Omanis protesting against corruption said Tuesday they would not be mollified by a major cabinet reshuffle in which more than a third of the sultanate's ministers were sacked or shifted. Sultan Qaboos announced Monday a new cabinet of 29 ministers in response to rare public complaints about corruption and the power of the old elite in the strategic Gulf state.
The economy and interior ministers were among at least 12 cabinet members to lose their jobs in what many saw as a significant concession to the demands of the protesters on behalf of the much-loved sultan.
Demonstrators at the Earth Roundabout in the northern city of Sohar, where a sit-in has been ongoing for 10 days, welcomed Monday night's royal announcement but vowed to continue their peaceful demonstration. "Sacking the ministers is not enough. We want them to be put on trial," said one of the protesters, Ali Habib. "We demand that they be taken to court and banned from travelling abroad." The protesters are also demanding jobs or increases in their salaries and pensions. The new cabinet has 29 ministers, in addition to the sultan himself as a prime minister. He also holds the portfolios of defence, finance and foreign affairs.
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