Month: September 2013

22/09/2013

Some people look at the ID card as an addition to their swollen wallet or card book. They forget, however, that the ID card is the most important method to prove their identity and protect their data against any misuse, and thus they have to keep their ID cards safe, update any changes to their data and instantly report in case of loss. Those people need to think about the great efforts that are concerted in order to provide them with their ID cards within a broader national strategic vision aimed at enhancing security, stability and prosperity of the country for everyone to enjoy safety wellbeing and welfare.

I’m writing these words while reading details of a court case about a card fraud and identity theft crime published recently in the local media. The story started when two expatriates found an ID card pertaining to European man, and instead of handing it to the nearest center of the Emirates Identity Authority or police station, they kept it and somehow were able to obtain a credit card using it. Then they purchased expensive mobile phones to resell them for lesser prices.

Such cases uncovers banks’ mania to issue credit cards without considering the simplest rules in this respect; which is verification of the identity of those who wish to obtain their facilities. In the past, banks used to follow strict rules in dealing with such aspects, but apparently the strong competition in the market and the desire to attract more customers made them forget the basic operational rules, particularly spreading and boosting trust between both parties involved in the transaction and maintaining the reputation and credibility of the bank. What happened also shows the carelessness of many people about their identity documents and inattention to the misuse of their data by unauthorized people through unsafe methods.

In spite of regular warnings by police departments in this regard, we see many greedy victims easily falling in the hands of professional gangs. Upon receiving a phone call or an email congratulating for winning a million US dollars or alleged inheritance of millions of dollars form the last Central African emperor, you find these victims hastily providing their personal data which will be used by the criminal groups; and the dreaming victims will be surprised having lost all their monies or that their names were used in thefts happened in places that they have never been to. Perhaps the latest data theft case was the one unveiled by Dubai police last Wednesday after which Dubai Police launched new warnings about new fraud and theft methods invented by those gangs. One of the methods is that they offer people to pay their utility bills or traffic fines for half of their values. Another criminal group whose members were arrested yesterday have taken around Dhs. 16 million through credit cards fraud and data theft.

It pays to remind the public that ignorance of laws and consequences of dealing with swindlers and scammers doesn’t free anyone from shouldering the responsibility, particularly in matters relating to paying for government services and many other cases where victims would be ready to partner with such criminals in order to get rich quickly through illegal means.

Today, e-crimes have become a reality in a world which is expanding towards smart applications and e-solutions which are based on personal data, a matter that calls for the highest degrees of alertness. After all; it is not just a card!

10/09/2013

According to Ipsos MORI’s “Top Cities” survey results, Abu Dhabi has been voted the 2^nd world’s best city for business thereby beating many global business centers such as: Hong Kong, Tokyo and London. The survey results also ranked Abu Dhabi as the 4^th world’s favorite city winning over the Australian city, Sydney. Ipsos Mori’s global survey covered 48 main cities from around the world competing in the domains of performance, quality and business attraction.

Those results reveal many facts. They reflect, in the first place, the high professional efforts that the UAE prudent leadership exerts in order to achieve such prestigious level in the global competitiveness in terms of service quality, business and sustainable development.

In the second place, the results show that the continuous development and advancement of the Capital Abu Dhabi are evidences of UAE leadership’s clear plan, insightful vision and consistent methodology in areas like development, performance and competitiveness, which in turn helped achieving global competitive positions among the biggest and most renowned business cities in Europe and Asia.

The third fact is that excellence in hosting businesses reflects success in meeting its various requirements; such as: high quality infrastructure, streamlined business practices, law prevalence, security of investments and stability in general, which constitute vital elements in attracting businesses and investments.

This year, UAE had been ranked the best in the world in government efficiency and achieved the highest growth percentage in competitiveness where it ranked the 8^th worldwide. Further, it was ranked the 4^th in “Economic Performance”, the 1^st in “Social Cohesion” and “Attitudes and Values”, the 5^th in “Employment” and the 6^th in “Management Practices”. Additionally, the UAE has made progress in 19 different indicators to rank in the top-10 most competitive nations in the world.

These rankings came in the Global Competitiveness Yearbook 2013 issued by Switzerland’s International Institute of Management Development. The book is one of the most important global reports aimed to measure competitiveness of countries worldwide.

