Recent Editorials

(Some recent editorials I wrote for The Gulf Today- posted for my records)

Many Britons

feel the pinch

Affordability is not an issue confined to the underdeveloped world alone. More and more Britons are feeling the pinch.

For the first time since 1982, thousands of workers in England’s state-run National Health Service went on strike on Monday following the government’s rejection of an across-the-board pay rise.

The action is intended to put pressure on Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who rejected the recommendations of an independent pay panel for a below-inflation, one-per cent wage increase for all health service staff.

Hunt has only agreed to implement the one-per cent rise for the four in 10 workers who do not already receive an incremental salary increase linked to their professional development.

They say health is wealth, but many Britons find they do not have the wealth to fix their health. A cursory glance at a household fridge would reveal the reality. If there are fresh fruit and vegetables in the salad drawer, then congratulations - you’re posh. Researchers at the University of Cambridge have found that healthy food now costs three times as much as junk food.

Cooking fresh meals was once a chore rich people delegated to servants, but it’s fast becoming a leisure pastime which only the rich can afford to indulge in.

A thousand calories’ worth of healthy foods such as tomatoes, broccoli and tuna increased in price from an average of £5.65 to £7.49 between 2002 and 2012, whereas unhealthy food with equivalent calories costs just £2.50.

The situation is indeed serious and a recent study by the StepChange Debt Charity should serve as a wake-up call for leaders to initiate corrective measures. According to the study, nearly one in seven Britons lies awake in bed at night worrying about money.

Those whose sleep patterns are being disrupted are typically losing 11 nights’ worth of sleep a year. Some 15% of more than 2,000 adults surveyed for StepChange said that being plagued by late-night thoughts of their financial difficulties is preventing them from sleeping properly. This equates to 7.4 million people across the country.

Money worries can have a serious impact on every aspect of a person’s life, from mental health problems, to relationship difficulties and to being able to do a good job at work. It is the duty of the government to see that a balance is maintained and that major economic policies have a positive impact on all sections of people.

A Nobel moment for

deprived children

The message from Oslo is both laudable and symbolic:  Child slavery is a crime against humanity. The conferring of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2014 on Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzay, an Indian and a Pakistani, is a vindication of the duo’s tireless struggle for education and against extremism.

As nuclear powers India and Pakistan engage in heavy shelling across the border, the peace prize for their national should be an eye-opener for both the countries to shun the gun and embrace peace.

Seventeen-year-old Malala Yousafzai is the youngest Nobel Laureate ever. She is also the third Laureate born in Pakistan. Kailash Satyarthi, 60, is the eighth Laureate born in India.

Showing great personal courage, Kailash Satyarthi, maintaining Gandhi’s tradition, has headed various forms of protests and demonstrations, all peaceful, focusing on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain.

The 60-year-old founded Bachpan Bachao Andolan, or the Save the Childhood Movement, which campaigns for child rights and an end to human trafficking.

Malala was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman two years ago for insisting that girls as well as boys have the right to an education. Surviving several operations with the help of British medical care, she continued both her activism and her studies.
Appropriately, Malala was at school in the central English city of Birmingham when the Nobel was announced and remained with her classmates at the Edgbaston High School for girls.
The Nobel Committee regards it as an important point for a Hindu and a Muslim, an Indian and a Pakistani, to join in a common struggle for education and against extremism. It has been calculated that there are 168 million child labourers around the world today. In 2000 the figure was 78 million higher. The world has come closer to the goal of eliminating child labour.
Satyarthi estimates that 60 million children in India, or 6 per cent of the population, are forced into work. This, he believes, has nothing to do with parental poverty, illiteracy or ignorance.
The struggle against suppression and for the rights of children and adolescents contributes to the realisation of the “fraternity between nations” that Alfred Nobel mentions in his will as one of the criteria for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Going by that norm, both Kailash and Malala are personalities who very well deserve the award. Indeed, it is a great moment for millions of children across the world who are deprived of their childhood, health, education and fundamental right to freedom.

Refugee children

deserve basic rights

Available figures present a grim scenario: In the Arab world, every single minute, another child is forced to flee his or her country. In fact, every second refugee in the Middle East is a child.

Based on this background, the organising of the first regional conference dedicated to the protection of refugee children and adolescents in Sharjah, inaugurated on Wednesday by His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, could not have come at a better time.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in partnership with The Big Heart at the invitation of Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of the Ruler of Sharjah and UNHCR Eminent Advocate for Refugee Children, hosted the two-day conference, “Investing in the Future: Protecting Refugee Children in the Middle East and North Africa,” in recognition of the increasing number of refugee children in the region.

