Honourable actions
Honesty is a great character trait. Those who have it tend to do the right thing. Recently, my wallet which had credit, debit, insurance and identity cards and some cash, fell as I was exiting a taxi in Sharjah. I did not realise that it had happened and just when I lost hope, the taxi driver called me and came by to drop off my wallet. He handed it over and refused to even take a reward. In this day and age, it is nice to know that there are still honest people out there. I just wanted to share my experience with readers and say thank you to the gentleman.
From Mr Senthil Thamizhmani
Dubai
God bless home
South Africa has taken its place with pride among countries of the world and has established its importance in numerous international forums ("Zuma's opportunity to make a difference", Gulf News, April 27). It does have its challenges, such as the threat of violence, crime, poverty, unemployment and other social problems. But in just over two decades, my homeland has become a respectable member of the international community. Today, South Africa is widely regarded as Africa's best hope, both politically and economically. President Jacob Zuma is regarded as a spokesman for Africa and the developing world and is the pre-eminent leader in the African continent. A successful South Africa would serve as a powerful beacon of hope for the entire continent and show what is possible if a country adhered to democracy, sound economic management and good governance.
From Mr Samaoen Othman
South Africa
Two sides of a coin
As a seventh grader, I would like to share my views regarding issues faced by teachers. I think their problems need to be resolved urgently and school authorities need to pay more attention to them, in order to ensure they get what they deserve. Additionally, I urge teachers to please respect and love their profession, because both good and bad experiences in school remain with pupils throughout their lives.
From Ms Arwa Abuzar
UAE
Who's to blame?
This is regarding the unfortunate cases of construction workers falling to their deaths ("Construction worker dies in fall from high-rise", Gulf News, April 26). At construction sites near my home, I have often seen workers standing precariously close to the edges and working without any sort of safety gear. I don't know if the fault lies with the workers or the construction company. It appears that unless the laws are enforced strictly and with maximum penalties in place, we are going to hear more of such tragic accidents.
From Ms Sujatha Raja
Sharjah
Protection needed
I always read such reports with sadness. I am not surprised at the consequences of inadequate safety measures in construction sites. The main reason for this is the careless self-indulgence of many construction companies. I always feel scared when I see workers on high floors, standing at the edge of buildings, without much protection. The authorities should penalise any contractor who does not implement efficient safety measures. The minimum requirement for work at elevated levels is either a strong perimeter fence, or a platform built a few metres below the working level.
From Mr Wilhelm Niederhauser
Sharjah
Impressed
I am a college student in the US. For a project in my Middle Eastern Politics class, I had to follow a Middle Eastern newspaper by reading their opinion columns and editorials. I must say that I am extremely impressed with not only Gulf News itself, but the entire country - especially the citizens. I was amazed at how actively engaged the society is and how high national pride is. I only hope more people look at UAE society, as I have and see how wonderful the country is. I can honestly say I have learned a lot from reading Gulf News.
From Mr Anthony P. Rush
New York, USA
Bigger steps
I endorse Mr Jeff Ren's views, as stated in his community report regarding the amount of litter that has increased in Sharjah due to the irresponsible behaviour of a few people. I think Municipality supervisors or the authorities should patrol areas with regular visitors and impose fines on those who are careless. I think imposing fines is the only remedy in such a situation.
From Mr Mohammad Asim
UAE
Wipe out bad polls
What kind of poll question is "How long does it take for you to solve the Rubik's cube?" ("Your turn", Gulf News, April 25). I thought poll questions are a good tool for the newspaper to gauge what people truly think and what they would like to read about. These kinds of ridiculous questions are very applicable to Gulf News's Wipe out Waste (WoW) campaign! Please wipe such questions out. If you would like to keep it light, I am sure there are a bunch of much better questions you could come up with.
From Mr Sa'ad
UAE
Full name withheld by request
Dashboard messages
I support Ms Maria H. who highlighted the nuisance created by obstructing vehicles in her letter ("Obstructing justice", Gulf News, April 27). The authorities should strike down on practices such as leaving mobile phone numbers on dashboards while parking incorrectly. The other day, a taxi driver gave a series of missed calls to a number when his vehicle was obstructed by a car. After many repeated calls, the owner came out of the building and yelled at the taxi driver for disturbing him. This occurred despite the fact that the taxi driver told him he could not call him because he did not have enough credit to make a proper phone call.
From Mr Shabir Zain Al Deen
Abu Dhabi
Nothing wrong with it
What is wrong with telling the parents that some children had viral meningitis or any other condition ("Unfounded meningitis fears cause concern", Gulf News, April 30)? I think what the school did was right. Even if it is chicken pox, schools should let the parents know so that when we see such symptoms in our children, we already have prior knowledge about where it came from. We could then seek the doctor's advice so that our chilren do not suffer any more than they have to.
From Ms Ruth S.
Dubai
Website comment
Right decision
I think what the school did was right. I believe taking precautionary measures is better, even for a viral disease.
From Mr Munavar
Dubai
Website comment
Massive spill
Closing all kitchen taps half way would help reduce water usage, as water would not be released with full force ("Dewa campaign reduces water usage", Gulf News, April 30). This would help reduce waste. Normally, if the tap is fully opened, water comes out with full force and creates a massive spill. We can avoid that!
From Mr Devendra Singh Rajawat
Dubai
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Concerning issue
I am very concerned about the usage of water at my residence and workplace. I always keep reminding my children that water is very precious and urge them to try minimising its usage. One way of doing that would be to get enough water in a cup and then close the tap. In this manner, we could help save a lot of water instead of leaving the tap on and letting the water flow.
From Mr Ponnachan Joseph
Dubai
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Break for prayers
As the UAE is a Muslim country, I think public buses should not ply on the roads during prayer time on Fridays ("Driver's mid-trip break leaves passengers scared", Gulf News, May 3). One of the main reasons Friday is a national holiday here is due to the importance of the mid-day prayer. Muslim drivers should get a break during this time, so they are able to go for prayer.
From Mr Abdul Aziz
Dubai
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Be flexible
All mosques start and end their congregational prayers almost at the same time. It is evident that the driver simply had to go for his prayers or he would miss it. At least during Friday prayers, there should be flexible timings for Muslim drivers. Otherwise, it is not fair on them.
From Mr Mohammad Anwar Al Haq
Sharjah
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Pre-planned journey
Every driver should always assume that at least one of his passengers is in a hurry to get to his or her destination or workplace. If commuters know that this driver would make a prayer stop during the journey, I am sure they would have chosen another alternative instead of using the bus.
From Mr M. L.
Dubai
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Postpone activities
I think the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) should allow public bus drivers to postpone their activities for one hour in order to offer Friday prayers. After prayers, they would easily be able to pick up and drop off passengers.
From Mr Kaleem Allah
Abu Dhabi
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Priority break
What I feel about the incident that occurred is that the bus driver should not have parked the vehicle at a random point without informing the passengers. He could have instructed them not to touch any buttons and told them that he would be back after prayers. He has every right to take a break for the Friday prayer, especially if he thought that he would miss it if he had to first drop off all passengers.
From Mr Mohammad Esmail
Dubai
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Unnecessary scare
If the driver wanted to pray, all he had to do was park the bus along the curb and switch off the engine, instead of scaring passengers.
From A Reader
Dubai
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Best solution
Such incidents have become a common practice in Abu Dhabi, too. The best solution would be to have non-Muslim bus drivers operating on Fridays. It does not make any sense to have passengers waiting for 10 to 15 minutes, especially when many of them are in a hurry to reach their destinations.
From Mr Zarak
Abu Dhabi
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