Tamim: make civic service mandatory

Dahi Khalfan Tamim has called for a mandatory civil service requirement for every Emirati.

DUBAI // The emirate's police chief has called for Emiratis to undertake compulsory civic service to enhance their sense of belonging and responsibility towards the nation.

Speaking at the concluding ceremony for the Juvenile Awareness and Care Association's 2011 programme, Lt Gen Dahi Khalfan Tamim said that making such service mandatory was necessary to building loyalty towards the nation.

He cited an opinion piece last week in the Saudi-sponsored Arabic daily Sharq al Awsat, which attributed the success of Israel to the loyalty of its people. That loyalty, he said, arose mainly from its citizens' experiences with civic service.

"Emad Al Din Adeb [the article's author] wrote that when he went to Israel he was looking for the answer to why the Israeli [state] is successful ... he found loyalty the key for success. People were queuing to enrol in the service, while in the Arab world, people wait in very long queues in search of a way to escape the service," said Lt Gen Tamim.

"I have been calling for a compulsory civic service for more than 10 years, I almost lost my voice from all the talks I have been doing. I have called on officials to implement this service so we can give our children this dosage of belonging."

The UAE does not have a compulsory civic service.

Speaking later, Lt Gen Tamim said that making such service mandatory faced opposition from people who did not personally want to serve.

"Some people in senior positions, who do not want to serve a civic duty, want to obstruct the issue," he said.

But such service would nurture cultural identity and cohesion, experts say.

Dr Soad Al Oraimi, a sociology professor at UAE University, warned that the UAE was undergoi ng major economic and societal changes that were "having some negative impact on society such as social disintegration".

The many foreign cultures in the country and other outside influences were having an impact on Emirati culture and society, according to Dr Al Oraimi.

"In these conditions it is important to have a national cohesion and to have a sense of belonging to the society. Civic service provides cohesion and coherence to society, and therefore it should be implemented in any form in the UAE," she said.

Deenah Al Hashemi, 20, an Emirati student of international relations, said compulsory service could make young people more independent and responsible.

"I prefer for some form of civic service to be introduced at school level, rather than after university, so we can learn from the experience early on in our lives," she said.

Mrs Al Hashemi said young Emiratis had a sense of belonging and loyalty towards their home country, but many expressed it in superficial ways.

"Many just march the streets, but maybe to get involved in society would be a better way of expressing one's belonging," she added.

Hend bin Tamim, a 22-year-old Emirati recent graduate, said voluntary work was "a big part of feeling patriotic".

"I myself do a lot of volunteer work," she said. "I feel that I am giving something to my country and that I am part of the nation."