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| Arabia |
| Oman protesters demand ouster of more ministers |
| 2011-03-21 |
| MUSCAT — The Omani protesters, in fresh demands, have asked the ouster of some more ministers, the most notable among them being the Minister of Manpower, Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Bakri. Eyewitnesses said that a group of protesters gathered at Al Khuwair, the area where maximum ministry offices are located in Muscat, holding placards demanding the ouster of various ministers including Bakri. Bowing to popular demands, the government had recently reshuffled the ministerial cabinet and appointed 11 new ministers, while removing corruption-accused members. Bakri has been in the thick of action in recent weeks trying to mediate in the wave of protests that have rocked the private sector of Oman. The ministry of manpower acts like a regulator for the private sector’s human resources development and monitors the implementation of Omanisation ratios in companies. Most recently, Bakri intervened to defuse tensions at Rusail Industrial Estate, which had been shut down by protests, which turned nasty for almost two days threatening economic activity in a major way. In other private sector demonstrations, the protesters had refused to budge until Bakri appeared personally and pacified them by assuring them that their demands would be met. Bakri, who was previously the undersecretary of Water Resources Affairs at the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources, was appointed as Minister of Manpower in 2008. |
| Posted by:Steve White |