We do little to help the authorities
I would like to share what I saw, which shows the true responsibility of a Dubai Police officer. I salute the officer who risked his own life to make sure that nothing happens to other people. I was travelling on Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road from Sharjah to Al Barsha, Dubai, when I noticed that the traffic had become a little slow after Mirdif. I assumed that there was an accident up ahead, which is why traffic movement had become slow. But I was surprised to see that a police vehicle had stopped in the middle track and a police officer was picking up a piece of tyre (perhaps a piece left on the road after a tyre burst). It was lying in the middle of the road. He risked his life by crossing the highway to get to the side of the road, to throw away the tyre. He was making sure that no accident occurs because of the tyre lying on the road. I salute the officer who was doing his job with the utmost responsibility. Such officers work with so much care and diligence, but it is we motorists who cause accidents by driving irresponsibly.
From Mr Ajeet Kumar S. Pillai
Dubai
Stand up to the tormentors
It’s a welcome move by the United Nations to nominate Nadia Murad as their Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking (‘From Daesh slave to UN goodwill envoy’, Gulf News, September 19). Murad is a 23-year-old Yazidi girl who was recently nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize after she escaped from a Daesh camp. The inhumane acts of terrorists have become more rampant. Has civil society started taking it as a fact of life? The dastardly acts of those in the Daesh camps against women should have evoked stronger responses from the world. Murad, who escaped from her tormentors, was bold enough to place the case before the world and it is for us to decide how to safeguard our sisters from being tortured. Yazidi or not, a woman has a right to live in this world without being enslaved and used as a commodity. For us to react, the religion to which the woman belongs should be the least of our concerns, and safety has to be the prime concern. No religion supports terrorism or encourages brutality and inhumane acts.
Let us all unite and voice our protest against these dreadful acts, which create serious physical and psychological impacts on victims, and let us work towards eradication of terrorism from this world. Let Murad’s courage be transformed and glow around the world, and give courage to all women who are subject to abuse, irrespective of boundaries. The world should unite for this cause.
From Mr Eappen Elias
Dubai
Suffering due to greed
Humans are a massive menace for the world’s biodiversity. It gave me huge relief upon reading that the giant pandas are no longer endangered. Tigers are presently endangered and are the next victims heading towards extinction. The tiger is one of the world’s big cats and as a majestic creature, with its distinctive orange and black stripes, the outrageous truth is that there are only about 3,000 alive today! More than 93 per cent of tiger habitats have been lost due to human expansion. We should put up anti-poaching campaigns and strictly ban the use of products made with tiger skin. Unless we act now, all of the world’s tigers will be extinct by 2022! Hailing from India, I strongly feel that our national animal must be preserved in areas of biological importance, to protect them from extinction. Giving them the right facilities will help restore the tiger ecosystem to the maximum extent as soon as possible. We should all do our best to save these living creatures and learn to live in harmony with them on this planet instead of endangering their existence to fulfil our greed.
From Ms Geethika Radhakrishnan
Dubai
More talent to come
It is really painful to know about the negative views of the former badminton player Vimal Kumar. He thinks it will be difficult for the India’s current crop of youngsters to match the level set by Saina Nehwal and P. V. Sindhu. I feel nothing is impossible in this world. A couple of years ago, Nehwal was the sole torch bearer of the Indian women’s badminton team and everyone felt there would be no match to Nehwal’s calibre. But Sindhu proved everyone wrong and went a notch ahead. So long as we have dedicated coaches like Prakash Padukone and Purella Gopichand, we can definitely produce more and more medal winners!
From Ms Kavitha Srikanth
Chennai, India
Where’s the sense?
I wonder why people don’t realise that by stealing someone else’s money, gold or property, they are stealing all the things that a person has worked hard for (‘Gang used toy gun, corrosive material in Dh702,000 heist’, Gulf News, September 19). It’s their hard-earned money! Doesn’t that weigh on a person’s conscience and don’t they know that hurting someone like this is a big sin? At the end of the day, shortcuts for earning money leads to destruction. Beware!
From Mr Kant Chander
Dubai
Facebook comment
Why the rumours?
I don’t understand where people come up with these things (‘Dubai Police debunk rumour about new cameras’, Gulf News, September 19). Do you know how impossible it is to make a camera that can do that? Unless a human watches every car that drives by, this is a very difficult machine to make.
From Mr Ahmad Kilo
Dubai
Facebook comment
Economic growth in India is spontaneous
The economic growth in India is more spontaneous than the outcome of initiatives taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government (‘An Indian growth story reliant on the government’, Gulf News, September 17). India is still a virgin market in many areas. Investment opportunities are vast, but have not yet harnessed its full potential. I feel that whatever the government is actually doing is detrimental to the developmental prospects of India. Bringing back the money stashed in tax havens was one of the pre-poll promises made by Modi. Now, the same government has legalised black money in the recent budget, in the form of voluntary disclosure of income.
Recently, we witnessed a total shut down of Bengaluru, India, the IT hub or Silicon Valley of India, on account of violent strikes by residents following a verdict by the Supreme Court. Imagine a situation like this. How are investments possible in a country where strikes and shut downs are part of the culture? India can boast about spiralling foreign exchange reserves and decreasing current account deficits. This conducive atmosphere is not because of the performance of the government, but because of external factors, such as availability of cheap oil. Wherever there is competition between public and private enterprises in similar sectors, we can see that public sectors are struggling for survival. Be it telecommunications, civil aviation, postal services or banking firms, we can see this disparity in the quality of service. But the Indian government is investing heavily in the welfare of government employees, caring for the rich and neglecting the poor. Though India is basically an agrarian economy, the importance of this priority sector has been reduced considerably over the years. Interlinking of rivers will boost the morale of farmers across India. This will address the problems related to flood and drought simultaneously.
‘Make in India’ is not going to make any difference because progress is impossible without change.
From Mr Girish R. Edathitta
Dubai
This isn’t love
When you get married, you marry because you love that person (‘Pakistani woman, boyfriend hanged for ‘extra-marital affair’, Gulf News, September 16). If he or she has a relationship with someone else, I personally would still not change my love for my spouse. I would only be sad and disappointed. I could not bear to lay a hand on my wife, because I love her. How do these people carry out these so-called honour killings?
From Mr Shan Balasooriya
Auckland, New Zealand
Facebook comment
Where’s the honour?
There is no honour in murder. Sometimes, I doubt whether people have basic moral and ethical values. How can they talk about honour?
From Ms Fatima S. Dhanani
UAE
Facebook comment
Raising concerns
I don’t know why people don’t understand, there is no honour in murder. Murder is murder. I’m glad that Gulf News raises these concerns. I would be happy for the newspaper to show concern for all countries that are struggling with the issue of honour killings.
From Mr Mohammad Omar Khan
UAE
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