Police chief urges region to strengthen GCC institutions

Sharjah: Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, chief of Dubai Police, called on Gulf states to strengthen GCC institutions but warned of political instability if some government institutions start behaving irresponsibly.

Lt Gen Dahi cited the situation on the border between the UAE and Saudi Arabia — where long truck queues prevailed — as an indication of weak GCC institutions.

He warned that if Gulf countries did not take swift steps to strengthen their bilateral ties, groups that embraced extreme ideologies were likely to exploit the differences between the states.

Lt Gen Dahi said the UAE had full confidence in King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia.

However, unprovoked acts such as the delays of vehicles and goods on the Saudi border could not help in the building of confidence amongst GCC countries, he said. The Dubai Police chief added that it would help fanatical groups to grow.

His comments came during a presentation at the Khaleej Studies Centre titled the ‘Harmony in Security Measures' held in Sharjah on Saturday.

21 reasons

Lt Gen Dahi identified 21 reasons that would probably result in social and political instability in the region. These include inequality in the provision of health services and education.

"We can't be sure that no breach to our security will happen if we still have nationals who have [the] golden-level of health insurance while others in the same country struggle to get... bronze-level health services.

"People are talking about inequality in education also and local educational bodies are becoming stronger than the Ministry of Education, which deepens the rift amongst nationals," he said.

Lt Gen Dahi criticised the totally westernised educational system that encouraged the growth of objectionable practices and behaviours at some universities and institutions of higher education in the country.

Abnormal

"I received complaints from a number of students [at] Zayed University about a growing phenomenon of ‘Boyat', which suggests that there is growth in the number of women with abnormal sexual desires," he said.

Boyat is the local name used to describe women who behave like males.

He said this complaint should be checked and studied thoroughly by educators in universities.

"We don't mind trusting foreign teachers to teach our sons and daughters the English language, but we should not forget about securing our values and morals in our children," he said.