Dubai: The UAE Federal National Council (FNC) should have flexible parliamentary procedures to meet its objectives and responsibilities, a candidate in the FNC elections said.

Dr Esmail Ahmad Abdul Hamid Al Zarouni, a candidate in the FNC elections, said: "The essential instruments for achieving the FNC aims and activate its role [as] authorities is through a flexible parliamentary procedure."

"With flexible parliamentary procedures the objectives of [the] FNC will become an integral part of parliamentary responsibilities, and they can be achieved without erasing the distinction [among] our institutions or weakening the dialectic between parliamentary majorities and minorities."

Al Zarouni, 56, is a retired brigadier and a holder of a doctoral degree in strategic philosophy. He started his career as a teacher and was a volunteer for charitable initiatives.

‘Information flow'

"This flexibility will ease the high-quality information flow between parliaments and governments and strengthen links with civil society. Moreover, it will make the process of FNC decision- making more efficient," he said.

Al Zarouni said having flexible parliamentary procedures can become an instrument in organising public debates on major political, social and economic issues. He said governments can exploit this to develop new forms of political discourse to address new problems, focus on major issues and to establish an ongoing linkage with the various decision-making centres.

Al Zarouni said FNC members should be given the role to conduct critical examination, legitimisation and monitoring of key political decisions taken by governments.

Under the slogan "Emirati always", Al Zarouni is promising to dedicate 40 years of experience to serve the interests of the nation with the aim of enhancing the capabilities and achievements of the UAE at both the internal and external levels as well as to empower UAE nationals socially and economically.

He believes that FNC members should have genuine intellectual and practical experience to effectively carry out their roles as representatives of the public.

In addition to his experience in the civil community, Al Zarouni has remarkable military experience through which he can better understand how safety and security issues are essential for social and economic development.

"Military service has enabled me [to gain] administrative and leadership qualifications [and] it's time to invest these actual efforts in the service of my country," he said.

Being a father and through the various businesses he runs, Al Zarouni remarked that he is quite aware of the obstacles and issues that UAE nationals face relating to health, education, economic, marriage, housing and employment.

National duty

He said membership in the FNC is a national duty and responsibility.

Al Zarouni clarified that FNC members have limited powers, hence candidates should refrain from making promises that they will never be able to achieve.

He said the main role of an FNC member is to activate the political role of the FNC by developing the procedures and executive mechanism of the council as well as to enhance the role and the structure of governmental institutions.