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While the 40^th national day approaches, ideas are put on paper and flow like the seasons of life. It is writing derived from the ink of the nation and its alphabet.

Today, we compare between the weeks of celebrating the national day and other regular weeks, before and after 2 December. Institutions today are racing and competing to excel in their celebrations. Everyone wants to have the most creative and distinguished festivities. Everyone wants their celebration days to be the best and the most beautiful as if these few days summarize the last forty years, or the last four decades of our lives, which are really our life.

Our cities, villages and streets, especially the coastal ones, witnessed spectacular events of festivities. The celebration is an embodiment of the glory and role of the march. The last forty years are the march of a people and a nation. After the festivities and paradesare over, we should remember that the main march will continueand will persist onlyby the support, participation and contribution of everyone. Each person participating in the festivities is invited to take an effective, profound and insightful participation in the Grand National march.

How?

Each in their position indeed, it is not meant for this article to turn into a piece of composition that is taught at schools, But the words here are well-planned and elaborate. Words here are derived from the heart and mind. The role of people participating in the parades and celebrations is important and recognized, but your role still goes on after the national day so that all our days become national days deserving celebration.

Whether you are a participant or a spectator, there is no compromise in the national march. Merely watching and passiveness are not acceptable or tolerated.

You are not a separate part of the scene; you are rather at the center of it. You are the person and the tools used. You are your future and the future of others.

Since 2008, we have been talking about national identity. We have been occupied throughout these years with defining and dissecting national identity. Whenever national identity is mentioned, words like language, religion, customs, traditions, heritage, food, drink and others pop up, but we always forget that the value of work and productivity is one of the components of our national identity. It is a cherished and genuine value that we inherited from our fathers.

Identity is not merely an arc placed on the facade building. Identity is “us”; it is our coherent social and cultural texture; it is a civilizational activity and old yet renewed conduct, based on the principle that work comes first and last. It is thus important to abide by identity as a work and a value of work.

These thoughts are arising now while we are celebrating the 40^th national day: how do we celebrate this day at schools and can these meanings be transformed into lessons in addition to saluting the flag and singing the national anthem?

To a strategic extent, these concepts should be incorporated in curriculums and in the short run, we shouldparticipate in the celebrations and lessons and lectures should be designed to shape a new student public opinion. Many Emiratis, some of whom are students, graduates and employees, are detached from their history and culture. We should use this great occasion to the fullest so that everyone’s knowledge about their history and culture may increase beyond the horizons.

National identity is all the important and beautiful words and concepts that we have been focusing on since 2008. It is the value of work as well as productivity, and the value of work and productivity in particular. It is the culture of taking the initiative and participation, the culture of knowledge and presence. The culture of absence definitely does not express our national identity. The message is directed to society as a whole and to our children at schools in particular.

The United Arab Emirates is celebrating three special occasions these days. The first occasion is the seventh anniversary of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan’saccession to ruling Abu Dhabi and being elected as President of the United Arab Emirates by the Supreme Council members and the rulers of the emirates, who showed their continued support and trust by reelectingHis Highness as UAE President in 2009.

This festive occasion takes place amid celebrations throughout the whole nation marking forty years since founding this dear nation under the leadership of our sheikhs, men and women, young and old who had the strong will and took up the challenges making them a unique model to follow in building nations.

This special anniversary takes place while we are preparing to celebrate Eid al-Adha or the Greater Eid which carries meanings of sacrifice, patience and selflessness, the values on which the sons and daughters of this country relied in building their nation throughout the last four decades. They built a nation which we are extremely proud to be part of. The march of building this nation was based on strong principles established by the founding leader Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and his brethren, the founding rulers. This march witnessed milestones of development and progress and revolutionized the concept of nation building. It resulted in the wealth and prosperity of the citizens and progress and welfare of the nation.Political development was also a significant outcome of thismarch. The political participation of citizens was reinforced last September as membership of the electoral colleges was expanded in an unprecedented way.