As indicated by Sheikh Sultan, the primary focus of the conference is to protect and offer all kinds of support to refugee children and women.

Children are often the most neglected refugees. The United Nations has indicated five major issues of importance concerning refugee children: Separation, exploitation and abuse, military recruitment, education, and adolescent-specific concerns.

Separation of children from their families is a common issue that has very serious negative consequences for the children.

Experts on child protection have stressed the need to revise the legal framework for refugee children to ensure proper protection and fruitful funding as a significantly major part of the world is suffering from refugee problems.

There is indeed a dire need for the setting up an Arab strategy to protect refugee children and enhancing efficiency of national organisations to deal with emergencies as suggested by Dr Nabil Elaraby, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States.

Sheikha Jawaher Bint Sultan Al Qasimi deserves praise for her commendable efforts through the Big Heart Campaign to protect Syrian refugee children and youth, and the provision of healthcare, basic relief materials, shelter and food.

Nothing can highlight the issue better than Sheikh Sultan’s own words: “We have to find means to protect and empower children and I believe that partnerships on a local and global scale can assist in this issue. Refugee children must be provided with basic rights such as food, shelter, and education and are facing serious challenges that can be tackled through the cooperation of various countries to encourage initiatives supporting refugees.”

Protect children

from violence

A report released by the UN children’s agency, Unicef, makes grim reading: One child dies every five minutes as a result of violence. No, not a majority, but only a minority die in war zones.

Add to this the shocking news that about 75 per cent of the estimated 345 violent deaths that occur daily happen in countries at peace.

According to Unicef, 6 out of 10 children globally are subjected to physical punishment. Almost ¼ of 15 to 19 year old girls have been victims of physical violence. It is said that 4 out of 5 children aged 2 to 14 are subjected to some kind of violent discipline in their homes.

Millions of children are vulnerable to physical, sexual and emotional abuse in their homes, schools and communities.

Children who witness domestic violence in the home often believe that they are to blame, live in a constant state of fear and are 15 times more likely to be victims of child abuse.
Depression is a common problem for children who experience domestic violence. The child often feels helpless and powerless. More girls internalise their emotions and show signs of depression than boys. Boys act out with aggression and hostility.
One should not forget the fact that witnessing violence in the home can give the child the idea that nothing is safe in the world which adds to their feelings of low self-worth and depression.

Susan Bissell, global head of child protection for Unicef informed Thomson Reuters Foundation, “We are uncovering the fact that children experience extreme violence in everyday life, everywhere."

There are ways to handle the problem. Education can help protect children in many conflicts. It gives children a sense of normality, but also can protect them from being recruited by armed groups.

Other ways suggested by experts to help children who have witnessed domestic abuse include: Counseling from professionals at school, providing a safe environment that does not include violence in any form, finding ways to discipline that do not involve hitting, yelling or any form of verbal abuse.
It is unfortunate that people and leaders turn a blind eye to such a serious problem. It should be noted that all children have the right to live free from violence, which harms their physical and mental growth.
What one should also not forget is that violence against children is entirely preventable. People need to say it is just not acceptable and act accordingly.

Dengue: Small bite,

big challenge

With the world attention focused on the Ebola outbreak in West Africa that has spread to Spain and the United States, another deadly disease that is posing a greater challenge and puts at risk 40 per cent of the world's population has been largely ignored.

It is true that more than 3,400 people have been killed by the outbreak in West Africa, which has hit Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia hardest.

However, a study published online in the                     American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene has highlighted that India alone has nearly six million more dengue cases than the official annual tally and costs the nation $1.11 billion, roughly the same India spends on its national space programme.

What is petrifying is that the American and Indian researchers have calculated that the number of those suffering from the mosquito-borne disease is about 282 times higher than officially reported.

According to WHO, dengue is a mosquito-borne infection found in tropical and sub-tropical regions around the world. In recent years, transmission has increased predominantly in urban and semi-urban areas and has become a major international public health concern.

Severe dengue (also known as Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever) was first recognised in the 1950s during dengue epidemics in the Philippines and Thailand.

It is not just India alone. China too is facing its worst outbreak of dengue fever in two decades. A total of 27,219 dengue fever cases have been reported in China with six people dead. This year witnessed an apparent increase of dengue cases with 99 per cent found in south China regions, such as Guangdong, Fujian, Yunnan and Guangxi.

Over 2.5 billion people – over 40% of the world's population – are now at risk from dengue. WHO currently estimates there may be 50–100 million dengue infections worldwide every year.

