Democracy deep-rooted in our society: Shaikh Mohammed

Source: 
Khaleej Times
Publication date: 
Oct 04 2015

After visiting the polling centre for the Federal National Council (FNC) elections at the Dubai World Trade Centre on Saturday, he said democracy has been part of the UAE's heritage "since the time of our fathers and forefathers and we inherited that value with pride and belief in our social, cultural and religious legacy without compromising the rich Arab-Islamic culture".

 

 

"It is in this way we grew up in the majlises of our grandfathers, and we are bringing up our children in the same way to adhere to these genuine traditions and customs, to be the best successor to the best predecessor and to engage citizens in every affair that touches their life, future and happiness," Shaikh Mohammed said.

 

 

He inspected the progress of the electoral process and the procedures followed by voters to elect their candidates for the 16th Legislative Chapter of the FNC.

 

He was briefed by the members of the National Elections Committee (NEC) about the e-voting system which works with the Emirates ID, the certified personal identification issued by the Emirates Identity Authority. Voters, then, can vote in two ways, either by directly entering a candidate's number or by simply clicking on the candidate's photograph.

 

During the presentation, the election organisers told the vice-president that 1,500 male and female volunteers were trained to guide voters in the 36 polling centres across the country. The officials said early voter turnout was good.

 

For his part, Shaikh Mohammed said he was pleased and satisfied with the progress of the elections, which he lauded as a successful democratic experiment during which both voters and candidates had showed a high sense of national, honest and fair responsibility.

 

While talking to the volunteers, Shaikh Mohammed urged the young Emiratis to engage in national events so as to gain extensive expertise in their practical life and be well qualified to take leadership roles in the future and act as role models to their peers.

 

Lauding the electoral scene as a national celebration, Shaikh Mohammed stressed the importance of the citizens rallying behind the empowerment programme launched by the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for broadening effective political participation. He also explained that both the president's programme and the legislative elections constitute an important political dimension in enhancing the comprehensive development experiment in our state.

 

Shaikh Mohammed urged the voters to cast their ballots for the sake of the UAE without any bias or courtesy. They have the duty to elect who is capable to serve his country and its citizen and communicate the citizens' voice to the leadership with all honesty and loyalty.

 

Shaikh Mohammed was accompanied during his tour by Abdul Rahman bin Mohammed Al Owais, Minister of Health; Najla Al Awar, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs; Ahmed bin Humaidan, Deputy Director of the Dubai Ruler's Court; Afra Al Basti, head of Dubai World Trade Centre polling station; and Khalifa Saeed Sulaiman, Director-General of Dubai's Protocol Department.