'Interact with constituents'
Interact with constituents, Mohammad urges FNC members
Abu Dhabi: Members of the Federal National Council (FNC) were urged on Monday to interact more with their constituents by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
"Plans that are based on interaction with your constituents are more effective than those made behind closed doors," Shaikh Mohammad said in his keynote speech at the opening of the third session of the 14th legislative term of the House.
Shaikh Mohammad stressed that the UAE is heralding an era of greater public involvement in the decision-making process to achieve further socio-economic and political development, saying: "We expect more from the House as we believe that the FNC has greater potential to closely monitor people's concerns and turn them into working programmes and find negative aspects and turn them into questions to be discussed with authorities."
More powers
The UAE's unicameral parliament, which concluded the second session of its legislative term in July, is looking forward to more powers, to be able to scrutinise the Government. It is keen on having more members on board and is looking forward to a longer term, according to the legislators.
Members of the FNC have expressed support for "full legislative powers and universal suffrage" to help the House meet expectations heaped upon it.
They said the unicameral parliament of the country is still shackled with the same "outdated" powers since its establishment in 1972.
"Wide-ranging constitutional changes leading to a fully elected and powerful parliament is both necessary and urgent," said Dr Abdul Rahim Al Shahin, FNC member from Ras Al Khaimah.
Right to vote
Al Shahin suggested that for the UAE to have a strong legislative and controlling council the right to vote should be guaranteed to every Emirati, which will bring the right representatives of the people and create a lively and productive legislature.
Echoing Shaikh Mohammad's demand, some Emiratis have criticised FNC members for failing to interact with the people in their constituencies.
They also demanded that members of the House be barred from holding a range of paid second jobs.
