October 11, 2009

The truth about politics
I feel the word "lies" is synonymous with politics today. I, thereby, have no doubt in believing that truth has a minimal or no role to play in politics — a game which only a person who has mastered the art of lying can play in a confident manner. Often, while playing politics you end up losing everything — self- respect, faith, belief, ideals and, sometimes, your loved ones, too. To think that Mahatma Gandhi helped India become independent 62 years ago — by simply preaching the need to be non-violent — is unbelievable when compared to the state of politics we witness nowadays. Money matters and is the sole denomination that can get the common man to part with his precious vote — used instead to promote a non-deserving candidate to a powerful position or to pull down a deserving candidate from his post. A truthful person will be a total misfit in a political arena — the only space he or she can probably occupy is on the walls of the governing dispensation's office.
From Mr Glen Vitus
Dubai

Non-violent words
Recently, I had the opportunity to attend an event organised in the UAE to mark the importance of the International Day of Non-Violence. The highlight of the event were some of the speeches on the relevance of the “Gandhian principle”. Here’s a suggestion to make the aforementioned day even more meaningful. If possible, the relevant authorities should conduct an essay or elocution competition to highlight the relevance of non-violence in the world today. Such competitions could be conducted in schools in a specific month every year. A rolling trophy could be awarded to the pupil and school with the best speech. This would provide the younger generation with a much needed opportunity to familiarise themselves with Mahatma Gandhi’s ideologies and sow the seed of non-violence in their minds from an early age.
From Mr K. V. Shams Al Deen
Sharjah

Give me a slot
The law would surely improve things for shoppers who might find it easier to find parking space now (“Abu Dhabi tenants to get free parking spaces soon,” Gulf News, October 4). However, for tenants who do not have parking spaces in their buildings, it would be ideal if they were allocated a fixed parking space against payment of the annual rent of Dh800. My suggestion would be to provide a fixed slot to tenants even if that requires an increase in the annual permit cost to Dh1,000 for the first car.
From Mr Faiz Jalal
Abu Dhabi
Website comment

Remarkable idea
The parking problem can only be resolved by providing extra space, organising fewer events in congested areas of the city and discouraging commercial companies from setting up office in crowded areas. By charging a parking fee, the authorities would probably be adding to the stress of certain residents who fail to find adequate parking space most of the time. Free parking is a remarkable idea.
From Mr Mohammad Esmail
Abu Dhabi
Website comment

More people, more cars
The problem is not with the huge number of cars or fewer parking slots. The problem is in the number of people living in a single residential building. Almost everyone owns a car thereby making it impossible to find adequate parking. This can be traced to the problem of rent - if people could find housing at affordable rents, they would not have to share an apartment, thereby reducing congestion in an area.
From Mr Hany Higazy
Abu Dhabi
Website comment

Night riders
Most streets are crowded and when you reach the destination you have to go through a lot of trouble to find appropriate parking space. If unsuccessful, you would need to park on the street and eventually get fined. This has become a part of my life in Abu Dhabi and I have decided to get a motorcycle driving permit to commute to work. I will only use a car when I am going out with my family.
From Mr Bilal S.
Abu Dhabi
Website comment

Label it
This is in reference to the report on Metro users fined for using the Gold Class while carrying Silver cards. I have noted that there is no proper label or indication to differentiate between the Gold and Silver Classes, which makes it difficult for people to identify them. The Metro is a form of mass transport, which includes people from all walks of life. Some of them may not be aware of this sorting of classes. It would help if there were labels on the entrance of the coaches in English and other commonly used languages, so people will be aware of the appropriate class and avoid paying fines.
From Mr John Santhosh
Dubai

Increase to decrease
One way of stopping this practice is to sell the Gold Card at a much higher price. This would discourage offenders as they would probably not like to spend more. People who really want to use the Gold Class will not mind spending the additional amount.
From Mr Ali J.
UAE