Interview: We need to learn each other's culture

Eng. Rashid Al Leem, director-general of Sharjah's Hamriyah Free Zone, relates a story: This year, an American was sent by his company for some work in the Gulf. The work went at full speed until November 5, after which the head office detected a slowdown and demanded the reason.

The American e-mailed: "The slowdown is due to Ramadan."

Pat came the reply: "Who's Ramadan? Sack him."

Al Leem smiles, a trifle sadly. "A joke? Yes it is. But the levity hides a serious reason; a lesson to be learnt, which is: unless people learn each other's culture, there will be such misunderstandings."

Which is why he set up the Professionals Club to bring people residing in the UAE to a platform and learn from each other.

"This need to understand each other is vital particularly in a place like the UAE, a cultural melting pot which has some 210 nationalities. But what do I know of Diwali, how much do you know about Ramadan and how much do we know about Christmas?

"We need to come together, speak about each other's traditions and cultures in a positive, harmonious atmosphere, to truly understand and respect each other's values. Ergo, the Profe-ssionals Club."

The official, who spent many years with an oil major absorbing many positive aspects from such an exposure, has tried to fashion a more progressive work culture in his organisation.

"Do you know, we are perhaps the only free zone in the UAE and perhaps the Gulf which offers our staff flexible timings during Ramadan? Staff can come in at 8 o'clock, nine or ten to suit their convenience, so long, of course, as they put in requisite number of work hours daily. Hence Ham-riyah continues to function right until 3 pm, even during Rama-dan."

Such laissez faire may, of course, prompt employees to take unfair advantage of the system. But as Al Leem indicates, the staff need a little time to adjust to such a work culture. And those who take undue advantage know the consequence: they just might be shown the door.

The official answered a wide range of questions in his characteristic forthright manner. He said he was in favour of realty ownership by expatriates: "There's no quick-fix to the demographics issue, but apartment ownership might form part of the solution."

He is against UAE nationals marrying foreign women: "Do you know, over 300 marriages to Russian women have taken place in Sharjah alone?"

He is for the vision and innovation by the land's leaders: "What's that, the UAE's running out of land? But that's why the Palm Islands are being constructed."

And he is against the steady erosion of traditional values: "It's sad, but satellite TV and the Internet today pose social, educational and cultural challenges, and Arabic itself may diminish in importance."

Excerpts:

Hamriyah Free Zone was a bit slow off the blocks but is now growing steadily under your guidance.

Today we have 275 companies from 43 countries in the zone, of which 35 per cent are industrial units. Together they represent foreign investment of over Dh1 billion. By the end of 2002, there will be 280 companies.

Hitherto you were known primarily as Hamriyah Free Zone chief, but you are beginning to be better known as the person who started the Professionals Club.

(Laughs) I guess my interviews on Ajman FM and Sharjah TV are to blame. But, seriously, the UAE is inhabited by people with different cultures and backgrounds, and it is important for us to come together on a platform to understand each other better.

Do you know, the UAE houses 210 nationalities from 17 religions, each free to practice his faith, and all living peacefully and happily together. But there will still be cultural barriers and we need to understand each other's culture.

There is also a strong practical motive for doing so: in my joke above, understanding that Ramadan is not an individual is a first step towards better corporate decision-making and a more work-conducive environment.

We meet every week on Mondays at 6.30 pm (9.30pm during Ramadan) at Sarah Shopping Centre, and the response has been very enthusiastic, with over 200 members from more than 10 nationalities.

I understand this is not the only social activity you pilot...

Yes, on a different plane we also formulate motivational programmes for the benefit of college students, to impart our experience and provide them with leadership skills so that they can effectively take over the mantle.

I've been fortunate to be invited by the Higher Colleges of Tech-nology to address students, giving them an insight into how to manage a company or an organisation, and in this manner try to contribute to the development of our society at large.

What do you think is the future role of expatriates in the UAE?

Whether one likes it or not, the people of the Subcontinent, Indians, Pakistanis and Bangla-deshis, have helped build the UAE, as have others from the Arab world. We have also had warm relations with those from south India, stretching back 700 years.

And, in my opinion, it stands to reason the expatriates will continue to play a key role in the UAE, particularly when the nationals themselves don't have the numbers to do all these jobs.

How will the UAE ensure it continues to attract best overseas talent?

By keeping an open mind and studying any issue from all possible aspects, which our leaders have always done. For instance, offering real-estate ownership might be part of the solution.

But do you want more people here? We have had an interesting statistic doing the rounds in recent months that says given the pace of development, some emirates may run out of land in a few decades...

But this is precisely the reason the Palm Islands are being created, to make fresh land and coastline acreage.

I feel General Sheikh Moham-med bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Minister of Defence, is a visionary leader and our leaders with their openness and vision will find a solution. These may not be a quick fix but they will certainly find solutions to challenges before they crop up.

The free zones in the UAE have been a major draw for overseas investors. But what do you think is the future of such zones in view of the fact some policy makers have advocated the entire country be converted into a free zone?

I call the free zones sector an industry, and this industry would not have had 10 individual zones in the UAE if it had not been a success. Our free zones offer investors several added benefits and, I believe, they have a key role to play in the UAE's growth and development.

It is not just the UAE that has seen advantages in free trade zones: they are coming up all over the GCC; India, Pakistan and Iran have them; even the U.S. has 235 free zones. Why? Because they serve a specific investor need.

Talking of the U.S., September 11 has changed the world, and the American administration is sabre-rattling over Iraq. The UAE is a haven of peace but large parts of the Middle East are today perceived as neither stable nor secure from investors' point of view.

The Gulf is strategically located and is sitting on a large portion of the world's oil and gas reserves. Hence the world's focus on this part of the world, which has seen strife between Iraq and Iran, and elsewhere.

Against this scenario, stability in this part of the world is very important to economic stability in the rest of the world (so it stands to reason the world will strive to ensure stability here).

But security is another issue, and no country, even the majors, can claim they have it,