Sunday, October 21, 2007

By Royal Decree: Journalist Club to be shut down


I read this excerpt of news on the Shabiba website after the wee hours of midnight with a bit of shock and amazement as well as some frustration and confusion.

His Majesty - Sultan Qaboos bin Said - Sultan of Oman, has issued a Royal Decree, due to have an effect from October 20, 2007, to shut down the Journalist Club and move all its financial aspects to the Ministry of Information.

Something which I cannot comprehend as to why such a decision was made, even though it may not be in my place to question such a Royal Decree; but none the less, it drives one to speculate a dozen reasons as to why such a decision had been taken.

Don't you think?

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Link:

- H.M. Issues a Royal Decree: Close down of Journalist Club and transfer of financial aspects to Ministry of Information (in Arabic)


7 comments:

Luisa said...

Maybe there's some technical reason : time ago also ONA passed directly under Min of Info for Royal Decree
It would be definitely better to keep them separate [financial independence is a starting point for complete independence] but am afraid it wouldn't change much in both cases

Sleepless In Muscat said...

Balqis:

Perhaps. But don't you find it slightly odd that the Journalist Club was shut down while at the same time there is a bigger focus on private organizations in the business of spreading the 'information highway' here in Oman?

Plus..

Why do we still have a Ministry of Information if it was the case of independency ?

Amjad said...

Which is better.. a Journalist Club or a joint quarter for the Omani Cinema Association, the Omani Journalists Association and the Omani Writers and Novelists Association?!

Amjad said...

His Majesty ordered to shut down the Journalist Club because he gave royal directives to establish a joint quarter for the associations mentioned in my previous post...


HM gives grant to local societies

Sleepless In Muscat said...

Amjad:

Thanks for the info, but at the time I published the post I had no idea about the information you provided. Plus it still makes no sense because its as you're saying give it to the ministry who will -under orders - give to the new quarters for all the mentioned societies.

You might as well just say put Club under that new society along with the other organizations and give them the money.

Plus the fact that they now all get money from the government is somewhat of an arm twister when needs be - get my drift?

I'm just saying..

muscati said...

I think you misread the royal decree. The Press Club wasn't shut down. It was just transfered to the ministry.

"HIS Majesty Sultan Qaboos has issued Royal Decree No 106/2007, cancelling Royal Decree No 88/98 relating to Press Club. The decree states that all the fixed and movable assets of the club shall be transferred to the Ministry of Information. "

Nowhere does it say that it has been closed

Sleepless In Muscat said...

Muscati:

yeah, but that means all financial aspects of the club are now under the government's control .. which is, dare I say, sort of like, closing it down - isn't it?