UAE government denies Federal National Council right to discuss national identity

Abu Dhabi: The UAE government denied the Federal National Council (FNC) the right to discuss national identity issue, it was announced as the House resumed its session on Tuesday after National Day and Eid holidays.

Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash, Minister of State for FNC Affairs, told the House that the Cabinet turned down a request submitted in June to discuss national identity.

The House rejected the move and said there should be a good reason for refusing to discuss a public issue.

Ali Jasim, an FNC member from Ras Al Khaimah, said there should have been a closed-door session to discuss the topic, rather than using constitutional powers to turn down a very important topic on the agenda.

Aisha Al Roumi, another FNC member, said it is unacceptable to just use a constitutional right without giving proper justification.