These solid achievements confirm and recall the statement of H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President, may Allah protect him, who said: “we have succeeded to enter the 3^rd millennium with more self-confidence and more ability and willingness to positively interact with the global developments, particularly the new global economic system, the revolution in information and communication technology and the openness of markets”.

The achievements also come as an endorsement to the statement of H.H. General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of Armed Forces, who said: “We have big ambitions to realize leading national achievements.. Our country has successfully managed to accomplish great achievements that impressed the world and won its appreciation. Those achievements were marked with the success of the UAE in making a quantum leap on all levels far ahead its lifetime”, stressing that the UAE vision under the leadership of H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President, is being materialized in steady wide steps ahead.

02/09/2013

The great value of the Arabic language comes from its being the language of the holy Quran and Sunnah. It is the core of Islam and constitutes a part and parcel of it. What gives Arabic a greater importance is that it is the first pillar of thinking because it is considered a pool of knowledge and the main method of communication between all Muslims.

The Holy Quran which Allah revealed in Arabic is considered the greatest miracle of thinking and science. That’s why Arabic has acquired an intrinsic value in the lives of both Arab and Muslim nations. Through Arabic, Arabs and Muslims come close and orchestrate. Arabic is the cultural fortress that protects the nation and its integrity.

Any researcher can discover to what extent this language is connected to the history of this nation and that this connection is a unbreakable, a matter which urged me to write these lines as a reminder of the importance of our Arabic language and its role in our lives whether in the past, the present or the future.

Arabic is one of the Semite broadest languages in terms of the number of Arabic speaking population which exceeds 422 million people. It is widespread globally because Arabs and Arabic speakers are spread all over the world.

When we talk about Arabic and its importance, we must recall the words of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, may Allah protect him, who emphasized on different occasions that “Arabic is a language that we live and it expresses our various conditions.. It is not a perished past nor a history that doesn’t fit our present”, stressing that preserving it is a national, religious and moral responsibility that we should shoulder. H.H. noted in his statements and directives to the government entities that the UAE vision 2021 is aimed at making our country a prominent center of excellence for the Arabic language. This giving country has taken the responsibility to preserve and support the Arabic language urging its people to take care of it and continue their excellence and success in all fields related to it. Preserving the Arabic language and protecting it is an evidence of culture and taste.

Taking care of the Arabic language, protecting it and rooting its love in the hearts of young people is a responsibility of every family, organization, entity and society in general so as to prevent its erosion and to maintain it as a first language for all Emiratis.

Love and pride of the Arabic language will not stop any individual from learning about other cultures and languages. Education is a critical element of modern life; however, it doesn’t mean ignoring our mother tongue because it represents the Arab Nation’s wealth of heritage and the bright future of Arabs. Hence, preserving it is not only an educational task, but it is a moral cause and a noble mission.

Here is a call on all Emirates ID’s employees to use the Arabic language to communicate with each other whether in speech or writing for the benefit of everyone and in order to keep the Authority as an example for all entities as usual.

 

I will always have love, pride and belonging to my Arabic language.

01/09/2013

The Emirates Identity Authority offers a wide range of services to its customers from registration in the population register through all services related to the data stored on the ID card smart chip including photo, fingerprints and other sorts of data used to verify and authenticate the cardholder’s identity.

One of the services offered by Emirates ID upon a customer’s request is an ID card profile document, or what is officially called (Identity Verification Certificate). It is a document which includes the information and data stored on the ID card chip which the cardholder might need to either complete various procedures in case of card loss, or to issue a passport for a child registered in the population register.

Seeking to obtain such a document, many customers with different nationalities, dialects and cultures visit Emirates ID. Each of them approach the customer service representatives having in mind some different terms to convey their wish to obtain the identity verification certificate in order to complete their transactions.

The amusing thing is that each customer will call the certificate a different name such as: a certificate, details and data, ID report, old ID card paper..etc. As a result, we have compiled a large number of titles referring to one document, namely the (identity verification) document.

It is our responsibility as front desk employees seeking to satisfy our customers and to draw smiles on their faces, to try to understand our customers’ requests regardless of their languages or dialects in order to provide them with what they need to complete their transactions. This should also help achieve Emirates ID’s 4^th strategic objective to establish a service-based organization focusing on achieving goals and upgrading customer service while sustaining excellence-based internal services.