Abu Dhabi: Members of the Federal National Council (FNC) should discharge their duties very diligently, sincerely and with transparency, said His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
He made these remarks during his opening speech at the inaugural session of the third Ordinary Session of the 16th Legislative Chapter of the FNC on Wednesday.
Shaikh Mohammad, while speaking on behalf of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, also pledged that the government will spare no efforts to facilitate the council’s work and remove any obstacle from its way.
Wishing the FNC members best of luck in serving the homeland and people, Shaikh Mohammad called on them to be committed to their national duty and serve their country and their community.
Shaikh Mohammad also said on his twitter account he was proud of the country’s parliamentary experience.
“We are proud of our parliamentary experience and the people’s participation in decision-making,” Shaikh Mohammad said.
He added “our parliamentary experience is the foundation of our development”, urging officials and people to work together as “this is the only way to achieve ambitions of our nation”.
The opening ceremony was held in the presence of Crown Princes and Deputy Rulers, ministers, diplomats, and senior civil and military officials.
Earlier, Shaikh Khalifa issued a federal decree convening the Ordinary Session of the 16th Legislative Chapter of the FNC.
Shortly before noon, Shaikh Mohammad arrived and was greeted by a guard of honour.
After the recital from the Quran, Shaikh Mohammad officially opened the council by seeking Allah’s blessings and praying to Him to “aid us in establishing what is in the good of the nation and the citizens”.
Ten committees and an ad-hoc committee to respond to the President’s speech will be elected later.
During this session, the House will review a number of draft laws including 2016 closing accounts, safety of products and certificates of origin or documents used in international trade.
Since the beginning of this legislative chapter on November 18, 2015, the House has passed 32 draft laws and adopted 123 motions during the debate on 10 issues addressing education, scientific research, environment, justice, transport and services delivered to the public. Members of the House have also raised 102 questions to ministers concerning various sectors.
FNC’s structure
The FNC is one of the UAE’s five federal authorities, as established by the Constitution. Its first session was opened on December 2, 1972. The FNC’s official mandate is to provide for public debate of legislation. The FNC discusses proposals and plans of various federal ministries, entities and public institutions.
There are 40 members of the FNC, apportioned among the UAE’s seven emirates, with eight seats each for Abu Dhabi and Dubai, six seats each for Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah and four seats each for Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah.
Since 2006, half of the FNC members have been elected to serve four-year terms. The other half of the body comprises officials who have been appointed by the Rulers’ Courts of the UAE’s seven emirates.
