Some days ago, my friend former US congressman Paul Findley forwarded an e-mail that made my blood boil. It emanated from the lawyer and columnist John Whitbeck, who disseminates political commentary and news via his mailing list — and included a report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemning the UAE for having "expanded its crackdown on civil society".
Whitbeck complains that such a "crackdown" has failed to attract sufficient attention in the international media and suggests the Arab Spring has produced "an Arab Winter" in the UAE and certain other Gulf states.
Why am I annoyed? Quite frankly, I'm fed up with the way the UAE has been unnecessarily targeted over the years by critics who would be better employed worrying about real unfortunates in wealthy first world countries where homeless camp out in tent cities, the poor survive on food stamps, drug addicts sleep in cardboard boxes under bridges and ethnic minorities are treated as second-class citizens.
Whitbeck and the authors of the HRW report should save their crocodile tears for nations that turn a blind eye to human trafficking and child labour; places where illiteracy is rife and education is sparse.
A country that cares about human rights ensures that its people have access to schools and universities, hospitals and clinics, modern infrastructure, business opportunities and jobs in a stable and secure environment. UAE nationals are blessed with those essentials and much more.
Opportunities
Our nationals enjoy a standard of living and a lifestyle that is the envy of the world. Our government nurtures enterprise, encourages talent and uses the country's natural resources for the benefit of all.
This is a place for people who want to live decently and freely in keeping with our cultural and religious heritage. UAE nationals are taken care of from cradle to grave with homes, free land on which to build homes, subsidised utilities — all without the burden of taxation.
Expatriate workers flock to our shores because there are more opportunities for them in the UAE than in their homelands. I would challenge any Emirati or expatriate to find better living conditions anywhere in the world than here in the UAE. All our government demands in return is for people to behave respectfully towards one another and abide by the country's laws.
It's an unfortunate fact of life that some people are never satisfied no matter how well off they are. Instead of counting their blessings and thanking God that they were born in one of the finest countries on the planet, they do everything they can to rock the boat.
The UAE doesn't pretend to be a western-style democracy; it is run on a hybrid and inclusive style of governance that allows for citizen participation. It has worked seamlessly ever since the country's flag was first unfurled on December 2, 1971, when human rights and freedoms were protected under the constitution.
Of course, ‘freedom' means different things to different people. For those who think freedom means they have the right to disturb the peace, offend public morality, insult whomever they like or attempt to stir-up political dissent, the UAE isn't the place for them.
Our country is small and vulnerable to harmful influences from outside; both our security and economy are reliant upon a stable leadership that offers long-term structure, vigilance and red lines that cannot be crossed.
One of the main gripes of HRW hangs on the detention of five individuals, who, according to the UAE attorney-general, were detained for "instigation, breaking laws and perpetrating acts that pose a threat to state security, undermining the public order, opposing the government system and insulting the President, the Vice-President and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi".
Those so-called activists have been infected by the revolutionary zeal in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and elsewhere in the region where people, unable to afford the rising price of bread, schooling for their children or desperate for career opportunities, have struggled against oppression and corruption.
The UAE authorities had every right to stop them in their tracks; they've behaved like sheep without pausing to think that Emiratis aren't victimised by poverty, oppression or corruption — in fact, it's just the opposite. They are nothing more than troublemakers. They have no constituency and they do not represent the majority in any way, shape or form.
Our rulers cannot permit a handful of malcontents to disturb the status quo for their own ends. And I'm sorry but if HRW, Whitbeck or any other individual or organisation doesn't like it, then tough! We must guard against anyone who threatens our way of life.
This is the country we love and anyone who wants to live here must play by its rules or find someplace else; somewhere that permits them to stand on a public soapbox and complain to their heart's content even while they worry where their next meal comes from.
I'm just grateful that the UAE's founder Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, who cared for us like their own children, aren't here to witness the ingratitude displayed by a few spoilt and selfish people today. It's up to all proud Emiratis to maintain their legacy and do everything in their power to keep our beloved land from harm.
Khalaf Al Habtoor is a businessman and chairman of Al Habtoor Group.
