One morning, many years ago, before Abu Dhabi’s eastern Corniche was built and before the marine channel was dredged all the way from the Eastern Mangroves hotel to the Sea Palace, I wandered at low tide across the mud into the mangroves that lay beyond. There I found scuttling crabs, western reef herons, honeycombs and a variety of other delights. What a marvellous place, I thought. It should, obviously, be designated as a protected area.
That afternoon, I mentioned the trip to a high-ranking person. Early the next morning, he phoned me. He had told Sheikh Zayed the previous night and the late President had said he wanted to know more. In particular he wanted to see a picture of the honeycombs.
My friend and I went back and I took a picture, which was shown to Sheikh Zayed that evening. He immediately ordered that the Eastern Mangroves should be protected, as they remain today.
The incident gave me a confidence that I have never lost that if there is a way of getting a sensible proposal put before senior officials, there’s a reasonable chance of having it adopted. At the very least, it will be considered. That’s the way of the world here.
There are many techniques for lobbying those in power, these differing from country to country.
Here in the UAE, a quiet word in someone’s ear is traditionally more effective than a public poster parade or an intemperate outburst. Another part of the process, of course, is use of the media.
“It is the duty and the right of the press to criticise,” Sheikh Zayed once said. “We welcome constructive criticism because we want to build our country … All of us are partners in opinion, policy planning preparation and implementation.”
I was reminded of those words on Sunday when I read The National’s story that hybrid street signs, giving numbers as well as names, were once again appearing all over Abu Dhabi.
Almost a year ago, in this column, I welcomed the decision to introduce new street names for the capital but, at the same time, bewailed the removal of the old numbering system that made it so easy to get around on Abu Dhabi's grid system.
“Was it really necessary,” I asked, “to cancel the numbering of the roads? I hate to think of the number of working hours that will be wasted as people try to find their way around, let alone the frayed tempers and raised blood pressure levels that will result. It’s not too late, surely, to ask the authorities to reinsert the numbers on the street signs.”
I received an unusually large number of favourable comments. Obviously others were as frustrated as I.
One friend asked, however, whether I was aware that the decision to introduce the new system had been taken at a very high level?
Well yes, I suppose I was, though I hadn’t given it much thought. It just seemed to me that I was raising a point that could be – ought to be – taken into consideration.
I’m sure I wasn’t the only person to make the suggestion of reintroducing street numbers and I doubt very much that my comment had any effect whatsoever on the decision to do so.
The fact that they have reappeared, however, has reaffirmed my belief that there is not only the scope for suggestions to be put forward, but also the need to do so.
Abu Dhabi, and the rest of the UAE, is still in many respects very much a work in progress. Much needs to be done if we are to reach the standards of excellence and innovation to which the country aspires.
There’s room for all to contribute to the debate on how to achieve our goals, even on issues as small as protecting mangroves or on street numbers.
Now, what other suggestions come to mind?
Peter Hellyer is a consultant specialising in the UAE’s history and culture
