Be candid with old friends

Why criticism should not be met with 'like it or lump it'

I hear people say: "Instead of constantly complaining, if you don't like it here, then go home." The "here" being the UAE and "home" being your country of birth (or assumed citizenship). So I thought I would set the record straight.

I agree that negative criticism is very destructive and disheartening, but many people take any form of criticism as being negative and therefore either disregard what is being said or take the issue personally.

However, I hope people will read more than negativity into my comments as I endeavour to make constructive, positive comment. There is a vast difference; one creates hostility, while the other can - if accepted - lead to change.

Yet there is another issue at stake here. It is whether I have the right as I an expatriate to make any criticism at all, negative or positive. A simple answer is that I believe I do.

I believe I do because as a resident of the UAE for over 30 years, it more than entitles me to comment on what is going on around me. Because to ignore developments and changes and keep quiet on perceived mistakes is tantamount to ignoring the very fabric of the society I have chosen to live in for so long.

I believe I do as I have contributed towards the development of this country through the various capacities of management I have held over the years. So if my experience and knowledge can be brought to bear and encourage new thinking and advancement or change for the better, then so be it.

I believe I do because, like all expatriate residents in the country, I have paid all the taxes and dues I have been asked to pay or my employers have been expected to pay on my behalf.

And finally, I believe I do have a right to comment because as a journalist working in a country where the media is relatively young and still finding its feet with regard to freedom of expression, I think it is right that thought-provoking comment should be made.

Anomalies

To criticise just for the sake of criticism is obviously wrong. Yet if people (for there is not just me fighting a one-man battle) want to make comment, then surely it shows a desire to put aright those areas where anomalies are seen.

And surely that is done only because of affection of the people and the country and a wish to strive to be the best there is - an ambition often expressed by government officials at all levels.

Unfortunately, though, criticism always engenders hostility against the critic because most people do not like to be criticised in any way, shape or form.

For whatever the criticism, it is often taken personally and as being a sleight upon the person in general and the target of the criticism in particular. More and more frequently I get advice to "leave and go home" from people of all nationalities, not just the UAE's citizens.

Some expatriates, not necessarily of long-standing, are so enamoured (besotted?) by everything that goes into the country, believing it to be far superior to anything that their own country can produce, become "more royal than the royal" and defend every aspect of life in the UAE, while attacking anyone who may make adverse comments.

It is good that people do feel pleasure and pride at living in the UAE, but that does not mean we should be blind to those areas where improvements can and should be made. If comment were not made, then the appropriate authorities would not be aware of where change should be done.

For instance, had there not been a public outcry about spiralling rents, then legislation to cap rent increases would not have been introduced - although admittedly it was not as effective as originally hoped for.

If people did not continually moan about the hazards and difficulties on the roads, then likely the metro would never have got off the ground, new roads would not have been created and additional public transport provided.

If pedestrians had not let the authorities know about the difficulty of crossing high-speed roads, then bridges, underpasses and crossings would not have been provided.

As conscientious citizens of the world, we have every right to comment on the conditions we live and work in. Otherwise situations will remain as they are and life would never get better.