UAE should be more than just a port of call

http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/09/05/24/10316262.html
05/24/2009 12:13 AM | By Mishaal Al Gergawi, Special to Gulf News

Menudo is a Puerto Rican band that was founded in the late 1970s. The band came about after a producer enjoyed success with the management of a Spanish teen group called La Pandilla from 1973-1976. He returned to Puerto Rico with the intention of forming a new boy band in which the members would be replaced as they grew older. He resolved that the group's members would have to make way when they reached the age of 16, their voices changed, they grew facial hair, or grew too tall. In a sense, this is a brand rather than a band. Its product is flexible but its message remains the same; this is a marketer's dream.

So why am I talking about Menudo? Well, because the UAE's business model is very similar to that of the band. The UAE basically tells you that you are welcome to come here and give it your best shot, build yourself a life, get a good job, start a business, make Dh10 million, find a partner, buy a house and have children - but leave at 60.

This rule was drafted a long time ago. The times have changed and the UAE no longer aims to make money by simply re-exporting goods. We are now a self-proclaimed centre for a region that stretches to Central Asia and West Africa. We are undergoing a testing transformation from commercial centre to civil society and, most importantly, we aim to become a home as opposed to a transient state. We have great expectations indeed. But however great they may be, we must not shy away from them. We must not be hindered by archaic rules and regulations that were drafted for different times, different demographics and certainly different ambitions.

A friend of mine lost one of his newborn children when his wife went into premature labour. He buried his son in the UAE, but had to renew his annual visa three months later. He tells me this and I think to myself, we'll take their dead but not the living? This must be the result of a typo in the fine print, right? No, this is the status quo.

I am writing this article in sweat pants and a white T-shirt that bears the image of Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the late ruler and founder of the UAE. The T-shirt was created by Munabu Ozawa, a 36-year-old Japanese graphic designer who has been living in Dubai for six years now. While he's a self-confessed admirer of the UAE and its culture, he is not specifically interested in becoming an Emirati; he is a Japanese man who has found a home - and like-minded people - in Dubai. Should Ozawa choose to stay in the country and retire here - provided he can prove he has the funds - then I believe he should be able to do so.

This is what makes the UAE beautiful, and just because we've had significant growth over the last 10 years does not mean that our doors should be closed at some point. This will only attract opportunists who do not have a vested interest in the country and its sustainable development.

My friend trusted our country with his son and I believe we should trust him a little more and allow him more security with respect to his retirement plans.

- Mishaal Al Gergawi is an Emirati commentator on socio-economic and cultural affairs in the UAE.