I refer to the opinion article Even before the Gulf struck, Yemen was suffocating (March 31).
The fact is that Yemen has had an unstable government for more than a decade, which has led to chaos.
However, the intervention of Arab countries in Yemen could further complicate this situation, contrary to their objective to end violence and terrorism there.
In my opinion, there is no simple solution to this problem. It’s unfortunate that this chaos has robbed much of the Arab region of some of its precious resources, including oil.
The conflict that rages in Yemen and beyond points to the fact that the world is not yet equipped to deal with such problems.
Ramachandran Nair, Oman
Tenants can’t be asked to vacate on short notice
I refer to your editorial Time to revisit rental contracts? (April 2). This matter needs to be evaluated from many angles. When you rent a house, you invest in agent and moving-company fees and you deserve a minimum of protection. You cannot be asked to move out after four months.
On the other hand, when the landlord puts his property on the market, he should know that this is a medium-term choice at least and he is, after all, earning a rental income. There is no income without proportionate risk.
Since this is an unbalanced situation (everyone needs a roof over their head, but whether or not to put your house on the market is a free choice), the tenant has some additional protection compared to the landlord almost everywhere in the world. For example, in many western jurisdictions, the tenant can leave with a two- to four-month notice, while the landlord has to provide at least one to two years, and rentals are paid monthly.
It has to be noted that in such a system, the landlord will eventually benefit. If the tenant has peace of mind that he can get out of a commitment without a major loss and can pay rent by the month, he may be willing to pay more.
Name withheld by request
Set up centre for Arabic learning
It’s sad that a beautiful language such as Arabic is being neglected (Young abandoning Arabic, March 29). We have the Goethe Institute for the German language, Alliance Francaise for French, British Council for English, but I wonder why we don’t have a centre to learn Arabic. It would be wonderful if the UAE can set up such a centre. That would help revive this language.
Omar Jaramillo, Germany
How to change driving habits
People need to adjust their driving habits according to the road and weather conditions, but this rarely happens (Two women and a girl die in grim day for Dubai's roads, March 30). Too many people drive too fast, and tailgate. I witnessed the crash and it was obvious that some people need to undergo additional driver training.
Driving standards in the UAE need a lot of improvement, which should be backed by government initiatives.
Real-time signage, as used in Europe and other parts of the world, would help to inform drivers of road conditions and accidents ahead.
Matt Irvin, Dubai
How about driver’s education starting in school? The things I learnt in high school are still with me, and they really made an impact.
Donna Hill, Al Ain
People know how to drive safely, but they choose not to. I think that enforcing traffic laws really helps, since the only safe driving that I see is when a police vehicle is parked on the side of the road with its lights on.
April Tarman, Dubai
I think that speed averaging cameras will go a long way to reducing accidents on the highways. Just look at all the cars that speed on the highway and then brake suddenly for the speed cameras. Take a look at the number of skid marks on the road just before and after the cameras. This speaks volumes. Introduce speed-averaging cameras now.
Steve O'Brien, Dubai
