As Oman deployed troops near the capital Muscat and the border with the United Arab Emirates, following three straight days of anti-government protests, the sizeable Indian population there is uneasy.
The main cause of concern is a perception among the Indian community there that the protests for higher salaries and better jobs in the Arab nation have taken on an ‘anti-outsider’ tone. The burning of Lulu Hypermarket (part of a mega chain of stores with an Indian expatriate at the helm) has contributed to that fear.
“All they (protesters) want is to sleep and the salary to be sent to their place,” said an Indian supermarket employee, who’s worked in Oman for over 10 years. “You give them 10,000 rials, they will come back asking for 15,000.”
“We had such a beautiful life in Oman but now we are scared. What will happen if we die? The police or the military will not protect us,” he added.
According to various reports, money exchanges and even the burnt hypermarket was later ransacked by people, including expatriates. The alarming surge in robberies and lootings caused by the unrest has led to some leading jewellery stores being shut down.
Anil Singh in Buraimi in north eastern Oman explained that if Oman’s ruler accepted one of the protesters’ key demands — to hire locals over expatriates — people like him would suffer. “Our feeling is one of resentment. We will begin to lose our jobs if the government decides to move towards localisation.”
Mathew Jacob, who works for an automobile company in Muscat, is also worried. “This is the first time something like this is happening. I don’t know what will happen to us. My son is in Class 10. I’m wondering whether I should shift to Dubai or Abu Dhabi. I don’t know what to do.”
Most Indians described the situation as ‘calm’, except for at Sohar, a town 200km northwest from Muscat, which remains the epicentre of the protests.
Mary, a journalist in Muscat, however, is convinced that since the government has already extended a conciliatory hand to the protesters, there is nothing to worry about.
“The protests were bound to happen,” she said. “The cost of living has increased and there are so many young educated, unemployed Omanis … localisation of jobs is something that was bound to happen - Indians should take it in good spirit.”
This sentiment is clearly not echoed by her fellow Indian expats.
(With agency inputs. Some names have been changed)
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