NAJLA ALWAQAYAN WRITES – This created a crisis. Since Qaboos had no children, he had no heir to whom he could pass on his wisdom or his throne. The constitution states that a successor is to be determined by the royal family of Oman within three days of his passing. If they fail to come to an agreement, they may open an envelope to read Qaboos’ choice of a successor. The day after Sultan Qaboos’ death, the envelope was opened and Haitham bin Tariq, Qaboos’ cousin, was designated as the successor to the Omani throne.
Qaboos’ life makes quite a story! While the people of Oman languished in poverty and the economy remained lackluster, Qaboos was motivated to overthrow his father, Said Bin Taimur, with the support of the British. This is how Sultan Qaboos came to power in 1970, when he was only 30 years old. Under his rule, the Sultan of Oman transformed an extremely poor country with only three schools to one with a GDP of nearly $80 billion USD in 2020.
Qaboos held all of Oman’s leadership positions: Prime Minister, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Minister Of Defense, Minister Of Finance and Minister of Foreign Affairs. His aim in holding many different positions of power was to control the development of the country and make its economy competitive with other world economies. Not only was he capable of capturing the heart of Omanis, but he was loved by many leaders around the world. The presidents of India, Egypt, Dubai, and Jordan publicly agree that the world has lost a fascinating leader. Here was a ruler who was not willing to waste effort, time, money, or his citizens’ lives in military conflicts that would not benefit Oman.
Qaboos had a remarkable life and death. He got married and then divorced during the early stages of his rule. He battled colon cancer the last four years of his life. And through it all, he transformed a country, making sure that a well-educated and wise successor would take care of the precious Sultanate after his death.