-Dr. Rahul Kumar, PhD
Since centuries, the royal family and its members have displayed a “Spirit of Tolerance” and practice this ideal candidly to welcome ethnic nationalities to UAE. A proverb, ‘Action speaks louder than words’, suffice the vision and empathy of the royal family of UAE. In pursuant to this farsightedness and compassion, the royal family of UAE gave permission to build a Hindu temple in Dubai- a tourist hub, shows that the royal family of UAE and their family members are open-minded, liberal, accommodating. It also shows that the people of India irrespective of religious affiliations are free in UAE to practice their religion without hindrance. To facilitate Indian expatriates` community in UAE, Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) included Hindi as the third official language used in its courts, alongside Arabic and English.
United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a home to two million Indians who migrate to work in different industries including construction, food and beverages, retail(non-food) teaching, office –work, aviation, hotels, tourism, auto-motive, shipping and real estate. Abu Dhabi headquartered LULU group, biggest Indian conglomerate in the Gulf Region has donated 25 crores to the PM care fund and 10 crore to Kerala to combat Coronavirus. Yusuf Ali, Chairman of LULU group has also promised to help more.
UAE –India relations has transformed from a buyer-seller relationship. The golden era of UAE-India relations are based on the concept of “ONE FAMILY”. Having historic and cultural friendly relationship, the leaders of both countries regularly interact and discuss mutual interests for the benefit of humanity.
Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi spoke on telephone with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. HH the Crown Prince assured Prime Minister about the welfare of 2 million Indians living in UAE and contributing to its economy. Prime Minister thanked the Crown Prince for his personal attention to the health and safety of Indian expatriates in the present situation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi must ensure that this relationship of “One Family” should not be spoiled by a few racists, eccentrics, hidebound, hate-mongers belonging to his own political party (BJP) through social media platforms.
At diplomatic level, both the countries are communicating to each other and ensure to provide the best medical help to all those who are stranded in UAE and India. India, on its part, has been allowing cargo flights for carrying food items including fruits and vegetables to the Gulf. India has supplied Hydoxychloroquine drug to UAE on request.
In the fight against the pandemic of Coronavirus, the UAE Central Bank announced a $27.3 billion stimulus package on March 14, while financial institutions are adopting measures such as rescheduling of loans and reductions in fees and commissions. Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Shiekh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan said on Twitter, UAE authorities would support the economy by easing investment laws and regulations. He said there would be no interruptions on approved capital expenditure and development projects in the emirate.
There is a long list of creditable world institutions and Hollywood celebrities who are praising UAE government and royal family for tackling efficiently the pandemic of Coronavirus. A few are discussed in this article.
Emirati company group 42(G42) has been talking the outbreak head-on. This Emirati Company is to leverage existing artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing technology to prevent the virus from spreading and to ensure medical supplies reach the areas where they are most needed. World Health Organization (WHO) praised the UAE`s handling of the crisis. The Official statement by WHO goes as, “What we have seen from the United Arab Emirates is a tremendous response [to the virus].Global Response to Infectious Diseases (GRID) has ranked UAE among the top 10 countries with the best leadership response in the time of the global Covid-19 crisis.
Veteran TV host, comedian and businessman Steve Harvey praised the United Arab Emirates government`s response for its preparedness to the coronavirus pandemic outbreak. He said, “UAE is the safest place in the world”.
The government of UAE is not only handling efficiently the rising numbers of Covid-19 patients with qualified doctors and nurses and modern medical equipments including blood Plasma treatment but also organizing charter flights to send citizens of other countries back to their respective country. UK government has already received UK nationals back. On this generosity, James cleverly, British Middle East Minister tweeted, “The UK and UAE have come together to tackle the global challenges posed by Coronavirus, shows the strength of friendship “and thanked wholeheartedly H.E. Dr. Anwar Mohammed Gargash, UAE Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Dubai is the first city in UAE that has welcomed 13 foreign cruise ships that were at sea while most countries closed their ports because of the coronavirus pandemic. Mohammed Al Mannai, executive director of Port Rashid said, “We have welcomed all boats that found themselves in the region, whether they were based in the Emirates or passing through. According to him, “the empty cruise liners are still docked in Dubai, where they could remain until October”.
After lockdown in almost in every country of the world. Media reports confirm that people confined in four walls of the house are subjected to various kinds of psychology pressure and suffer mental health. UAE is the first country in the world that launched @Happy UAE- The national Campaign for mental support is an online initiative, consisting of three key components(Let us support together; Let us reassure together; Let us talk together) provided to the community in partnership with over 50 experts and mental health professionals.
On educational front, during the pandemic, it is the students who are suffering the most; their studies have been negatively affected. Dr Amna Al Dhahak, the UAE Ministry of Education’s assistant under-secretary for school activities affairs said more than 168,000 students have started to benefit from the distance education system pilot programme, while 23,000 students from the Higher Colleges of Technology, Zayed University and the UAE University, completed the experimental programme.
In order to show solidarity to the world, a number of prominent landmarks in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, including Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, ADNOC Headquarters, Abu Dhabi Global Market, Emirates Palace, Khalifa University and the Sheikh Zayed Bridge, lit up with the Swiss flag. Having observed the achievements of UAE government in tackling the pandemic of Coronavirus- it deserves a standing ovation with huge applause from the people of the world.
Dr. Rahul Kumar, PhD, is an independent researcher and senior media columnist. His research & writing interest extends to macro social, economic, political & international affairs. The views expressed by the author in this article are personal and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the paper.