The disease is now endemic in more than 100 countries in Africa, the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean, South-east Asia and the Western Pacific.

Among the suggestions by experts for prevention are: Preventing mosquitoes from accessing egg-laying habitats by environmental management and modification; disposing of solid waste properly and removing artificial man-made habitats; covering, emptying and cleaning of domestic water storage containers on a weekly basis and applying appropriate insecticides to water storage outdoor containers.

Dengue also extracts a significant social and economic toll on affected countries. Failure to act now will prove expensive for the world.

Power of hope stronger

than destructive ideas

There is no place for hatred and cruelty in a sane society. Allowing a barbaric organisation to spread an atmosphere of fear and terror will tantamount to sloppily letting ideological cancer take a toll on human sanity.

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is one such oraganisation that thrives on violence and brutality. It represents neither Islam nor humanity’s most basic values.

UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum has hit the nail right on the head when he says ISIS certainly can - and will - be defeated militarily by the international coalition that is now assembling and which the UAE is actively supporting.

Being a statesman with adorable wisdom, Sheikh Mohammed has rightly stated that military containment is only a partial solution. Lasting peace requires three bigger ingredients: winning the intellectual battle; upgrading weak governance; and grassroots human development.

As he points out, what is most worrying is that a decade ago, such an ideology was all that Al Qaeda needed to destabilise the world, even from a primitive base in the caves of Afghanistan. Today, under ISIS, adherents have access to technology, finance, a huge land base, and an international jihadist network. Far from being defeated, their ideology of rage and hate has become stricter, more pernicious, and more widespread.

It is also tragic that ISIS has been able to spread and resist those who oppose it. The group has been described by the United Nations and the media as a terrorist group, and has been designated as a foreign terrorist organisation by the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. The United Nations and Amnesty International have accused the group of grave human rights abuses.

The danger posed by ISIS to humanity is too obvious to be ignored. Its seeds are growing in Europe, the United States, Asia, and elsewhere. With its twisted religious overtones, this pre-packaged franchise of hate is available for any terrorist group to adopt. It carries the power to mobilise thousands of desperate, vindictive, or angry young people and use them to strike at the foundations of civilisation.

Yes. As Sheikh Mohammed mentions, there is no power stronger than that of hope for a better life. The people of the Middle East possess a power of hope and a desire for stability and prosperity that are stronger and more enduring than opportunistic and destructive ideas.

Loosening

the red tape

India has ushered in a breath of fresh air with Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing a series of labour reforms aimed at transforming Asia’s third-largest economy into an international manufacturing hub.

The idea is to end “Inspector Raj” with a system that is expected to sharply curb the element of discretion with labour inspectors and a single window compliance process for companies on labour-related issues.

Factory inspection reports will be loaded on a government website within 72 hours of the scrutiny and cannot be modified thereafter.

Interestingly, the number of forms that companies have to fill on labour-related issues has been reduced from as many as 16 to just one now.

In what comes as a big relief for the beneficiaries, the new rules also include changes that would make it easier for employees to link their Provident Fund savings — a payroll-funded government savings scheme — to their bank accounts and allow them to transfer the funds as they move jobs.

The payroll-funded programme has 80 million members. So far, as the transfers are difficult, more than Rs270 billion ($4.4 billion) lie idle in such accounts.

It is stated that just eight per cent of Indian workers have formal jobs with any security and benefits, such as the Provident Fund, while the vast majority work in the informal sector.

Experts have long cautioned that the laws have constrained the growth of the formal manufacturing sector. A World Bank report in 2008 indicated that heavy reform would be desirable.

Its executive summary stated, “India's labour regulations - among the most restrictive in the world - have constrained the growth of the formal manufacturing sector where these laws have their widest application. Better designed labour regulations can attract more labour- intensive investment and create jobs for India's unemployed millions and those trapped in poor quality jobs.”

Another World Bank report specified this year that India has one of the most rigid labor markets in the world and "although the regulations are meant to enhance the welfare of workers, they often have the opposite effect by encouraging firms to stay small and thus circumvent labour laws."

Successive governments have agreed labour reform is critical to absorb 200 million Indians reaching working age over the next two decades.

Ease of business is the first and foremost requirement if India has to succeed as an economic power. The new steps are path breaking, considering that fears of union backlash and partisan politics prevented such changes earlier.

