Muscat ∙ For the first time, foreigners also have the opportunity to contest the elections to the board of the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI). The election will be held on 22 November. Officials released the list of candidates. There are nine expats including three Malayalis in the competition.
Badr Al Sama Hospital Group Managing Director Abdul Latif Uppala, Shipping Managing Director Suhar Abraham Tanangadan, Oman Hospital Executive Director Kim VMA Hakeem are the three Malayalees in the competition. Foreign businessmen who are citizens of Egypt, Pakistan, Lebanon and Syria are also in the competition. Foreigners with long-term visas also have the opportunity to vote this time.
There are a total of 21 seats. Along with this, elections are held for different branches of the Chamber of Commerce. Out of the 21 Board of Directors, ten members will be chosen from different governments. There will be five seats for public joint stock companies. There will be one seat for foreigners who are representatives of foreign investors. Candidates contesting for this seat must be residents of Oman. The candidate should have a degree or not less than ten years of business experience in the private sector.
Elected board members must act in the public interest and reflect the aspirations of the community they represent. Therefore, having a representative of foreign investors will be beneficial to the expatriate community. OCCI advises voters to choose the best representatives.