The citizen in this country is blessed with tasting the beauty of the achievements and initiatives taken for the welfare and prosperity of one generation after another. The United Arab Emirates ranked the top Arab country in the 2011 Human Development Index (HDI). This ranking is achieved by the vision of a leader who exerted sincere efforts for this nation and its citizens, and in turnthese citizens are ready to sacrifice everything dear to them for their nation.

The era of Sheikh Khalifa also focused on national identity but without isolation, rather with the purpose of building bridges of friendship and partnerships with the world’s cultures by spreading the spirit of tolerance and love and making the UAE an oasis of love and peace.

On this national occasion, as festivities and prayers are everywhere reflecting a sense of pride in the leader of achievements, everyone is racing to express the purest meanings of loyalty to our Khalifa, asking God to keep our UAE safe, secure and dignified continuing in its march of progress and prosperity under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE President.

“Fossils of a giant crocodile that lived more than eight million years ago were found on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. Chairman of the Geological Research Authority in Dubai, Adnan Al Hamid, indicated that the discovery of these fossils was the outcome of continuous efforts that lasted for weeks. It is proof that life existed in the region in the past”. (IPUL)

Of course, you will not read this piece of news except in this column not because I have the scoop but because I made up the entire story. However, try to re-post this news on BlackBerry or a forum and a few days later it will bounce back as a real story that cannot be denied. You can tell them that the Palm Jumeirah was created only a few years ago and no one will listen to you. You can scream at the top of your voice that there is no department in Dubai called the Geological Research Authority and your voice will echo back in vain. You can point out that Adnan Al Hamid is the voice over of “Hanafi and Um Sayed” in a cartoon show and that “IPUL” is not a news agency but rather “I Pulled Your Leg”. But you will always find someone who will say the news is “everywhere”!

The motto of the new social media is “write whatever you want and there is always an audience”. A few days ago, I received an email about the danger of Indomie noodles made of “dead animal bones” and a warning from an anonymous doctor about the e641 substance that it contains along with a long listof the harms, which are not even caused by the Japan’s Fukushima reactor. Despite that, our young kids eat a lot of Indomie noodles and are still in the best of health.

We are facing a dangerous media dilemma. Many people like forwarding or re-posting news without bothering to do a simple research about the source or the truth and accuracy of the story. In most cases, it is usually a rumor, false compliant or fabricated news. This phenomenon has largely spread along with this media propaganda until I was really scared after the “Um Rashed” case in which my colleague Hassan Yacoub paid the price on behalf of us all.

The other point is that most forwarders or re-posters wish to appear as being concerned for the safety and health of the nation, hence, everything became the cause of cancer from cups and car seats to fast food meals, asthma sprays, shaving tools, apples, gum and snickers and of course Botox injections.

We are discussing here one category of people who may be few or many but unfortunately it certainly exists. Some people would attribute their adverse and negative attitude to a bright reason. Such peoplelanguish because they are citizens; they are negligent in their work because they are citizens; they are behind in their studies because they are citizens; they take many leaves off work because they are citizens; they hope for free promotion because they are citizens; they work in one place and hope to work for another because they are citizens; they regress rather than advance because they are citizens; they treat the public badly because they are citizens; they drive their cars irrationally because they are citizens and they do not stand in line because they are citizens.

We could cite endless examples in this same context, but we also have to cite the opposite model, i.e. a positive, excelling and distinguished model also exists. Citizens who are fully aware of the meaning of good citizenship also exist. They work more than others because they are citizens and exert their utmost efforts to improve performance in the public job. They learn more because they are citizens; the usual academic certificates do not suffice for them; they want to attain first place in each field they participate in. Because they are citizens, they continuously seek to advance and progress and believe in their right in appointment and promotion because they work hard. They do not believe that their citizenship is a sufficient reason for distinction.

