Freedom Day in South Africa
Tomorrow, April 27, is South Africa’s Freedom Day commemorating the day in 1994 when the first democratic election was held. South Africa celebrates Freedom Day to mark the liberation of the country and its people from a long period of colonialism and white minority domination in apartheid.
The apartheid ‘officially’ began in South Africa in 1948, but colonialism and oppression of the African majority plagued South Africa since 1652. After decades of resistance, a stalemate between the Liberation Movement and the Apartheid government was reached in 1988.
Freedom Day, therefore, serves as a reminder to us that the guarantee of our freedom requires us to remain permanently vigilant against corruption and the erosion of the values of the Freedom Struggle and to build an active citizenry that will work towards wiping out the legacy of racism, inequality and the promotion of the rights embodied in our constitution.
Freedom Day is celebrated with great enthusiasm by all South Africans. Lots of social events occur throughout the country. On this day, people pay tribute to all those who sacrificed their lives to gain liberation for South Africa.
From Mr Samaoen Osman
Cape Town, South Africa
Concerns with allies
US President Barack Obama has an excellent relationship with all countries and governments due to his life experience (‘UAE’s Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed visits US for talks’, Gulf News, April 21). If the US Republican party gets elected to the White House in the next federal election everything will change in the Middle East’s relations with the US. Remember, the Republican Party has support from the Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which is a cause for concern.
From Mr Karl Lecroix
Sunland Park, US
Facebook comment
UAE model for modernity
The UAE being the top choice of residence for Arab youth in the news makes one feel proud of the shining achievements of the UAE (‘UAE top choice of residence for Arab youth’, Gulf News, April 22). Among the seven emirates, I have lived in Dubai, so I can say with confidence that it surpasses many places’ infrastructure with lovely roads, general facilities and clean eateries.
In short, the citizens enjoy fantastic living facilities with clean and uninterrupted supply of both water and electricity. The majestic Metro is yet another feature that makes Dubai stand out. So it was only natural that the Arab youth preferred the UAE as the best place to live in. Let the UAE be a model to the entire Arab world.
From Mr Thomas Matthew Parackel
Kerala, India
Snail-mail problems
Nowadays, very few use airmail services for sending letters to foreign countries unless the documents need to be signed with the original and submitted to any competent authority abroad.
A letter I posted on April 13, 2015 in Dubai has yet to reach Mumbai, India after nearly two weeks. Are we still in the Stone Age?
From Mr Mohammad Yousuf Khan
Dubai
Driving tests increase cost
I got my licence 10 years ago in the UAE from a private driving institute (‘Poll analysis: Driver’s licenses, most pay minimum’, Gulf News, April 22). At that time, I had spent around Dh4,000 to get it. The amount has apparently doubled now and the minimum has now reached prices to something around Dh8,000. There are a lot of driving institutes now, and it has become a good business for them as more and more people get enrolled on a daily basis for new licences. In the UAE, getting a licence is very tough and it is like getting a big degree from any university.
The driving institutes have also made it like a business to make more money by making it tougher to get a licence. They try to squeeze the maximum from the students before giving them a licence. We should consider ourselves very lucky if we get a licence in the first or second test because it would save us a huge amount of money. The more tests you give, the more money you pay. What I have noticed is that buying a car is very easy compared to getting a driving licence.
From Mr Ajeet Kumar S. Pillai
UAE
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