By now, everyone in Dubai knows about the crisis and there is a panic around the city of paradise. Every person when going to his office is scared that his job will be terminated and a firing letter will be waiting for him on his desk. There are many rumors of Emirates airlines being sold to Abu Dhabi, and even worst, all the new development in Dubai till Sheikh Zayed Road is sold to Abu Dhabi. But no solid proof is provided to back these false rumors. Also, the number of kids leaving school due to several reasons are above 3000. All this is scary as Dubai is a small city which is well known for the peaceful living and recently the luxuries. But with so many people losing jobs, and no incoming investments, will it be easy for Dubai to survive this crisis?
The answer is pretty simple. If the government and the local population reacts to the situation, they will be able to swim faster whereas some are drowning currently. But is this actually taking effect. For now, the answer is NO! Today I went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to get my degree attested, and the queue was huge. Also, now it is in the consulate area, and the scene over there was bad. It took me 2 hours to find parking because the area was crowded. The number of people standing outside their respective consulates with the hopeless look, and with a need to go back home was not a pleasant sight. Why are the people feeling hopeless? Because even though the crisis has struck the country, the rents are not being reduced. A three bedroom flat in my building went for Dhs 175,000 per annum and pigeon holes in my area are going for Dhs 160,000. Well, these rents are really crazy in times like this when people dont have jobs. But the people owning the buildings dont want to understand that. And the government is also not intervening by reducing the rents of everyone. Instead they have introduced the 5% rent cap for the year 2009 as well. It is completely day light robbery, and basically taking advantage over someone elses misery. Even in London, where the market was attractive and fell recently, recovered quick as the landlords understood the situation and reacted accordingly. And this way, the landlords are not losing on their tenants as well as the tenants are happy as the rents have reduced. Dubai can recover quicker than London as rarely people can afford to own their own homes and prefer renting the house than purchasing it. But if the rents are not reduced by the landlords, will they be digging their and Dubai’s grave?
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The news was announced on Tuesday 30th December, 2008. The parties all over Dubai were supposed to be cancelled to potray an act of solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza who are killed by the Israeli military. The news was announced quite late at 7:00 p.m. and those who have purchased tickets were in panic because they were all enthusiastic to party. Later in the night, no clubs, or party venues were ready to confirm the news and were unable to answer any queries. This is a good way to show solidarity and a good step taken by Shaikh Mohammad, but in a way it is unfair to the people in general. The people killed there are palestinians and therefore, mostly the palestinian population in Dubai must be moaning and not everyone. The Britishers, Americans, Indians, Chinese, Japanese, etc living in Dubai, should not be forced to sit at home and moan for people who do not even belong to their respective nation. Moreover, when there was an attack on World Trade Centre in America, the bombings in London, the terrorist attack in India, the invasion of Iraq, and many other times, no steps were taken to show solidarity with the World. Everything was normal in Dubai, and nothing in people’s life changed here. Even innocent people were killed then, and it was worst, it was terrorists who attacked. But only people who have their beloved ones were bothered then, and no one else was forced to moan. But this time, everyone in Dubai has to forget their New Years Eve and sit and think about the war in Gaza. In a multi-cultural society like Dubai, this is a very amateurish decision and moreover, it is a selfish decision. Why is Palestine given more importance and because of that, people cannot celebrate? Even though, none of the parties are cancelled, leaving a few, but those few parties which are cancelled will face a heavy loss and who will pay for that? The tourist who have come to Dubai to meet their beloved ones and to party with them, would also be disappointed. If it was a regular night, I can still understand if a Dry Day or Week is announced, but on New Years Eve, that is not good. Also, the decision was announced 2 days before the events. This will bring complete disappointment in everyone and cause a chaos. Through this article, I just want to point out a fact that everyone has a right to live! If the attack was in U.A.E., I can still understand, but Palestine is way far away, and cancelling celebrations in Dubai will not effect in any way.


Articles for the cancellation of the parties – Article 1, Article 2
Link to the current situation related to every party venue – Link