Election decision for Sharjah Consultative Council hailed

Source: 
Gulf News
Publication date: 
Jun 10 2015

Sharjah: Members of the Sharjah Consultative Council have said that the decision to elect half of the members of the 42-member House through the electoral process is a major milestone in the path of development in the emirate.

His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, announced on Tuesday that the Sharjah Consultative Council will see half of its 42 members elected in the upcoming term while the rest of the members will be appointed by the Ruler.

Dr Shaikh Sultan also issued a Law on Wednesday amending some provisions of Law No 03 of 1999 on the establishment of the Sharjah Consultative Council.

Article No 3 stipulates that the Sharjah Consultative Council shall now consist of 42 members, half of them shall be chosen through elections to be held by an Emiri decree, and the Sharjah Ruler will appoint the other half. The number of members of the Council has also been increased from 35 to 42.

Article No 7 of Law No 9 of 2015 stipulates that the term of membership of the Council shall be four years.

The council holds its last session this term today (Thursday) at 10am.

“The decision to elect half of the Council members will be made by citizens [of the emirate]. They are the decision-makers,” he said. He congratulated Sharjah on this new step, and expressed the hope that the emirate will continue to take steps similar to those witnessed at the federal level, referring to the election of half the members of the Federal National Council (FNC).

“Half of the council’s members will be appointed in order to address any shortcomings that might result from the elections, such as if the minimum number of seven women members is not met or in case the council requires experienced members with special expertise,” he said.

Speaking to Gulf News, Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Jarwan, Secretary-General of the Consultative Council, hailed the decision of the Sharjah Ruler regarding the restructuring of the Council and said that the Sharjah Ruler has always supported the Consultative Council and granted it powers in taking decisions. The Council works together with the different government departments in reviewing the laws and their amendments.

Al Jarwan explained that the aim of the Council is to improve the services provided to the citizens in the emirate to improve their living and working conditions. He said that the Council had made great achievements over the past 15 years.

He said that candidates running for the Council elections must be citizens in Sharjah and their minimum age should be 25 and they should have a clean record. Earlier, the minimum age for Council members was 30.

Mohammad Rashid Rashoud, a member of the Council, told Gulf News: “This is a great decision by His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan.”

The Sharjah Ruler thinks about the citizens of Sharjah all the time and he cares about their problems and their happiness, said Rashoud, who is also a member of the education, youth, cultural committee of the Council.

“This decision means to give a chance to the young generation who have good experience and skills, to join the Council and be part of the decision making,” he added.

Dr Sulaiman Zaabi, Chairman of the Education Committee at the Council, said that the new decision by the Sharjah Ruler means a lot for the emirate as the citizens will have the opportunity to participate in the parliamentary process to elect suitable persons.

Being a member of the parliament is not an easy job as every member will have to work hard for the welfare of the citizens and development of the emirate.

Ehsan Al Suwaidi, a woman member of the family affairs committee at the Council, termed the restructuring to the Council as a very wise decision. She said that the Sharjah Ruler’s decision is very visionary in including citizens of the emirate in the consultation and decision-making process. “The decision is very timely and it will give a chance for the members to practise democracy as is the case in the Federal National Council.”