Inside the FNC: Vocal council members

The popular assumption that members who are appointed by the rulers are less likely to ask hard questions is wrong. Indeed, they are eager to prove their worth. Likewise, their elected peers have been outspoken in showing the public that they are fulfilling their campaign promises.

Hamad Al Rahoomi, elected member from Dubai, has always taken interest in discussions. Christopher Pike / The National

ABU DHABI // People who follow the deliberations at the FNC often ask who the most vocal members are – those who were appointed or elected?

My answer is always the same: “Both.” Many are surprised. Initially, so was I. Many people assume that if members are appointed by the ruler of their emirate, they are less likely to pin down the Government or tackle certain issues.

Opening that can of worms and detailing the Government’s faults publicly and grilling ministers can be hard to imagine. But I have covered the 40-member body since it was convened in 2011, and have come to learn that these assumptions are inaccurate.

After interviewing nearly all the appointed members for a recent series on the FNC, I found that many felt they were under pressure to deliver.

Of course there are some who say they are unsure why they were hand-picked to join the council, and their presence goes unnoticed in most sessions, but a significant number can only be described as diplomatic rebels.

They all want to return to the ruler who appointed them once their term ends and show what impact they have had on policy changes, and that they were closely monitoring the Federal Government.

Elected members have a different kind of responsibility. It is their chance to show their constituencies that their elections campaigns in 2011 were not filled with empty promises.

The difference is that when they challenge the law, they want everyone to know.

Some have sought me out to show the public what roles they have played in the council and their plans for the next debate.

Of course when an FNC member (Mosabeh Al Kitbi, Sharjah, elected) tells me that he will call for 10 more days of public holidays each year, it is not something that would go unnoticed.

Although some elected members bring vast knowledge of their fields of expertise to the FNC, the appointed members have also shown their wealth of knowledge, albeit lacking the frequency of their elected peers in doing so.

The FNC’s examination of the stock-market regulator this month was a fine example. It was a chance for the appointed business giants in the council to come out of their proverbial shells, and they did.

But it does not mean that those who were less knowledgeable about the stock market, including many elected members, did not play an equally important role.

Publicising the impact the stock market has had on Emiratis was crucial, particularly since many lost millions of dirhams in the recent market crash.

I particularly liked Hamad Al Rahoomi’s involvement in the discussion. The elected member from Dubai, who has experience in aviation and shipping, did not hesitate to take part in the discussion, but he nonetheless acknowledged publicly that he was not an expert.

In any case, he made a notable contribution.

In terms of legislative work, elected and appointed members often have a heavy-handed approach to making amendments. The elected members usually keep in mind the social aspects of the law, while the appointed members tend to pass more specific, technical changes. This works both ways, depending on the debate.

Although the council is often criticised for having only half of its members elected, the members have shown that the system works.