol in Oman but I still stand about what I say about Alcohol being the number one crime spree 'infester'.
you are allowed to walk around with Alcohol in your hand in the states, how else would you explain a person can walk into a store and openly buy a bottle of wine or a 6-pack from a wal-mart type of store in broad daylight (I was in the states, too).
Anonymous:
I think I know who you are. But then again, I couldn't care personally care. But I will say this, for your comment about ROP statistics, I will give you the same answer that Muscati gave me: please cite your reference (if it's not a private source) otherwise you're shooting blanks here.
And I am not generalizing here, by the way. I am giving you facts and figures - as I also said in my reply to Muscati - so please read the full topic and read the comments as they are here and then start attacking me here.
And just to make it clearer for you, our population is made up of over 3/4 of people who are under the age of 30 years old. The 3:1 ratio of which is women to men (this is all per the last census conducted in Oman), youngsters yearn for a little fun - in your own words 'negligence' - in terms of trying out 'stuff' just for the sake of fun. Need I go on further? Is that substantial enough for me, or do I have to make it more brighter than what it is?
You guys are all defending Alcohol like it's some kind of victim here when the real victims are the lost souls that end up guzzling the very poison just for the sake of forgetting what is happening to them - and forget what exactly? when they have to face it the very next day..?
Stop attacking me, and start thinking seriously about the topic here. Seriously.
I will not go into unnecessary arguments back and forth but if you want to post a topic, surely you want to hear others viewpoints? And I am thinking about the topic....seriously.
Your post is not substatiated with facts and figures, as you claim. As for ROP's statistics, they are published and you could get a copy from them if you like. Negligence means just that. There is another catagory for accidents that occur under the influence of alcohol or any other sedative which is in the range of 25%, FYI.
I am not an advocate of alcohol nor am I attacking you. But to state the problem and assess its magnitude correctly you need to first check the facts...
For example, how many crimes in relation to the total number of crimes that occur in the Sultante are accountable to alcohol? Do you have a number?
Anonymous:
fine. we're talking serious here.
Again, for your ROP statistics, I will ask you again to cite the exact reference (website address/book, etc.) to show full support to your arguement, since you're moving on with this as 'evidence', and being it not from a private source.
And if you remember correctly, my 'not so exact' citing of a certain religious happening of whereby it was proven that Alcohol is the mother of all crimes in our life. And if you are not an advocate of it, then that should be enough for you to say to yourself, that that's evidence enough without any figures or numbers. As I have never included any statistics or analysis saying that an Alcoholic beverage is the cause of a so & so problem. What I did say is that it is directly related to most of the crimes nowadays as an 'infester' as much as tobacco is directly related to lung cancer and being that of a cause of many deaths the world over.
Please refer to ROP Statistical Yearbook published annually by the Directorate General of Traffic.. The statistics I quoted in my earlier postings were from the 1991 Yearbook but I got access to the latest issue for 2005 and the figures have changed somewhat and are as follows:
Causes of traffic accidents for 2005 (which totalled 9247)
Speed 31.7%
Negligence 57.9%
Exhaustion 0.11%
Alcohol 0.85% (compared with 2.6% in 2001 and 4% in 1991)
Overtaking 1.7%
Weather 0.14%
Sudden stopping 0.04%
Tail-gating 4.4%
Poor road user conduct 1.9%
Flaws of the vehicle 0.98%
Flaws of the road 0.11%
Anonymous:
Even though the book is outdated by almost two years of change in the scenery, but really: was it really that hard?
your silence over my other comment either means I am right over what I said or you're not bothered to go further into this discussion or perhaps you have no answer for it.
Either way, thank you for your participation.
Maybe next time, you could probably honor us with your nickname instead of an 'Anonymous' character.
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