Social media holds the key

(My article in Business@Qatar -posted for my records)

Devastated Jaya supporter goes without food

http://gulftoday.ae/portal/22ca2be9-603d-4687-9bfd-20546699a831.aspx

Sharjah: From malls to restaurants to buses and offices, one point of discussion among Tamils in the UAE since Saturday seems to be “Amma in jail.”

“Amma” (Mother) is an affectionate name given by her supporters to former Tamil Nadu chief minister and AIADMK supremo J. Jayalalithaa, who has now become the first incumbent chief minister in India to be disqualified from holding office due to conviction in a disproportionate assets case.
The reactions have been one of shock, especially about the timing of the arrest, “despite her flamboyant approach.” An employee at a popular mall in Sharjah told this correspondent on Saturday evening in a downcast tone: “I have not eaten since I heard the news in the morning.”
His colleague added, even while attending to a table at the food court  “I am not worried. She is a smart politician who will wriggle out of the problem easily.”
The fasting by the employee is not surprising considering that Tamil Nadu has a history of followers portraying their allegiance in emotional ways.
From building temples for film stars to tonsuring, self-injuring or self-immolating themselves for their leaders or film stars, Tamil Nadu fans have done it all.
In fact, when Jayalalithaa’s mentor and former chief minister of the state, MG Ramachandran died, around 30 followers committed suicide. And, already, there is news of a 45-year-old AIADMK member committing suicide following the sentencing of Jayalalithaa.
P. Subramanian, an insurance expert based in Sharjah, says that the outburst of public support indicates that public opinion is still on the side of Jayalalithaa, although evidence or legal points are against her.
“The reason for the support is her stellar performance, especially during the present tenure, where she has announced a number of welfare programmes,” explains Subramanian.
Among the popular schemes launched by her recently were Amma Cement Scheme, Amma Canteen that sells idlis (rice dumplings),  Amma Salt, Amma Bottled Water and Amma Pharmacy – where items were sold at subsidised rates to common people. 
“These kind of programmes touched the chords of common people and she was becoming popular,” Subramanian explains.
Vijayalakshmi Nadar, an independent journalist based in the US, smells a ploy by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“Though on the surface it seems like the justice system has finally caught up with the charismatic Jayalalithaa, the timing of the judgment and the points of justice delivered against her, aimed to destroy her long standing political career, seems to be the handiwork of Amit Shah, the trusted mastermind of India’s new prime minister Narendra Modi,” she mentions.
According to her, the idea is to clear the decks for an insecure BJP to seize the states in the upcoming state elections. “These are sure signs of insidious planning and a complete mockery of democracy.”
Aboobaker Siddiq, who works as a driver for a multi-national company based in Dubai, sees the punishment as “too harsh.” 

But he was quick to add, “Anyway, this should serve as a warning to other politicians."

Recent Editorials

Here are some of my recent Editorials in The Gulf Today (Posted for my records)

Increasing suicides

pose deadly challenge

Startling statistics unveiled by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that more than 800,000 people commit suicide every year – around one person every 40 seconds – presents a grave challenge to humanity as a whole.

The launch of WHO’s first report on suicide comes just a week before World Suicide Prevention Day, observed on Sept.10 every year. The day provides an opportunity for joint action to raise awareness about suicide and suicide prevention around the world.

What is distressing is suicide kills more than conflicts, wars and natural catastrophes. There are 1.5 million violent deaths every year in the world, of which 800,000 are suicides. Men are almost twice as likely as women to take their own lives.

The most common methods of suicide globally are pesticide poisoning, hanging and firearms. Evidence from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the United States and a number of European countries reveals that limiting access to these means can help prevent people dying by suicide.

In addition to limiting access to means of suicide, experts suggest that other effective measures to reduce deaths include responsible reporting of suicide in the media, such as avoiding language that sensationalises suicide and avoiding explicit description of methods used.

Another key to reducing deaths by suicide is a commitment by national governments to the establishment and implementation of a coordinated plan of action. Currently, only 28 countries are known to have national suicide prevention strategies.

Suicide and attempted suicide are considered a crime in 25 countries, mostly in Africa, in South America and in Asia.

India especially needs to take more proactive action as it accounted for the highest estimated number of suicides in the world in 2012. In the South-East Asia Region, the estimated suicide rate is the highest as compared to other WHO regions. Suicide rates show a peak among the young and the elderly.

The most suicide-prone countries were Guyana (44.2 per 100,000), followed by North and South Korea (38.5 and 28.9 respectively). Next came Sri Lanka (28.8), Lithuania (28.2), Suriname (27.8), Mozambique (27.4), Nepal and Tanzania (24.9 each), Burundi (23.1), India (21.1) and South Sudan (19.8).

