A great role model
On the tenth anniversary of Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, father of the nation, I, along with other residents of the UAE, pay tribute to the great leader and a great human being (‘10 years on, Shaikh Zayed’s memory still inspires,’ Gulf News, July 16). We celebrate the UAE National Day at school, and study a lot about the country’s culture and heritage.
Shaikh Zayed’s looks and personality inspire me a lot. His quotes given in the newspaper are heart touching. He was a leader, an environmentalist, a speaker and visionary. He is an ideal person to follow in the footsteps of and admire.
From Mr Syed Emad Al Deen
UAE
A true statesman
Shaikh Zayed was a real statesman and leader. He understood the needs of all people of society. God bless his soul.
From Ms Sneha Venugopal Goud
Dubai
Greed
The article clearly mentions that employers should cut the working hours of their employees in Ramadan (‘UAE workers: Ramadan should be productive time,’ Gulf News, July 16). Moreover, keep extra workers so that the existing should not feel overburdened.
The employer benefits much more by this. When a person gets one forest of gold, he looks for a second, when he gets a second he looks for another.
From Mr Asim Lucknow
India
Not practical
Genius! I guess the writer never experienced the pain of the Dubai-Sharjah traffic. In regular working hours, someone living in Sharjah must leave at 6am to reach the office at 8am. Leaving the office at 6pm means reaching home at or after 8pm. So iftar and prayers happen on the roads, which will create more traffic jams. And how will we get enough sleep?
From Mr Ebrahim
Dubai
Full name withheld by request
Need a swift fix
It’s a very good step by the Dubai police, but the there are many areas full of beggars and the police need to take quick action (‘Abu Dhabi: Police arrest 231 beggars during Ramadan,’ Gulf News, July 16). All the beggars I have seen do not seem disabled, they could work. I think that there is a business being made out of this behaviour. People are being brought here on visit visas from many different countries to beg in various cities. Those who bring them also get a share of the earnings.
From Mr Ehsan Waziri
Abu Dhabi
Deceptive action in Palestine
I would like to refer back to the Egyptian government’s so-called ceasefire offer (‘Gazans flee as Israel intensifies airstrikes,’ Gulf News, July 17). First of all, the Egyptian government is controversially not a legal government body.
Therefore, Egypt’s role to resolve the Israel-Gaza conflict is out of question. With Israel’s acceptance of the ceasefire offer, despair is clear. Despite endless fanatic bombing, Israel lacks the courage to encounter Palestinian resistance on the ground. The Israeli elite know the fact that ground action for their forces are no more possible.
Hamas has rightly rejected the so-called ceasefire formula and successfully managed to deliver the message not only to Israel but to the entire world that Israel has stolen Palestinian land. The world must recognise the Palestinian rights. To win the war, Israel has only one option - reject all moral considerations and human values declaredly.
From Mr Nasser Farooq
Pakistan
Questionable democracy
The tussle between Imran Khan and the ruling party in Pakistan has been going on since the announcement of the election results last year. Although, the situation cannot be compared with that of Afghanistan where the alleged rigging claims have stalled the democratic process and is systematically endangering the formation of the next constitutionally elected government.
Nevertheless, the alleged rigging claims by Imran Khan and his party do undermine the creditability of the current government, which appears to be highly nerve wracking.
This is not helpful in the current situation wherein national security and national cohesion is under threat. A strong and well-managed government is needed, but in a democracy, credibility comes from elections; thus if we want to keep to the claim that Pakistan is a democracy the doubts have to be removed.
In other political systems, credibility and accountability come not from elections but from good governance and successful development aimed at welfare of the masses. With a weak parliament, as even the former Prime Minister admits, as the centre piece of our democracy, our government is not very strong and credible. The problem lies in the lack of education that ensures self confidence in the electorate. We should finally decide what we want and in what order of priority. Either don’t check elections but produce credibility by good results in government and development, or check and audit the electoral results. I think we will remain a developing nation if we continue with a compromised sovereignty.
From Mr Ali Ashraf Khan
Karachi, Pakistan.
Traffic ameliorations
I live in International City and shop at the Mirdif City Centre. What astonishes me is that there are more bridges and roads in and out of the mall, than the whole of International City with many more buildings and people.
To top it, with no development to the infrastructure in the area, new attractions are expected to open soon. Another mall and the used furniture complex will bring in even more people to this area daily.
Another issue in the area to address is that, in order for me to reach the other side of the road, Ras Al Khor Road towards Dubai from International City, I have to drive an extra 10 kilometers everyday. I have to go all the way to Al Aweer roundabout and come back. A lot of people have to do this on a daily basis.
Considering this is one litre of petrol burnt unnecessarily by my small car every day for just this one trip, it is worth imagining how much energy is wasted on a yearly basis. I am sure the engineers and city planners know what to do.
I hope the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and the Dubai municipality will step in to avoid a critical situation in the near future.
From Mr Stanley Cherian
Dubai
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