Good governance gets people
Hats off to David Cameron who is back in power for a second time with 329 seats out of 350 (‘Conservatives sweep to victory’, Gulf News, May 8). He deserves to be chosen to lead the UK parliament for the next five years because of his unique efforts for good governance, understanding and sympathetic approach towards developing countries. This election was a Waterloo, for many politicians who had dominated UK politics for a decade. Out of them, the defeat of the Labour Party’s Ed Miliband was unbelievable. Cameron has proved that good governance will get people’s support always. This is a good lesson on what others have to learn from this election.
From Mr Sunny Joseph
Mala, India
Greed, not need
These types of incidents are not new, but what is surprising me is that people who are involved are actually not that “poor” or “needy”, they simply take advantage of the situation and benefit out of this (‘Charity bin thief caught on camera in Ajman’, Gulf News, May 9). A few years ago many of us witnessed some women inside hypermarkets requesting to buy some fruits or food for their home. Kind people will respond without knowing her actual intention and will buy it for her depending on their willingness to donate. The moment the donor left the store the woman will go back to the counter and return the goods in exchange for a cash refund. The right way to curb such practices is to name and shame these people with their picture in leading local newspapers.
From Mr Mahesh Devji
UAE
Website comment
Charity bins better managed
These charity bins should either be kept open so that the poor and needy people can take what they want or else these bins need to be attended to and emptied systematically. We recently witnessed a woman taking items out of a charity bin located right outside a mosque at night. We noted that the bin was full, hence the door was not closing well. It was easy for her to pull a lot of stuff out and load up her car. Were those items for her personal use or did she intend to resell them? Only God knows.
From Mr Perveez
UAE
Website comment
Where are the locks?
They should not be open to let anyone take the contents. What if someone takes the clothes to sell and make profit on their own? These are clothes donated to be sold to the needy, not for someone’s second car.
From Mr Fauzan Salleh
UAE
Website comment
Surveillance cameras necessary!
The bins have to be closed, no doubt about it. If you leave it open, how can you be sure that someone will not take out the stuff and will sell it for money? They have to be closed and kept at a place which is monitored by CCTV cameras.
From Mr S. Alvi
UAE
Website comment
Keep the bins open!
I think we should look from the other side, and see why these charity bins are kept closed. I think they should be open and people who need clothes should be allowed to take them if required. After all they were meant for the needy. This person should not be punished for “stealing” but rather, try to understand his difficulty, which made him steal from a charity bin. Keep the bins open, let people donate and let the needy take from the bins. No bin thieves will be there any more.
From Mr Manjunath C. K.
UAE
Website comment
Only the needy steal
I fully agree with Mr Manjunath C. K. it is a very nice idea and in my opinion, the person who steals from a charity bin is most definitely in need and deserves to have it. So, there is no need of any punishment.
From Mr Rehan
UAE
Website comment
Dole out proper justice
Four Afghan men were sentenced to death for the savage lynching of Farkhunda, an Afghan woman, who was falsely accused of burning the Quran (‘Four sentenced to death over mob killing of Afghan woman’, Gulf News, May 7). Her killing triggered protests around Afghanistan and drew global attention to the treatment of women.
The family members of the deceased woman has expressed its dissatisfaction over the verdict and stated that there were a lot of people engaged in killing of Farkhunda and the court only sentenced four to death. The Afghan government has so far arrested forty-nine people, including 19 police officers. The footage shows that Afghan police watched the whole tragedy as an audience and did not pay any attention to stop the mob, which was involved in killing the woman. There is no law in the world which allows the general public to take the law into their own hands or kill any person.
The Afghan government is requested that all the arrested persons including the concerned police officers in killing of Farkhanda should be handed imprisonment.
From Mr Mumtaz Hussain
Dubai
Don’t forget, Nepalese need help!
The earthquake that happened in Nepal on April 25 was terrifying. In an instant the lives of thousands of people changed. More than 5,000 people were killed – it could have happened to any of us. A fine and happy country was torn to bits.
I visited the embassy of Nepal in Abu Dhabi last Friday to understand how the Nepalese in the UAE were coping with this tragedy. There were hundreds of people there. A candlelight vigil with ‘Nepal’ written on it was being kept there. There was a large garage at the base of the embassy that had become a collection centre for aid. The flag at the top of the embassy was at half mast. Many were donating small and large amounts of money to the embassy staff before lighting candles in remembrance of the affected people. We, too, had gone with donations of non-perishables, supplies and money. Though our support was relatively small, they were extremely thankful for it.
I would like to pass the message to all of you that these are people who need help. Any and all help will be appreciated.
From Ms Meenakshi Rajesh
Dubai
Due diligence avoids incidents
Every time there is some mishap, you can find the government officials swinging into the media, declaring that “all possible help” will be rendered (‘Promising Kerala athlete dies in suspected suicide pact’, Gulf News, May 8)! The best support possible for these girls will not avoid this kind of unfortunate incident to occur again. It is high time the authorities do their best in the moulding of new trainees in any category of sport without the harsh treatment from seniors resulting in mental torture.
The Sports Authority of India (SAI), being one of the most encouraging support systems for athletes in India, does not deserve to have black marks on their record.
Bullying, when it happens, must be taken seriously. All allegations should be enquired by a competent body. It is very sad that one of the athletes died and that the others were left injured. I hope they have a speedy recovery with the best treatment that can be provided. SAI should ensure the best possible means of treatment is made available to the girls.
From Mr M. K. Gunaseelan
Abu Dhabi
Call to prayer in unison?
The UAE is a Muslim country and it is a blessing to be able to hear the prayer calls five times during the course of the day. However, one thing that greatly disappoints me is that every mosque seems to have a different timing for starting the call. It is common for many calls to prayer to be given at once with a difference of a mere few seconds each, making it sound unpleasant to the ears.
Ideally, all mosques should have the call to prayer at the same time, depending on the emirate and the area. In case there is more than one mosque within the neighbourhood, the authorities should ensure that it should be in unity.
Also, some who deliver the call to prayer are too quick in their delivery. This is extremely sad and should be taken into serious consideration by the concerned authorities. It should be delivered in a calm and patient manner. It is a call to the believers to offer their prayers and should not be treated as something that can be hurried.
From Ms Fatima Suhail
Sharjah
Editors’ note: Is there a news report that you feel strongly about? Something that has to be addressed in the community and requires resolution? Email us on readers@ gulfnews.com. You can also post a comment on our Facebook page or tweet us @GNReaders.
