FNC members' resolve as strong as ever on council's 46th anniversary

On the 46th anniversary of its formation, members of the Federal National Council are not patting themselves on the back, rather continuing to protect the interests of the country’s citizens.

Issues from health to education, salaries and security have always topped their agendas and while the council has evolved with time, the members’ resolve has yet dwindled.

“I always look if the elements of a citizen’s personal life-plan are complete: family, salary, residence, job – are all those things stable in his life?” asked Ras Al Khaimah member Salem Al Shehhi.

The issue he has turned his attention to is whether an Emirati’s income is compatible with inflation and increasing cost of living.

“Debts are very stressful; how can we unburden the people of their debts?

“The government sometimes differs with us as they have their own plans, but we raise these points over and over, because the people need legislative decisions to run their matters,” he said.

The biggest concerns relayed to him by locals are salaries, education and health.

"There is a big fraction of society who are retirees or benefactors of social pensions, or even working, but their income does not cover their living costs."
He gave the example of a widow who receives Dh5,000 from social affairs, but must pay her house maid Dh2,000 and her nurse another Dh2,000, "and she has to provide food and drinks - the five thousand has already run out."

Mr Al Shehhi has been vocal about education over the past three years, particularly when the minister failed to attend council despite being repeatedly summoned. The Minister of Education, Hussein Al Hammadi, ended up attending the FNC in December 2016.

Mr Al Shehhi said he was concerned about the new curricula that were suddenly introduced and led to many pupils failing.

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“If you want to establish a [high level education] vision for the UAE, OK fine, but that does not lean you have to do it in the form of jumps,” he said.

“Where is the evaluation that follows each phase?”

Hamad Al Rahoomi, a Dubai member of the council, said he too has many issues he wishes to put forward.

“One of them is how to protect palm trees against weevil, because we know the problems it creates.”

He said this came down to unregulated trade and incorrect transfer methods.

“I also need answers [from the government] on the following: how can we control inflation? Do we have any control over prices? Is there anyone regulating prices offered to different people? Raising and dropping prices is based on what?”

All of this, he said, has a cause-effect relationship with fees.

“When you impose fees on a producer, he will automatically raise the prices of products. Is this allowed?”

In general, he said ministers have been co-operative with answering the council’s queries as of late. In the past, members have complained about the lack of updated data from the government ahead of debating a topic.

“We have raised this issue more than once, and now we are seeing better cooperation,” Mr Al Rahoomi said.

He pointed to the FNC's most recent session which involved a long-awaited debate on the Central Bank's policy.

Central Bank governor Mubarak Al Mansouri presented thorough details and figures on the latest updates.

“I see this as a positive sign,” he said, but suggested that the information be distributed to members a week ahead of the session.

“So when we debate, we are on the same page.

“If for example I received information saying Emiratisation has reached 30 per cent, and then the minister says during the session no it has been raised to 50 per cent, this doesn’t work – there must be an update ahead of time.”

Mr Al Rahoomi said his greatest accomplishment at the council so far was when the government put his good conduct certificate proposition into action.

He proposed that foreign workers should present a good conduct certificate from their countries of origin or residence, prior to being accepted for work in the UAE.

This will ensure that criminals do not enter the country to work and threaten its public security, and it will save the government a great deal on policing and judicial costs, he said.

This was translated into a cabinet decree which came into effect on February 4.

Company profile

Date started: January, 2014

Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe

Based: Dubai

Sector: Education technology

Size: Five employees

Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.

Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)

The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

Milestones on the road to union

1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.

July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.

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