Tuesday, Aug 18, 2015
Dubai: The feedback on Indian Prime Minister’s Narendra Modi’s public address at the Dubai International Stadium on Monday, in the concluding phase of his two-day visit to the UAE, is a composite of positive as well as negative comments.
In the wake of the runaway enthusiasm of the crowds at the Dubai Cricket Stadium, after the din died down, people were able to dispassionately analyse the substance of his speech. They shared their views with Gulf News.
Vivek Handa, businessman
“I admire Modi usually but felt that his speech fell short of the hype. It appeared that Modi was in election mode and I felt that his rhetoric was repetitive. He could have avoided the direct reference to opposition parties and neighbouring countries and that would have been a display of maturity. He should also have taken the trouble of memorising the full names of the members of UAE’s Rulers as per the protocol here. Overall, I would rate him 6/10 for this speech.
Dr Reza Seddiqi, Group CEO, Arabian Health Care Group
“I think it was an extremely enthusing speech and the highlight was the commitment of the UAE government to make such huge investments in India. Every aspect that Modi discussed — ranging from international terrorism treaty right down to the efforts to ease red tape for Indian expatriates here — was relevant. [His speech] brought the Indian community together. There is the general impression that Modi looks after the interests of one particular community, but this speech changed that image.”
Andres Giminez, French-Ecuadorean businessman who has lived in India for two years
“Modi’s speech yesterday presented a different face from [that of] his real politics in India. That he was on a business trip here was clear. Back home when I was in Delhi, religious minorities were persecuted soon after he came to power and he remained silent for a long time on it. I am happy that he is on a mission to combat international terrorism but ... if he says that people cannot differentiate between good Taliban and bad Taliban and good terrorist and bad terrorist but [they must] clearly state whether they are on the side of terrorism or humanity, he should do the same and practise what he preaches.
“Back home, he does not really have a large following in the state of Kerala, but he openly wooed this new vote bank in his speech, calling out to them and wishing them new year in Malayalam.
“I feel he was here for pure business reasons, not just with the UAE government but also with big Indian houses here. His agenda was pretty clear.”
M.M. Moiuddin, Director, Prime Health Care Group
“Overall, I think it was a positive speech. I watched it on television and what I particularly liked was Modi’s efforts to integrate the countries in the neighbourhood. Such mutual cooperation in connecting with countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, is constructive thinking that will empower all these countries in Southeast Asia and greatly reduce the cost of transportation.”
Syed Maqbool, Operations Manager, Al Rahmani General Trading Company
“Modi added a strategic aspect to the historical relationship between the countries by agreeing to strengthen defence, space and intelligence sharing. However, he missed a chance. UAE is a global hub of Islamic finance and investment; we expected an announcement on the opening of Islamic banking in India. Modi missed an opportunity to launch a Shariah-compliant equity mutual fund in his address to us.”
Moosa Kalem, Head of Financial Institutions, Noor Bank
“An indirect criticism by Modi on the opposition - especially during an international visit - by asserting that [his was] “first visit by any India PM after 34 years” is distasteful as it backfires on his own NDA rule as they occupied the office twice but failed to make a single visit to the Emirates. In my opinion, our prime minister needs to understand that indiscreet comments on neighboring countries to gain snap popularity also has the potentail to disrupt the desired peace strategy.”
Syed Qutuburrahman, President, Aligarh Muslim University UAE Alumni Forum
“Modi’s visit was a positive move and I believe he has observed the unique peaceful atmosphere of the UAE and will try to implement it in India. With all the foreign investments that Modi is generating, I hope the benefits will trickle down to all segments of the society, especially Muslims of India who are feeling sidelined and ignored.”
By Suchitra Bajpai Chaudhary Senior Reporter and Shafaat Shabandari Staff Reporter
Gulf News 2015. All rights reserved.