Preference is for the citizen. Yes. This is a reasonable, acceptable and logical value but a citizen is also required to work studiously and sincerely with himself and with others.

To be a citizen is a beautiful, tempting, noble, and great reason to love your nation more and serve the UAE and its community with strength and love.

You are a citizen. This is a reason that necessarily leads you towards more giving and progress.

 

SheikhHamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan took initiative by signing the pledge not to text while driving. It is a significant move on his side, setting him as an example to be followed by the different groups in society. His move was triggered by his concern over the rising number of traffic accidents claiming lives, most of which are lives young people lost by the country and missed by their parents  due to distracted driving and in particular due to using cellphones while driving.

Sheikh Hamdan’sinitiative no doubt sprang from his care and fear for UAE’s young people and his desire to raise awareness and educate about proper behavior on the road. It is no doubt a desire to set a role model and reserve the true natural resources of UAE which are the youth. The loss is for everyone and the damage is incurred by everyone. For all these reasons, Hamdan bin Mubarak took a private initiative to sign “I Pledge”. For the same reasons, Emarat Al Youm in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior launched this public campaign at the beginning of this week.

I Pledge is a public campaign based on a very simple idea; it addresses a person based on theirbelief to abandon a bad habit, hence, such person is self-committed, not driven by seeking a reward or fearing a fine; all s/he has to do is to sign a simple pledge containing only one sentence that reads “Beginning right now, I will not text while I am driving”. That’s it! However, the pledger has to be honest with themselves and be bound by the pledge that they voluntarily took. Such person has to be driven by their own awareness and get rid of that habit however long they lived.

As the campaign is public, as you might have noticed, the name Hamdan bin Mubarak was not preceded by a title or followed by a position during signature; it is a private initiative that targets any motorist on the streets of UAE, which is why it was met by great appreciationfrom the different social groups. Many of the public and private institutions, civil society organizations, sport clubs, and universities have also expressed their willingness to join the campaign and collect signatures. This is exactly the goal of the campaign. This is what Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s wishes us to do, this great man who always calls for implementing useful ideas and supports each step that aims at saving lives on the roads. He is truly concerned over the rising number of accidents resulting from using cellphones while driving; hence he is the biggest supporter of I Pledge campaign.

I Pledge campaign is the outcome of a collaboration between a governmental entity, the Ministry of Interior, a private one,Etisalat and a purposeful media institution, Emarat Al Youm. Therefore, the campaign is a concrete product of the joint efforts of such entities and the mutual impact of directing efforts towards a common goal. Let’s all make it our goal to join the campaign and sign the pledge; not to talk on the cellphone or text while driving. Let’s pledge to use the cellphone only according to the proper legal regulations that ensure our safety and the safety of others.

 

I Pledge Campaign is launched by EmaratAl Youm as an extension to the unofficial campaign launched by activists on social networking sites with the aim of driving home a simple message: Do not use cellphones, and stop texting, while driving. The campaign hopestoenddeadly traffic accidents that are the direct consequence of the dangerous practice of using cellphones while driving, which has become an epidemic in our society, claiming lives and destroying families.

The campaign uses awareness as a direct means to reach goals instead of setting penalties only. For example, tickets and fines have not successfully prevented speed and reckless driving; yet, we still use and expand the application of this technique more than ever, even if such technique does not follow a mature and well-examined awareness-raising approach. A fine does not save a life; the damages of losing human resources exceed the fine amounts imposed on those committing the violations. I Pledge Campaign addresses to the dangerous practices on our streets and roads andapproach people from an awareness perspective rather than fear from penalties. What sets this campaign apart is its reliance on people’s awareness without any pressures, incentives, fines or rewards. It focuses mainly on self-convincing, through a very simple pledge, which when signed, the driver will agree not to use the cellphone while driving. The person may join the campaign by signing this pledge, and sending it to the Emarat Al Youm’s website, the website of the Ministry of Interior or Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat) who sanction and sponsor the message of the campaign

A driver who is able to comply with the pledge they took will be part of the campaign; a person who is not able to do that will neither be forced to join nor deterred by any other campaigns or more severe penalties. Everyone needs to realize that they should play their part to end this deadly epidemic. If we can reach out to a large number of citizens and residents and convince them toget their signatures on the pledge, then, we will consider to have achieved an actual and true success. The biggest deterrent for a human being is his/her consciousness; no one can ask another person to do or not to do something unless they are strongly convinced of that. That is what the campaign seeks to achieve.