WHO officials are absolutely right when they say that the report is a wake-up call for action to address a large public health problem that has been shrouded in taboo for far too long.

Early identification and management of mental and substance use disorders in communities and by health workers in particular will go a long way in tackling the serious problem.

India on Mars

cloud nine

Wednesday turned out to be a proud day for Indians and for right reasons. Scientists from the Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) managed to succeed where the US, Europe and Russia failed, by becoming the first country in the world to enter Mars' orbit in its debut attempt.

And, amazingly, it has been achieved with a meagre budget. At just $74 million, the mission cost is less than the estimated $100 million budget of the sci-fi blockbuster "Gravity."

It also represents just a fraction of the cost of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s $671 million Maven spacecraft, which successfully began orbiting the fourth planet from the sun on Sunday.

Of all the planets in the solar system, Mars has sparked the greatest human interest. The conditions in Mars are believed to be hospitable since the planet is similar to Earth in many ways.

For ages, humans have been speculating about life on Mars. However, the question that is to be still answered is whether Mars has a biosphere or ever had an environment in which life could have evolved and sustained.

The spacecraft — also called Mangalyaan, meaning "Mars craft" in Hindi — is chiefly meant to showcase the country's ability to design, plan, manage and operate a deep-space mission.

India has already conducted dozens of successful satellite launches, including sending up the Chandrayaan-1 lunar orbiter, which discovered key evidence of water on the Moon in 2008.

The social media was abuzz with news of the triumph, with many declaring "Mission accomplished" on Facebook and Twitter.

The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) traversed over 650 million kilometres through deep space for over nine months to successfully reach the planet's orbit.

Radars at the earth stations of NASA at Goldstone in the US, Madrid in Spain, Canberra in Australia and India's own deep space network at Baylalu near Bangalore received the radio signals from the Orbiter, confirming its insertion into the Mars orbit.

Five solar-powered instruments will gather data that will help determine how Martian weather systems work and what happened to the water that is believed to have once existed on Mars in large quantities.

It also will search Mars for methane, a key chemical in life processes on earth that could also come from geological processes.

The success of the Indian scientists proves that sky is the limit for achievers who have visionary zeal and committed goal. The achievement will surely go down as a landmark in space history.

Suspense ends,

unity prevails

It was a historic day that could have changed geography. Good sense prevailed and unity scored over division. Scottish voters have rejected independence in an extraordinary referendum.

In the process, they have prevented a rupture of a 307-year union with England.

Despite a surge in nationalist support in the final fortnight of the campaign, the "No" secured 55.30 per cent of the vote against 44.70 per cent for the pro-independence "Yes" camp.

The campaign remained intense and stoked political passions across the country prompting the highest ever turnout for an election in Britain at 84.6 per cent.

It became obvious that a majority of voters did not embrace Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond's impassioned plea to launch a new state, choosing instead the security offered by remaining in the United Kingdom.

A "delighted" British Prime Minister David Cameron has stated that a “Yes” vote would have broken his heart to see United Kingdom come to an end. A defeat in the referendum could well have cost him his job.

While the UK survived, it will soon look very different.

The British government must now deliver on promises made in the heat of the campaign to give more powers over tax, spending and welfare to the devolved government in Edinburgh.

Cameron has promised that he would offer all parts of the UK greater local control - heading off growing demands from right-wing Conservatives and the UK Independence Party (UKIP) for England to be given more powers.

Salmond has reminded Cameron of his promises: "Scotland will expect these to be honoured in rapid course."

In that context, Cameron clearly has some more sleepless days ahead.

It is not that the Scots have been voiceless in London. Cameron's predecessor was a Scot: Gordon Brown of the Labour Party, who served at No. 10 Downing Street for nearly three years and, before that, was the powerful finance minister for 10 years under Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Several other Scots held senior positions in Blair's governments, prompting one TV presenter to quip in 2005 that Britain was living under a "Scottish Raj."

Whatever the outcome of the exercise, Britain can be proud that it has set a perfect example of how to roll a peaceful democratic process.

Also, what will be highly consoling for Britain is that it can avoid a prolonged period of financial insecurity that had been predicted by many if Scotland broke away.

Dubai’s driverless

wonder on a roll

The driverless wonder on wheels, Dubai Metro, has captured the hearts millions of Dubai travellers. No surprise, when it celebrated its fifth anniversary on Tuesday, accolades poured in from varied sections of society.

It was on 9-9-9 that His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, opened the Red Line of the Dubai Metro, which stretches 52 km and covers 29 stations comprising 4 underground stations, 24 elevated stations, and one station at the grade.

