DOHA: Majority of the participants at Qatar Foundation's Doha Debates yesterday rejected the idea that Dubai is a failed model of development in the Middle East.
In one of the most lively sessions of the Doha Debates, 62 percent of the audience voted against the motion 'This house believes Dubai is a bad idea."
The debate held against the backdrop of the credit crisis in Dubai, raised a wide range of issues from the losing cultural identity of Dubai to the plight of the migrant work force in this vibrant Middle Eastern city.
The audience however, came to the conclusion that despite the challenges and set backs, the city as a whole does not represent a failed model. Simon Jenkins, former editor of the Times in London, while speaking for the motion, argued that the credit crunch in Dubai was the result of "unregulated capitalism."
Dubai has become a losing nation, because of the "breakneck" pace of development it had gone through. The city would not have faced this crisis if it was allowed to grow in a natural, organic way. The idea behind Dubai has failed because it was based on "one man's dream of architectural glory," argued Jenkins.
Dr Nasser bin Ghaith, an Emirarti financial analyst, who opposed the motion felt that Dubai had become victim of negative media campaign, following the credit crisis.
Making a differentiation between Dubai of Pre-2003 and post-2003, Gaith said the city "had taken a wrong turn on the right path. It will take a u-turn and come back."
"I don't think Dubai is a failed city. What is happening now is a self-correcting mechanism that is inherent in capitalism," said Gaith.
He admitted that there was a lack of transparency in the government but disagreed with the view that all voices of dissent have been suppressed by fear and intimidation.
Sharla Musabih, an Emirati human rights activist, who joined Jenkins to support the motion, countered this argument saying that she herself was a victim of intimidation by the Dubai government.
Founder of the City of Hope shelter for women and children in Dubai, who currently lives in the US, Musabih said she had been forced to leave Dubai because she defended the victims of human rights violations, domestic violence and human trafficking. She argued that such practices have become rampant in Dubai making it a wrong model of development for other Middle Eastern cities.
Mishal Hamad Kanoo, an Emirati businessmen, who spoke against the motion said Dubai had a multi-cultural and multi-national identity that promoted globalisation and economic growth. He wondered if Dubai had become victim of a "media witch hunt," referring to the hundreds of negative reports following the credit crisis.
The speeches were followed by a question- answer session where members of the audience grilled panellists from both sides. Debates chairman Tim Sebastian made the discussion even more lively through his timely interventions.
© The Peninsula 2009