It is an integrated public campaign. We will try to reach out to young people in physical locations as well as on virtual sites, such as social networking sites and on other websites, in schools and universities; it is open to everyone. We urge organizations, ministries and the public and private sector to participate and contribute to the campaign by promoting it and collecting signatures to increase the numbers and categories of pledgers.

Although the campaign is sanctioned and sponsored by the Ministry of Interior, it is a national call to action for all other ministries. The issue is of concern to everyone; everyone is responsible; everyone’s task is to raise awareness and educate about how to make roads safer. After all, it is an issue that concerns the community as a whole and raising awareness about it benefits everyone as victims of traffic accidents can be our sons, daughters, brothers, mothers, friends, etc. Losing a young soul is a loss for the country. Let’s all work together to prevent the loss of lives claimed by preventable car accidents.

Maintaining and enhancing national identity is a goal that we all aspire to reach, as we are all partners who share love for our nation and partners in building its renaissance and progress. There is no doubt that national identity gives this partnership its spirit and meaning. We can go as far as assuming that national identity provides us with the sense of belonging to this dear nation.

Maintenance and enhancement of this identity needs several methods. We have discussed, in previous articles, some methods that can guarantee maintaining our national identity. Today, we discuss together the role played by one of the major components: social capital. Social capital has been established as significantly important in the age of global culture and multiple identities and cultures among the resulting negative effects on the social texture and national culture for many societies and waning social connections and relations among members of a community.

What is social capital? What are its components and how does it form? What role does it play in identity nationalization? Although social capital lends itself to multiple definitions, and without entering the labyrinth of abstract and theoretical definitions, social capital refers to relations within and between social networks produced by individuals and groups with the purpose of achieving their goals in life. This network of relations is extremely organized and far from being random. It follows traditions and standards that govern the behavior of individuals and groups and direct their social behavior according to the social, cultural and ethical values, norms and systems of the society. These values aim at promoting the actions of individuals and groups and work on improving and supporting ways of interaction between them to attain the purposes they seek.According to the World Bank, social capital refers tothesum of the institutions, relationships, and norms that shape the quality and quantity of a society’s social interactions and social relationships that contribute to achieve sustainable development.

This definition reflects the importance of social capital not only in improving the quality and quantity of social relations and interactions among individuals but also its importance in achieving sustainable development. Social capital derives its power from the ability of individuals to participate in activities of public good. According to the UNDP, social capital is closely related to charity and volunteering; volunteerism and volunteers are at the heart of social capital. Volunteering can be defined broadly as the non-profit, non-wage andnon-career contributions of individuals for the well-being of their community or society at large. Some studies indicate that the number of institutions for public interest and the number of individual members of these institutions reflect the stock of social capital in society.

What are the sources of social capital?