Two years after the start of the operation of the Dubai Metro Red Line, namely on 9/9/2011, Sheikh Mohammed opened the Dubai Metro Green Line; which spans 23 km linking 18 stations including 6 underground stations, and 12 elevated stations.

Sheikh Mohammed, whose brainchild Dubai Metro is, envisaged the sophisticated facility to shape as the backbone of the transport system that connects various vital areas in the emirate and provide easy and safe mobility for passengers.

According to official statistics, the number of Dubai Metro Red Line users since the start of operation on 9/9/2009 until last August, soared to 333,661,032 riders. The number of riders has grown steadily, jumping from 38,887,718 riders in 2010 to 60,024,794 riders in 2011.

In 2013, it continued its upward trajectory to touch 88,886,539 riders, and in the first eight months of this year, the number of Red Line users climbed to 67,054,535 riders.

The total number of Green Line users, which was opened on 9/9/2011, until the end of last August, went up to the tune of 134,251,247 riders. The number of Green Line users in 2012 was about 37,577,000 riders, and shot even higher in 2013 to as many as 48,872,719 riders, whereas in the first eight months of this year the number has already touched 38,819,433 riders.

As Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Roads and Transport Authority, Mattar Al Tayer, rightly put it, Dubai Metro has added a beautiful new dimension to the landmarks and towering achievements of Dubai, especially as it uses the latest technology in the rail industry and is considered to be the longest driverless Metro line worldwide.

What is highly commendable is that over the past five years of operation, no single incident was reported about breaching the code or vandalising the facilities of the project. Besides, Dubai Metro has scored high marks on sticking to timetables and offering high-level safety standards.

Positive signals on Dubai

Expo 2020 preparations

The Dubai Expo 2020 Higher Committee meeting on Monday to discuss preparations for the first-of-its-kind mega event to be held in the Middle East North Africa and South Asia (MENASA) region has made it abundantly clear that arrangements are impeccably on track.

Just a week ago, heads of three major business establishments that propel Dubai’s economy, along with others, had vouched in an exclusive chat with this newspaper that preparations for Expo 2020 were well on track and that Dubai was heading to become “a centre of the world.”

“When you talk of Dubai, it is going to become a much bigger and happening place,” the top officials of Emirates Group, Dubai Duty Free and the Jumeirah Group had remarked.

On Nov.22 last year, Dubai was declared host of the World Expo 2020 in an announcement that was made in Paris.

Running October 2020 through April 2021 under the theme "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future,” the Expo will launch the country’s Golden Jubilee celebration and serve as a springboard from which to inaugurate a progressive and sustainable vision for the coming decades.

A cursory look at the figures involved leaves one amazed at the size of the event. The total investment in the infrastructures related to Expo is estimated at AED25 billion. It will generate around 277,000 new job opportunities in Dubai over the next seven years. Each new job opportunity will sustain other 50 jobs in the region. The event is expected to attract over 25 million visitors, 70% of those are coming from abroad.

That is not all. The Expo will inject more than AED140 billion in Dubai's GDP. It will enhance Dubai's trade and support its tourism development strategy targeting 20 million tourists. Interestingly, some of the facilities are multipurpose and will be re-used.

There are other positive indications too. Online recruitment activity in the hospitality and tourism sector rose 34 per cent year on year in the UAE, as a spate of new hotel construction ahead of the Expo creates demand for new workers, according to data from recruitment website, Monster.

As UAE Vice-President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum himself remarked after winning the Expo bid, Dubai will astonish the world in 2020. There is absolutely no doubt that the Expo will breathe new life into the ancient role of the Middle East as a melting pot for cultures and creativity.

