For some reason or other sections of the local media chose to ignore the contents of a press release issued by the Malta Labour Party wherein it was disclosed that an MLP delegation met high ranking Tecom officials in Dubai at the latter’s expressed request.

Originally a meeting with Tecom did not feature on the agenda of the business orientated fact-finding visit that we were to carry out in Dubai. Nevertheless we responded positively to Tecom’s subsequent request in order to send a clear signal that in spite of certain reservations about the investment i.e. the price of the Maltacom deal and the uncertainty hovering over the corporation’s employees’ future three years from now, we welcomed such investment and would respond positively to their presence on the island.

Although Ahmad bin Byat, the director general of the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority (Tecom) was out of the country, we were very well received by Tecom international’s executive director Fareed Abdulrahman as well as by Deepak Padmanabhan, the chief strategy and business development officer.

During our hour-long meeting we covered much ground and were also updated on their other overseas operations.

While we were in Dubai it was announced that DIC (Dubai Internet City) was looking to set up five to six IT business parks or Smart Cities in India, particularly in Bangalore, Kolkata and Hyderabad.

Although negotiations with the Kerala government started earlier than those with the Maltese authorities a change in administration complicated matters unduly and DIC are still waiting for the Kerala government to contact them. DIC are hoping that everything will be in place by September this year. Nevertheless from the information we were given, although there was a change in the Kerala government recently, the project is now all on track.

In India the project will be a mix of commercial and residential space as in Malta. What remains uncertain is whether Tecom will be adopting the Indian model locally in the sense that the residential area will be used for knowledge based professionals.

All in all it was a most positive and satisfactory meeting.

Discovering the undiscovered

Many people are under the impression that all that there is to the UAE is Dubai. In all there are seven emirates. Apart from Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, the fourth largest emirate is that of Ras al Khaimah. In 10 to 15 years time Ras al Khaimah will be a second Dubai. We were honoured to be received by His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi who apart from being the Crown Prince of the Emirate also happens to be its deputy ruler and effective top decision maker regarding the economic and commercial development of the emirate.

It was interesting to learn that he still holds in high regard the fact that a Labour government in Malta had established commercial ties with the Emirates as far back as the early 1970s – three decades ago.

His vision of Ras Al Khaimah is to turn it – in his own words – into “a heaven of peace where age-old traditions and modern life co-exist in harmony.”

Speaking to him you come to understand that his vision is to realise this particular emirate’s tremendous latent potential.

Ras Al Khaimah is a rich and rugged land with lofty mountains, sandy deserts and lush green plains reaching down to the sea in an indented series of creeks and lagoons. It has also a rich heritage of historical sites. All these natural resources allow the emirate to increase the importance of tourism and especially eco-tourism towards it.

A tourism master plan is well under way to develop all these attractions and much more.

Particularly fruitful was the lengthy meeting that we held at the Crown Prince’s suggestion with senior officials of the Ras al Khaimah investment arm – the RAK Investment Authority.

A future Labour government will be working hard to exploit the immense potential that this emirate offers as well as to develop new and untapped commercial business links with its rulers and key economic players.

At the Dubai Press Club

We visited the Dubai Press Club twice. Once to meet the formidable chairperson Mona Al Marri and her excellent female management team led by Maryam Bin Fahad on how to strengthen our links, and secondly we attended a press briefing that they organised where we met various members of the media that included among others the influential Khaleej Times and the Daily Albayan.

The Dubai Press Club, which forms part of Tecom, is now a well established forum where journalists and media professionals from various streams of media meet to debate and discuss various issues.

Set up by the directive of HH Sheikh al Maktoum the Ruler of Dubai, the Dubai Press Club has sought to establish itself as the centre of journalistic excellence and a hub for local, regional and international media.

Dubai – a safe destination

Although the UAE is known to have a pretty efficient network of state security, security in the emirate of Dubai is not conspicuous while at the same time one feels a strong sense of safety when moving from one meeting to another or taking a stroll.

What also struck me were the efforts of the authorities to contain inflation through a weekly price watch aimed at making goods available at competitive prices.

Bearing in mind that Dubai is driven by stiff competition and governed by supply and demand I was surprised to see such a monitoring guide in place. Although the price comparison list should not be confused with recommended retail prices the media in general feel that such an initiative should be applauded. The reason being that in issuing weekly reports, the Economy Ministry hopes that it will encourage retailers to be more competitive.

This is very similar to what the MLP is proposing. Which is totally far removed from the far more draconian price control approach but which at the same time safeguards the interests of consumers in general.

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Leo Brincat is the Main Opposition Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and IT.