There are multiple sources that contribute in forming the stock of individuals and groups in social capital. Foremost among these sources are family, school, public interest foundations and civil society organizations. These sources contribute to forming social capital through its ability to shape individuals and raise them on values and standards that increase their stock of social capital and enhance its positive role in society. Some of the major values that constitute the stock of social capital are the ability for mutual collective work, trust among individuals, and trust between individuals and the different governmental and non-governmental institutions, trust between the individual and the state, values of cooperation and solidarity, values that nurture a stronger sense of social responsibility, and values that promote cohesion of social texture. If the sum of these values constitute that stock of individuals in social capital, this stock represents a driving force that contributes to building the renaissance and development of the country in the different economic, social and cultural aspects of society. On the economic level, social capital contributes to the contribution of individuals in the different economic projects and their engagement in the job market, through the atmosphere it provides built on trust and transparency, and also contributes to the promotion of values of work and accomplishment. On the cultural level, social capital enhances the participation of individuals in the productivity and utilization of knowledge and the expansion of the awareness circle, through projects and activities that aim at eliminating illiteracy, whether reading and writing incapacity or lack of knowledge and incapability in using the information revolution products such as computers and the Internet. On the social level, social capital shapes the collective awareness of individuals and enhances the values and ethical criteria that push them towards solidarity and cooperation and enhance their values of belonging. These values together constitute the essence of national identity.

This all leads to creating an enabling environment that provides a healthy atmosphere that is necessary for identity nationalization and provides it with firm roots that derive their nutrients from the strategic stock of social capital, which contributes not only in the maintenance of national identity but contributes at the same time in achieving sustainable development.

 

With all the traffic accidents occurring daily, many would think they are safe from being involved in an accident because they can have control over themselves, their vehicles, others and the road while talking on their cell phones and reading or sending text messages. However, it only takes a matter for second for an error to occur and cause grave consequences. Only then, the motorist realizes the enormity of the error committed. In many cases, regret is futile; what we deem a simple issue that is controllable is in fact an inevitable gravity.

Many of today’s cars are equipped with all sorts of entertainment. Even if these devices are not built in the car, one can still buy them at convenient prices. For example, at a price not more than 1000 dirhams, one can have an all in one device combining a GPS, video, music, digital TV and even picture viewers, mobile calls (hands free) and traffic cameras.

As a result, the drivers’ eyes are usually on these screens or their BlackBerries instead of the road which causes a major distraction. It is noticeable these days that many cars swerve between lanes showing the lack of focus of the drivers, who get into accidents or near-accidents.

Before we call for traffic campaigns and restrictive laws, we need to cooperate, think logically and use common sense to rectify our wrong behaviors. Indeed, no one of us wishes that his/her life ends because of sending or reading text messages or checking their BlackBerry.It most probably is a trivial message that can wait! The driver might crash into another vehicle and kill innocent people whose only mistake is being in the wrong place at the wrong time. If laws dealt with all the different behaviors of people, they would be endless. It is better and easier to realize that thebehaviors that we would otherwise consider normal are in fact dangerous. They can cause a disaster for us, our families and those around us.

It is great to have the latest technology and state-of-the-art devices, but it is better to use them properly. Otherwise, such devices will pose a danger that threatens us each moment and becomes a source of aggravation for those around us.

Citizens first! National organizations have been established primarily to serve citizens and put them as their priority. All sectors are called upon to adopt citizen satisfaction programs and provide citizens with simple, yet complete and integrated, services. The purpose is that the citizen should obtain a service with no hassle or humiliation. Some would act like they are assigned the task of complicating matters for the citizen rather than facilitating his transactions and helping him reach his goals faster and in a shorter time.

Following the state’s primary role in caring for the citizens, it does not conform to its role when some remove the citizen from the list of their priorities or their main concerns, and merely focus on papers and documents; there are no scheduled appointments or previously organized schedules to receive citizens, especially those with complaints and needs. Doors are always locked and the manager is often in a meeting or unavailable and in best case scenarios, the citizen is told to leave his transaction and they will get back to him or call him or he is told to “come back tomorrow” or after a week or a month.

The saying of “citizen first” should be proved through each transaction and attitude. After all, actions speak louder than words. “Citizen first” means that serving the citizens should come first and that a governmental department is founded or established primarily to provide citizens with services, especially in the main fields such as education, health and housing. “Citizen first” summarizes it all; most governmental work can fall under this saying.

Citizen first; you first; ministries, departments, institutions and officials on various levels and in various positions are there for you.