WANT A BETTER FNC? VOTE FOR NASSER!
07.09.11 / High on emirates / 11 Comments
Dear future Federal National Council members, if you are anything like some of our ex members, I highly recommend you a quick fix, attitude lift up , hmm maybe try pills for effective communication skills. Seriously you have up to what, Dhs 2.mil to spend on your campaigns? Some of you should have better considered a pre fix plan before actually thinking of any FNC seat. Although the seat will not grant you any legislative or executive authority, being a member in the UAE FNC is one huge honorable responsibility.
Oh boy, the toughest job that any would ever want to take on NOW is representing people. People in our region no longer need to hit mental puberty to talk rights, issues or politics. So average citizens let’s bring it on, roll and let’s talk candidates. 2011 Federal National Council candidates have a very interesting mix of profiles. With full honesty, I find the entry criterion very modest. Competing candidates are coming in different sizes and hold different backgrounds, from fashion designers, media personalities to WEF-Davos speakers. That’s what I call the X Factor, bless!
Some candidates like Mr. Nasser H. Al Shaikh (@NAlShaikh) are pretty much known and sincerely respected among nationals. But some big chunk of candidates are less or not even known. In the case of such an ambiguity, I believe candidates’ profiles (not 5 lines CVs please) should be accessible by voters and non-voters for fair judgment. Also it might be too late, but I think it would make more sense to have a tougher criteria for entry that is purely based on concrete social milestones that have contributed to the UAE society. I’m not cheering for neck-to-neck profiles, but in the future I hope to see profiles with similar grounds and not necessary weight. Let’s hope I’ll campaign by then AMEN, but for now I vote for (@NAlShaikh). http://www.nasseralshaikh.com/en/index.html
Mr. Nasser Al Shaikh - Candidate 502 - Dubai
Some of the FNC candidates have definitely asked for hell. Why? I’ll tell you why, but first allow me to fire out few advantages that some of the winners will throw a new-year eve party for: 1. Lifetime social status starts with your Excellency, 2. Diplomatic passport, is that inclusive of their families? , 3. Monthly allowance that reaches up to Dhs 48K, and finally 4. Representing the UAE in high profile national & international platforms. Ironically some raw candidates have already declared that they aren’t interested in any of the above benefits. I’m questioning the integrity of such statements. Who doesn’t want to be rewarded? But I’ll still be generous and give all candidates the benefit of the doubt.
Like dozens of Emaraties, I’m very keen to know what candidates have done so far to support the UAE society, such as social work or initiatives like setting up nonprofit entities to support whatever they’re claiming to support on their agendas. Who needs a seat or title to make change in a very visionary and supportive country like ours? The UAE government is very receptive and supports progress. People, for the love of the UAE capitalize on such a blessing and innovate! “Winners should be trusted, inspirational and implementer leaders”, said Amina Taher (@AminaTaher).
Let me tell you, its fun to observe how some candidates are overtaking media channels to secure votes, such as street-poles, newspapers, etc. Some have even realized the power of social media and started building ties with all nationals across the 7 dear emirates. Well, regardless of the mean or channel, I encourage winners to hold to their promises and not change their phone numbers once they get the golden entry ticket and fancy title.
The FNC future members might not enjoy any legislative authority, but with the right framework anything is possible. Every future member should have at the least 5 days open-majlis to hear what people, women and men, have to say. If you’re a candidate you might need to start writing now, Mohd Al Mansoori (@AlMansooriMohd) is wishing for more flexible access – visa free – to major countries. Yes, his request might be a tough one but he has a point so pass it on. My fellow Ayesha Al Mazroui , a local future journalist (@AyeshaAlMazroui) is dreaming about an era with no media constraints, freedom. Its happening, now.
Every UAE national has a different wish list, but all the above wishes have one common theme, PROGRESS. I ask future members to focus on people and leave any hidden personal agendas aside. It will be one of the two, winners will be either guilty of shame or guilty of fame. Be good to the seat and earn your fame. We are watching you!
Are you a UAE national ? Use my comments space and share your wishlist .. Who says the sky is the limit?
All the best to Nasser and the other candidates.
even if the subject doesn’t interest me ..ur style is indeed grabbing my attention. super thanks for the enlightenment.
Enlightening post indeed. Great suggestions as well.
I agree with you- the people have a wishlist, and we generally want to be HEARD and for our suggestions to be CONSIDERED. Sure, they don’t have the complete authority, but they have the two-way influence- from people to the higher authorities.
Overall, great post!
Very Well written…
Good luck for all candidates…
الامتيازات التي سيحصل عليها الفائزين يجب ان لا تكون غايه واتمنى ان يكون لهم دور أقوى من دور المجلس السابق.. نفتقر الى المعلومات الكافية عن المرشحين خاصه مساهماتهم في المجتمع. أوفقج الرأي انه يجب ان يكون الهدف الاول هو المجتمع وليس الوصول الى القبه الزرقاء @bahyanalameri
Thanks for your note. As mentioned between the lines, candidates should have a good track record and not just be a known figure through events and more.All the best for the right candidates as we want to prove that this democratic move will make changes.
I’m glad you’ve brought this subject up , it’s a touchy subject and not so many would or could talk about it due i totally support(Mr. Nasser Al Shaikh – Candidate 502 – Dubai ) he is a well known socitey ICON
P.s : As usual you have never failed to impress me with you creative and unique writting style , everytime i read your blogs i feel the hunger to read more and more due to the unique lay down of the ideas !
well done and keep up the good work .
Nothing surprising, as always great post!
As for the topic at hand, I personally have my own thoughts on the topic, which I will keep to my self. Generally speaking, Candidates should first and formost understand the purpose of the FNC, and by doing so they should also understand what are their parameters as a member of FNC. It is noticeable that many candidates promise voters things that do not fall into their jurisdiction: a recipe to failure.
As for my preferences, I will keep that to my self, since, at the end, those candidates must earn my vote, and so far… well… its not going any where. Nevertheless, all the best to all, and a reminder to those who think FNC needs more powers, well they have a very, very tough benchmark to meet.
Very nice blog and very well written..
I’m yet to be impressed by what has happened with the elections.. let’s see….
Shame about Nasser.. some winners were complete unknowns.. like Ahli for instance..