UAE, Singapore share many similarities: Ambassador

DUBAI: The UAE and Singapore are collaborating in multifarious fields including trade, arts/culture and tourism. The UAE is now Singapore’s 10th largest trading partner and its largest in the Middle East.  Discussions on further strengthening the partnership are going on at the highest levels, according to Singapore’s first resident Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Umej Bhatia.
In an exclusive interview with The Gulf Today, on the sidelines of the Singapore National Day celebrations event held in Atlantis, Dubai on Friday, the ambassador said that tourism figures point to very strong people-to-people links between both countries.
Bhatia graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Double First Class Honours) in English Literature from the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom in 1995. In 2005, he obtained a Master of Arts in Regional Studies (Middle East) from Harvard University, US. He joined the Foreign Service in 1996 and has served in various capacities on issues covering Southeast Asia, Middle East and the United Nations in the Ministry’s headquarters.
Excerpts from the interview:
Which are the major sectors in which Singapore and the UAE can learn from each other and collaborate strongly? 
Singapore and the UAE share many similarities and there are so many learning points we can share with each other. We are both relatively small countries, but both are very outward-oriented and very well-plugged into the global network, not just trade-wise but politically as well.  Both countries have excellent infrastructure and offer safe, stable and secure environments for businesses to operate. 
Both are also superbly connected by air and sea to the rest of the world.  It is no surprise therefore that we both act as natural hubs for our respective regions, and there is so much to collaborate on to boost our hub-to-hub links.  Ultimately, this can only benefit our regions and the world.
Is there any joint panel or team that consistently works for mutual cooperation between the two countries, like the UAE and UK have? What are its present activities? 
Indeed there are.  The two most prominent ones are firstly the Singapore-UAE Joint Committee. Led by the Foreign Ministers of both countries, Singapore will in fact be hosting the inaugural meeting of this Joint Committee on 30-31 October, 2014.  The agreement on this was signed by the two Ministers when the Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs and Law, K Shanmugam, visited the UAE in May 2013.
This Joint Committee meeting will mark a new milestone in the already very robust bilateral relations, and we are confident that this platform will take our relations to an even higher plane.
Secondly, on the economic front, there is the Abu Dhabi-Singapore Joint Forum. Established in 2007, this Joint Forum has been hosted alternately by Abu Dhabi and Singapore.  It is co-chaired by Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority of Abu Dhabi and Lee Yi Shyan, Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and National Development.
The last meeting was hosted in Singapore in November 2013.  This is a unique forum for bringing together both senior government officials as well as senior business leaders.  The discussions focus on strengthening the economic links and identifying areas of collaboration and partnership.  This has benefitted the business communities of both sides.
About bilateral trade. Is the volume increasing? Any hiccups that need to be rectified? 
In 2013, bilateral trade increased by 9% to a value of about Dhs80 billion. The UAE is now Singapore’s 10th largest trading partner and its largest in the Middle East. As countries that act as trading hubs for their regions, both countries have invested a lot of resources into trade facilitation. Coupled with the stable and supportive business environment, both countries have enjoyed very smooth trading relations and with both regions growing, we foresee much more trade linkages in the years to come.  
Are the people-to-people links growing strongly? How much is the Singaporean population in the UAE? 
There are some 3,000 Singaporean citizens officially registered with the Singapore Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate-General in Dubai.  With many more travelling to the UAE for work and leisure, we estimate that there are probably 5,000 of us here at any moment. Some 55,000 visitors from the UAE visited Singapore last year. 
These figures point to the very strong people-to-people links between both countries.  This should not come as a surprise, given the excellent connections between the two countries and the similarities that we share as global and cosmopolitan countries.  Singaporeans feel very much at home here in the UAE, and vice versa.
Sharjah-based Barjeel Art Foundation and Singapore Art Museum had earlier teamed up for exhibitions. How strong are the cultural links?
This is indeed one growing area with much potential for increased collaboration.  As you mentioned, the Barjeel Art Foundation and the Singapore Art Museum had jointly worked on an exhibition in Singapore.  Entitled  “Terms and Conditions”, this event was held in Singapore from 28 June to 8 September 2013, and was very well-received. 
There were in fact many pieces that were exhibited outside of the UAE for the first time. This positive experience has paved the way for future collaboration between the cultural communities of both sides.  I cannot reveal details yet, but do watch out for another exciting exhibition being planned for next year, this time in the UAE. 
This will be another example of the burgeoning arts and cultural ties between both sides.  I would also note that in addition to all this, the Singaporean art community has always been a strong supporter of the annual Art Dubai. 
How about medical tourism from the UAE to Singapore? Any big names that recently made such a visit? 
Singapore is well-known for its very strong medical sector. We host many world-renowned medical practitioners and institutions, both home-grown and from abroad.  As you would appreciate, we do need to guard medical confidentialities, but we always welcome and try our best to facilitate the comfort and support needed for those who have need of medical treatment in Singapore.
Do you think Dubai and Singapore have similar architectural look?  
As global cities with very cosmopolitan populations, it is no surprise that the skyline of both cities are simply stunning.  Dubai of course has the world-renowned Burj Khalifa.  Singapore’s skyscrapers, while more modest in height, are also a big reason why Singapore is considered one of the best cities to work and live in. 
Indeed, just next week, the annual Formula 1 race will take place in Singapore. As the F1’s first night race, it is held against the dramatic backdrop of a cityscape that is lit up and shimmering.
Dubai of course has the luxury of having far more land to build on, but both cities share the similar challenge of ensuring that urban planning is carried out in a beautiful yet sustainable manner. This common challenge brings me back to my first point: Dubai and Singapore, and the UAE and Singapore in general, share so many similarities, and we can learn so much from each other.
Singapore is known as a highly disciplined and peaceful country. Do you see the Tamil riots last year as an aberration?
It was an incident that also showed us the necessity of being vigilant. We had a commission of inquiry to look into the incidents and lessons learnt. The key thing is to make sure that we move on and put in place whatever mechanism to address such issues.
We are forward looking. In the sense of how the issue was handled, our law enforcement agencies were very careful, not trigger-happy and highly disciplined. I give full credit to our law enforcement. There were lots of emotions and there was lot of restraint.
What were the post-riot measures?
After the incident, we implemented immediate measures, including not serving alcohol in that area. As part of long-term initiatives, law enforcement agencies are in closer touch with the community to pre-empt such incidents. This is a one-off incident unfortunately triggered by a very sad traffic accident.

