A worthy cause
 

Rally champion Hamed al Wahaibi and Oman football national team captain and English Premier League star Ali al Habsi have teamed up to co-found a road safety awareness organisation – Safety First. The sporting icons share their views on the initiative with Mayank Singh

How did the idea of doing something for road safety occur to you?
Hamed: We all know the seriousness of this issue; we all have our near and dear ones lost in the past, so we are closely touched by it. When His Majesty spoke about it in a speech in 2009, I felt a personal obligation to do something about this issue. It’s also a way of paying back to society for all the love and popularity that I have got from the people of Oman.

Ali: My close relationship with Hamed was one of the most important things that prompted me to get associated with this cause. Secondly, we need to help in saving the lives of Omanis. Both of us want to use our profile to serve the country. Road safety is a national issue and a tragedy and we want to contribute to this cause.

The problem with celebrity endorsements is that they engage with a cause and soon disengage and move on. How will you sustain this long term commitment?
Hamed: We are founders of Safety First and that itself brings in a measure of commitment. I will be devoting 50 per cent of my working time to Safety First. The idea is to make Safety First a superstar in its own right, over a period of time with the entire nation being its ambassador, so that it is not limited to me or Ali Al Habsi.

Ali: If one is committed to a cause, one will find the time. For example, yesterday we did a video on road safety and I will be active on social media avenues like Facebook and Twitter. When I come back to Oman with the national team or on my holiday, I will use my time to spread the message of road safety by visiting people in schools and villages. My goalkeeper glove will sport the Safety First logo.

Is Safety First an NGO or a private company?
Hamed: We have registered it as an LLC company, but with an internal agreement that it will be a non-profit organisation. The reason for this is that an LLC has less bureaucracy and gives you more freedom. In future, we want to make Safety First into more of an association. We are aiming to reduce road accidents by 50 per cent by the year 2020.

What is the basis of this 50 per cent reduction figure and is it achievable?
Hamed: The 50 per cent reduction figure comes from a United Nations study. There are initiatives which have been studied and researched for years and we are using the same methodology by converting it to suit the needs of our country and society.

How is the initiative going to be funded?
Hamed: At present it is being personally funded by the two co-founders. In future we will be looking at raising money from the government, businesses, etc. I believe that there is an interest in contributing to a cause like road safety, but we are not approaching anyone right now because first we want to showcase what we are worth.

Are you confident that you have got off to a good start?
Hamed: I am very confident and the way that things are shaping up reassures me that we are on the right path.

Ali: I am very happy about the way the initiative has taken off and we are confident about the future. 
 

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