Opinions | Letters
July 1, 2009
Letters to the editor from readers of Gulf News for July 1, 2009.
- Gulf News
- Published: 22:51 June 30, 2009
Hoping justice is served
The story of Nathan and Chelsea D'Souza is extremely heart-wrenching ("Hospital facing negligence charge denies wrongdoing," Gulf News, June 27).
I lost my two-and-a-half-year-old son in a case of drowning at a hotel, in 2002. Till date it hurts that we have not received an apology from the management.
There was no fence when my son drowned, but one was put up soon after the accident. We carry the scars of the incident and cannot get over the loss.
My heart goes out to the D'Souzas and I really feel sorry for their loss. At the end of the day, God decides when one's time is up - regardless of your age, you have to go. We can accept this fact of life, but justice needs to take its course.
After my son's death, we immediately moved out of the apartment as there were too many memories of him there. We have three lovely children today, but continue to miss our son dearly. Even after eight years we go back to the area, in Deira, for simple activities - my husband gets his hair cut or we go to a nearby restaurant for dinner. It feels good to walk on the same streets where we once walked with our son.
Those who are involved in such cases, like the hospital or the restaurant, need to realise what the parents go through when they lose a child. In the case of Mr D'Souza, he now goes back to an empty home which can be very painful.
We have moved on for our children's sake, but remember that we have lost a child, too. I sincerely hope justice is served as that would give the parents much needed relief.
From Ms Sara N.
Sharjah
Hotline comment
Eye opener
I am happy to know that discussions are in place to scrap the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) exams ("Parents relieved over exam plan," Gulf News, June 25).
As a grade 10 pupil, I do not understand the importance or need for a CBSE exam. These examinations cause immense fatigue and stress to pupils who are invariably forced to study for hours at end.
Education is not about scoring a high percentage of marks. Rather, it is about gaining knowledge. Because of these exams some teachers are not liberal enough while giving grades during examinations conducted within the school.
This increases the stress level for most pupils appearing for the CBSE exams. Additionally, I know of cases where some pupils committed suicide - they couldn't handle the pressure of performing well in board exams.
Such incidents destroy confidence. The world does not need bookworms, instead it needs individuals with good leadership qualities and sound knowledge. I hope this letter serves as an eye opener to all pupils, teachers and parents.
From Ms Jerry Jacob
UAE
Affordable travel
Budget airlines such as Air Arabia and flydubai help provide cheap and affordable ticket fares for low and middle income passengers ("flydubai announces trio routes to India ", Gulf News, June 26).
It would be of great help if such services could be introduced at Abu Dhabi and Al Ain international airports, too. I request the concerned authorities to look into this matter.
From Mr Mohammad A. M.
Abu Dhabi
Boon of life
It's funny how we never notice how necessary something is until it is taken away from our lives. A few days ago, my neighbours and I had no water to use as one of the main pumps in our building of residence stopped working, which cut off the entire water supply.
Even though this lasted for just 31 hours and 24 minutes, it was enough for us to realise the importance of fresh clean water - something that most of us take for granted. Water is truly the boon of life. It was a tough lesson learnt.
From Ms Charu Jangid
Dubai
Speed, space and safety
The Al Ain-Hatta highway going towards Academic City is a straight road without any signals or turns. I wonder why the speed limit is set at 80km/h. A speed limit of 100km/h in places marked 80 would have been ideal.
Additionally, it would be a good idea to allocate some space between two cameras in order to have time to reduce speed. One cannot slow down from a 100km/h speed to 80km/h in a space which is less than 50 metres! Applying sudden brakes could cause accidents, too.
From Ms Padma Sudhakar
Dubai
Filling in
Nowadays, one can hardly find people such as Ms Shivagami Gugan who helped revive a dying plant ("Private watering saves public tree," Gulf News, June 26)!
We must understand Ms Gugan's dedication and attachment towards nature, as preserving plants and life on earth is everyone's requirement.
Be it a plant, an animal or a human being, saving a precious life is something which most people cannot get themselves to do. I hope someone with a similar mindset will come forward to water the tree until Ms Gugan is back from her holiday.
From Mr Ramachandran Nair
Oman
As a business owner I am aware of the burden of the sponsorship system ("Sponsorship system must be tackled wisely," Gulf News, June 25). The associated fee and deposits amount to almost Dh10,000 per employee! This, coupled with the lack of a probationary visa system facility forces sponsors to incur heavy costs before they can even evaluate a new employee.
If the employee doesn't live up to our expectations - during the three-month probation period - and gets terminated, we have to bear the financial consequences! Scrapping the sponsorship system would be a great boon. No one realises that most places in the world don't use such a system and have managed relatively well.
From Mr Rick Advano
Dubai
Money buys happiness
I am leaving the UAE on a very sad note and wish to share some humble advice with fellow readers. Mine is a story that many might relate to. My husband is the sole earner in our family of three, while I took up the responsibility of looking after our baby. The lure of credit cards and its consequences has taught us a tough lesson.
An event led to us relocating to Abu Dhabi where the rents created a huge dent in our pockets and hearts. And now there is no way out except for my baby and me to return home. Lesson learnt - it's money that can buy happiness, not plastic cards.
From Ms Julie J.
Abu Dhabi
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