Although Ali Al Nuaimi was taken by surprise at his appointment to the FNC, he has been fully committed to his role.
In the past three years, Mr Al Nuaimi has quickly become one of the council’s strongest members.
His firm voice can be heard echoing in the council chambers in almost every session and he can be seen raising his hand several times to request to speak.
He has directed more than a dozen questions to the Government and has helped shape the future of the country’s economy through proposed law amendments and policies.
As the rapporteur of the Financial and Economic Committee, he has had his work cut out for the past few years with amending a number of bills from the Ministry of Finance, including the commercial companies law and the small and medium enterprises law.
He has questioned ministries about debt issues, travel, pensions, Islamic bank systems and loans.
With his vast experience, he has on occasion put ministers in tight spots, pointing out technical issues that only a person with his skills would know.
His questioning also led to Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak, the new Minister of Higher Education, to announce that 2018 would be the first year that foundation year federal universities would be scrapped.
Mr Al Nuaimi has been active in debates relating to the country’s education system.
This year he asked the Minister of Education about curriculums in private schools and teaching the history of the country to Emiratis and expatriates.
Mr Al Nuaimi also heads a temporary committee to study how the Ministry of Social Affairs was keeping check on cooperative societies and ensuring they provided the best food prices – one of his many efforts to ensure better customer service in the country.
osalem@thenational.ae
