Inside the FNC: Public must make the effort to see council in action

UAE citizens often ask questions about what the FNC does, and some pass swift judgment about its performance. Yet few have even attended a session. And it took the carrot of class credits to draw university students to a forum on it.

ABU DHABI // The scene is the same at every FNC session.

Council members park their cars and make their way inside, with male members sporting bisht, a fancy covering worn over a kandura.

After exchanging handshakes and conveying enthusiasm for the coming session, they adjourn to their seats for the 9am start.

The ministers make a swift entrance and greet members before taking their seats in the section for the Government, and the speaker makes his way to the podium before the FNC bell rings, signalling the start of business.

On the second floor, journalists sit on one side and a scant few members of the public sit on the other. At times, the audience can be counted on one hand. After a few hours, the seats are usually empty.

Members of the public often ask, “What does the FNC do for us?” When asked whether they have ever attended a session, the answer is rarely yes.

It is strange how people are fully prepared to pass quick judgment on the FNC, yet few are willing to sit and watch the discussions.

An Emirati from Ras Al Khaimah seemed proud that the candidate he had voted for in 2011 was elected. But when asked how he thought the member was performing, he said: “I don’t know. I hope he’s doing well.”

At times FNC members, including Marwan bin Ghalita (Dubai) and Hamad Al Rahoomi (Dubai), go out of their way to use social media such as Twitter during FNC sessions.

The public seems to interact and react positively, but again, none seem keen on attending the sessions.

The National recently tried to approach the oldest educational institutes in the UAE in an attempt to host roundtable discussions with students about the FNC.

The lack of support was disappointing, to say the least. A few political science students at universities seemed unsurprised.

They said universities would not be interested in such an event, particularly because students were taught about the political system in the United States and other theories, but very little about the FNC.

I recalled a forum on political awareness at the end of last year. Two hours into the forum, a student asked what the FNC was and what it did.

Others applauded in agreement – keep in mind that the majority of students in attendance were university seniors studying political science or mass communication.

I later discovered that the seats were filled at the forum because the professors promised class credit for attendance.

Such forums are important to kindle students’ interest, but it is crucial that members of the public attend the FNC sessions to watch the members at work. How else will they know whether a member is worth supporting at the next election?

It is all well and good that FNC members are making the effort to inform the public, but the public cannot rely on that as objective evidence of the FNC’s work.

And for what it’s worth, the FNC offers an international buffet to anyone who attends.