Dubai is Built on Dreams

THE foreign media has long been shouting about labour treatment in Dubai unaware of the ground realities. For them Dubai is buit on slavery. I wish they could see the broader picture, one that goes beyond the boundaries of UAE.

There's always a give and take whenever money is involved. Dubai for long had the most easy entry possible for those coming from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. So you get to see people from all segments coming to Dubai for a living. And how well Dubai has rewarded these people only they can tell. People working as drivers, gardeners, plumbers, construction-site labourers, etc, have made life easy for their families back home. Remember some of these people can't even speak a word of English and may not have even gone beyond their state in their respective countries.

If they are supposedly made slaves then why are they coming back. Surely people have stories to tell. The truth is everybody wants a good life.

Dubai is built on dreams and that's how I see the whole thing. For those in any doubt speak to the labours who have worked here and made money for a better life back home.

Media Bias Towards Dubai

THE ongoing Dubai crisis has once again highlighted the biased mindset of some foreign media. How else can one justify the following-

“It has absolutely destroyed confidence. Who will do business with Dubai now?” said Christopher Davidson, an expert on Gulf economics at the University of Durham. “Sheikh Mohammed was hinting for years about a full sovereign guarantee behind these developers.

"It will be very difficult for Sheik Mohammed to survive this one," said Christopher Davidson, an expert in Gulf affairs at Britain's Durham University and author of two books on the Emirates. He said Mohammed misled investors by giving them the impression he had money to back his plans."---AP, 4th Dec 2009 ("Dubai ruler's ambition helped sow seeds of crisis.")

“The international financial community, and I know this to be the case in London, won’t do business with Dubai again,” he said. It’s a really devastating scenario.”---Times Online, 5th dec 2009 (Extract taken from the article "Confidence will never retutrn in Dubai.")

"If Dubai were a film trilogy, the first would be called “Riddle of the Sands” and the second “From al-Bling to al-Broke”. The third, “Just Deserts”, looks set to run and run." ---Times Online, 6th Dec 2009 ("Dubai keeps its head in the sand.")

"With such leadership in place, can the UAE remain strong? It is more than likely Abu Dhabi doesn’t think so and will encourage change. In that case, and if as a result Dubai can be brought more fully into the fold, then its financial implosion could represent a golden opportunity for Sheikh Zayed’s dream of a solid, cohesive federation finally to be realised."---Faxts.com, 5th Dec 2009 ("Dubai and Abu Dhabi: implosion and opportunity")

It seems both funny and hard to digest that banks, as big as RBS (the UK government owns a claiming stake of 70% in the bank) and HSBC (UK's largest bank by market capitalization), were so naive in lending such big amounts without any security or guarantee.

Everybody was making money when the desert sun was shining brightly. And all hell broke loose with one announcement about a delay (not a write-off) in payment. As for the British press it got another opportunity, post the property slump, to go after Dubai.

Much of this is understandable as Dubai with its vision managed to lure investors to a desert without oil. Investors who could have very well gone to more established and mature markets.

The Metro Comes to Dubai

TOMORROW Dubai would take another giant leap with the opening of the Dubai Metro. The world's second longest fully automated rail service may finally resolve Dubai traffic woes during peak hours. For the visitors to Dubai it would be a smooth and fun ride.

More than anything else the Metro will give the Dubai residents a chance to admire their city from some new windows. The view from the Sheikh Zayed track would be definitely exciting!

The five-car trains are designed to carry around 650 passengers. In addition the trains will have three classes viz., Gold, Women and Children, and Silver. The average speed of the trains will be around 45 kmph.

Safety is of prime importance in such projects and Dubai Metro is no exception. It's designed to meet international safety standards. Some 3000 CCTV cameras are installed at stations and inside the trains to ensure safety of the passengers.

City of Cranes

A 2006 report in Gulf News said that Dubai has some 30,000 construction cranes, which is 24 per cent of the world's total. I wonder what would be the new figures given the maddening pace of construction in this part of the world.

Almost every immigrant in Dubai has a story to share, ranging from, "dry bushes beyond the Trade Centre on the Sheikh Zayed road" to "a handfull of restaurants in the city." Mind you all these stories are coming from people who have been in Dubai for not more than 15 years. This speaks a lot about the development of this port city. Dubai is increasingly finding favours with the business community around the world.

But everything comes at a price! The population too is on the rise and seems to be directionaly proportional to the cranes in the city. I heard on the radio some time back that 800 new residents are settling down in Dubai every day. No wonder the land prices and rentals are skyrocketing. What surprises me is that inspite of having so many hotels, there are times when it's hard to find a decent room for guests. As for the traffic here, the lesser said the better. It took me 3 hours once to reach Ajman from my place in Springs. In the name of construction, either the roads are digged open and so closed for the public or there are diversions because of flyovers coming up.

But, inspite of all these problems it's a beautiful city. No wonder some 200 nationalities are living here peacefully. The sheikhs have a vision and they are surely moving (or rather running) towards it. So until the goal is met the cranes will adorn the skyline of Dubai.