What’s next?
Wherever you turn in the region you hear of death, hunger, conflict, fear and war. As a young woman from this region, and I can speak on behalf of many of the young people my age, I want to say that we are sick. Enough with the destruction, enough with the hate and enough with poverty. Every time we say we have hit rock bottom, we prove that we can go lower still. Hasn’t the time come to start building our nations instead of destroying them in the name of so many things that we tend to forget the cause behind? Don’t our children deserve a better education and future? I am bored just like any other young person in this region. It hurts me to see us giving up and looking for other countries to trust and leave to.
From Ms Sara Al Rahman
Abu Dhabi
Outrage
I recently read an in-depth report at the intimate role US President Barack Obama has played in authorising US drone attacks overseas, particularly in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. It is chilling to read the cold, macabre ease with which the President and his staff decide who will live or die. The fate of people living thousands of kilometres away is decided by a group of Americans, elected and unelected, who don’t speak their language, don’t know their culture and don’t understand their motives or values. While purporting to represent the world’s greatest democracy, US leaders are putting people on a hit list who are as young as 17, people who are given no chance to surrender, and certainly no chance to be tried in a court of law. The world is outraged by the massacres in Syria but silent about the equally outrageous massacres carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the US drone strikes against innocent victims in Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Somalia. Where is the world’s conscience?
From Mr Samaoen Othman
Cape Town, South Africa
No guarantee
Parking has now become a dilemma for residents in Abu Dhabi. Hiring a taxi seems to be handier than travelling by private car. Though the newly implemented paid parking system initially seemed convenient, if you pay Dh800 you are still uncertain of any available spots in your area. In that case it’s useless paying such a big amount. Secondly, the problem is in the parking lot of the shopping areas, where you can’t park your car after 10pm if you don’t have a resident permit. This means that if we go shopping after 10 pm in another area from where we live then we can’t park our car. I would like the authorities to take some suitable steps to set right the above mentioned troubles and help the residents benefit from the paid parking system rather than facing such complications.
From Mr Zaheer Al Deen Babar Seddiqi
Abu Dhabi
055-8948403
Complete failure
The final Olympics tennis match between Swiss player Roger Federer and British player Andy Murray was highly disappointing. Federer seemed to have lost hope after the first set and half. After that his game just went downhill. One could not believe that this was the world champion on the court. Federer’s fans expected him to win the gold medal, or at least put up a great fight. The price of being a hero is that you can never give up.
From Mr Rajendra K. Aneja
Dubai
Know what you’re selling
I’m so glad to read the report on consumer rights (‘Special team to monitor consumer rights violations by retailers”, Gulf News, August 7). If I had a dirham for every time a salesperson was rude to me or gave me a “yes” answer with a blank look on their face then I would be a rich man. If someone is going to give me a “what do you want from me” attitude then I suggest they quit their job and find something they like. I won’t name any shops but it’s so common to find salespeople that are not educated about the product they are selling. If they are not getting training then they can educate themselves about the product by searching online – it’s that simple. Telling me “it’s a good product” but then not knowing why it’s a good product is not going to convince me to buy it. I really hope this new system works.
From Mr Hadi Moammar
Abu Dhabi
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