Dubai on track to become ‘centre of the world’

(My article in The Gulf Today)

SHARJAH: Heads of three major business establishments that propel Dubai’s economy, along with others, have vouched that preparations for Expo 2020 are perfectly on track and Dubai is heading to become “a centre of the world.”
In an exclusive chat with The Gulf Today on the sidelines of “Supporting Irish Millennials” seminar organised by the Irish Business Network at the Atlantis Hotel on Saturday, Brendan Noonan, senior vice-president, learning and development, Emirates Group, Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice-Chairman of Dubai Duty Free and Gerald Lawless, president and chief executive officer of Jumeirah Group, also explained that Dubai has a strong Irish connection that gets strengthened by the day. Incidentally, all the three hail from Ireland.
“When you talk of Dubai, it is going to become a much bigger and happening place,” said Noonan.
“The Dubai World Central is already talked about internationally. The Al Maktoum International Airport, with its multiple runways, will be fantastic for operations.”
Asked about the ongoing preparations by the airline, he said, “We have a 10-year plan in terms of how we are going to fly, destinations and aircraft. We are in a very good position for 2020 and are very much involved in the whole process.”
He said that the Dubai government was doing a wonderful job, making sure everyone was aware of the progress. “A massive campaign has got everybody involved. Everyone who lives in Dubai is proud of it. At the end of the day, everybody is gearing up for the great event. In terms of infrastructure, hotels and airline, they are rapidly building up to meet those demands.”
In a specific mention about China, Noonan said there is lots of expansion in China. “It has a population of over a billion people and many have not travelled. With a strong economy, China also has a much bigger middle class and people want to see the world. What better place than Dubai?”
Colm McLoughlin concurs. What lies ahead for Dubai, in one word, is progress, he says. “Traffic to airport is increasing. There will be 95 million people by 2020. This year, 72 million passengers are projected to pass through the airport.”
“When I first came here over 30 years ago, there were only 300 or 400 Irish. But since that time, it has increased to 650,000 visas issued to Irish nationals. The Irish have a reputation of being honest and good workers. Now, there is an embassy opened in Abu Dhabi since 4 years and a UAE embassy functions in  Dublin. There are 700 UAE students in 3rd level education in Dublin. Several high-tech companies are exporting systems to the ME— it has grown rapidly in the last decade. That sort of sums up the Irish connection with Dubai,” he smiles.
Recounting history, McLoughlin says around 1845 a major famine led to shortage of food. Crops failed and one million people left Ireland and emigrated to America, Australia, South America etc. The Irish have traditionally been all over the world. Many US presidents have Irish descent. Even the present President Barack Obama visited his grandparents’ home in Ireland last summer. We are a travelling people. So the special connection with the UAE is not a surprise.”
“All announcements in Dubai are positive as the emirate is growing all the time. The city has fantastic infrastructure, good road system, Metro, 160,000 hotel rooms are coming up and there is lots of finance around. What more can one ask for?”
Lawless noted: “The Irish link in very easily. The Irish generally through history never colonised. The family values are a big thing in Ireland and that is a major connecting link with Emiratis, who hold family values as a treasure.”
Asked about preparations for Expo 2020, he said Dubai will achieve its potential. “It is not just 2020. Every organisation should reach its potential. We want to create a brand internationally out of Dubai and we are proud of the Dubai-based Arab brand internationally.”“There are a line of projects on the way and we are happy with the progress. We will announce more details in future months.”

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