How to turn around bad publicity

Recently I read a very heated set of debates triggered by Sultan Sooud al Qassemi's article in the Independent Blog as well as John B. Chilton's repost of the same in UAE Community Blog.

The article and its follow-up comments are perhaps some of the never-ending Dubai-bashing exercise some of us have been mutely observing / reading for quite a few years now! Strangely, I find that whether it was the boom time or the current bust time that Dubai is experiencing, some of the commonly accepted ills are refused to be accepted by the so called "PR-generals" of the City state!

Here are just 2 of the truncated comments posted against the main article:

A couple of months ago my husband was made redundant in Dubai. He owed his company a portion of his housing loan, but his company owed him far more in unpaid salary/redundancy/ contract etc... They refused to hand this over until he paid up. We went to the Labour Tribunal twice (holding of passports is illegal in U.A.E law), Court, Police, Human rights... At the British Embassy we were told to pay up and keep quiet... if there was a family emergency in the U.K. my husband would not be able to leave the country. ...Perhaps Dubai jails would have more people in them if Emiratis were punished properly for the crimes they commit against expats. I could mention the case of the woman wilfully run over twice by an unnamed Emirati driving a Hummer who only received 10 years, reduced to 7 on appeal for premeditated murder... ..."

- geraldine48

I lived in Dubai for many years... The bubble has certainly burst... Dubai was once a quiet, soulful town full of culture, opportunity and promise. In its' speed for greed and wealth it has now become the most artificial and superficial place on the planet... a haven for prostitution, slavery and vulgar displays of wealth. It makes 'sun city' look real! Prostitution is so rife, in this so called 'Muslim' country.... The Emiratis and their fellow GCC comrades seem to think any semi-attractive western woman under 40 in Dubai is on the game...
Slavery is rife and the conditions for construction workers are appalling. When you drive past the construction sites they look like the walking dead...

- dubainow

I feel there's a lot of truth in the above comments, since I myself faced the similar situations of dubainow, 7 years ago, which made me more cautious! Recently I visited Sonapur - which has now turned notorious after BBC documentary / report - and was shocked even by the overall state of things! You don't have to even go inside each labour compound - the mere location of the camps (adjacent to a massive graveyard), the dusty and muddy state of roads /approach and even the treatment given by RTA to these hapless laborers (e.g. the twin sheltered bus-stand nearer to emirates Road didn't have ACs) were signals enough for anyn new person to understand the contrasts one is encountering here!

Having lived in this country for so long, and to a large extent indebted to the growth I experienced, I fail to understand why these problems are dealt with a superficial attitude! Isn't it this lackadaisical attitude and the failure to attack these problems giving enough chances to the buzz creators to talk negative again and again?

No matter whatsoever way a community, city or a nation progresses, if the leadership is unable to uplift the bottom-most section of society, there will be increasing chances that sooner or later the economy is going to crumble! It's not only true for Dubai, but also true for all the developing as well as developed world! Similarly, if the people responsible to take control of the "cultural law and order" are not doing enough, soon the sense of security and peace - the two most prized possessions of UAE - will crumble!

Since this is a recession time, activities would far lower due to slower economic growth. Therefore it's the most opportune moment / time to sit back, listen carefully and start finding permanent solutions and acting on them with an iron hand! Go ahead! Stop losing out!

How much skin-show is acceptable in UAE?

We live in UAE, within a melting pot of cultures and communities. Much as we like or hate it's idiosyncracies and problems, UAE does give many of the Expats the opportunities to live their lives in a way they'd perhaps not imagine in their home countries (otherwise they would not have come in the first place!). Thank You is the least we can say perhaps!

One of the things I've never been able to really fathom, is that despite being a Shariah compliant country, it closes it's eyes to many things, which perhaps many similar nations would not! One of these things I've always found unacceptable (though not obnoxious!) is the extent of skin show allowed in the printed materials / media. Even with a new code of conduct to tackle nudity in Dubai, majority of the people thought that the new code of conduct is ridiculous (polled by Kipreport.com)! Particularly, we see that the so-called "health" or "lifestyle" magazines are sprinkled with abundant dose of nudity in different forms, denoting "life" or "health" or "fitness".

Personally I've been tracking one of these magazines in UAE, and thought of posting this question in the UAE Community Blog (image above). I got overwhelmed by the comments / discussions that ensued on this piece, and was amused to see I'm not the only one!

While I'd like to thank all of those who put their hearts in this discussion, I'd like to still keep these questions open:

1. Is it really the "only" way to promote health and lifestyle - regardless of the culture of the land in question?
2. Is it not crass consumerism that's imposed / forced upon, to attract the 90% of the community who DO-NOT follow this kind of lifestyle?
3. Aren't there better ways promote health and lifestyle - stylishly? Or is it the norm of the industry?
4. Is there any other / better / different way to promote HEALTH and LIFESTYLE?

Looking for your responses.

Other Links: Dubai Code of conduct (full version); Dubai Issues List of prohibited public behaviour; Behave Yourself!

7 step Salary negotiation for Dubai newbies

Over the last 2 years, the living costs in Dubai has multiplied - and so have the new job seekers! We all agree that Dubai has a charisma of its own, that attracts scores and scores of career makers, investors, the big-bold-beautiful, and what not!

However, perhaps in between the fast pace the Dubai life has become, all of us overlook the new comers - especially the not so priveleged - who dream of making and sustaining a "better" life than in their native countries.

Keeping them in mind, I had submitted a salary negotiation advice thread in DiscussDubai.com almost 2 years ago! I was amazed last week to see that this discussion page earned the highest number of hits (>7000) among all other topics! Such is the demand of Dubai as a career builder!

For all those who'd like to know the 7 steps for negotiation, here are the suggestions:

1) Unlearn your past experiences / expectations
2) Calculate your basic minimum needs first
3) Adjust with your “lifestyle” expectations
4) Do some homework
5) Always ask for a little more
6) Always get to know the complete package (and more)
7) Do not budge too lower than your expectations

For details on these steps, please Click Here

Many of you'd agree these are just plain simple suggestions - no big deal here! But it's really amazing that even after 2 years I still keep on getting personal messages asking for advice (and I gladly do give the!) before taking decisions.

Hopefully by including the above link on this forum some more people may get some help!

How NOT to be ripped-off while taking a loan

Usually, for every new entrant in Dubai - i.e. one who has got an employment, got an accomodation and a bank account - applying for a personal / car loan is the 2nd most important step towards settling down.All the banks - esp. the MNC banks - know about this quite as well , and are sitting there just to grab you to make a kill! Most often the rate is the currently applicable rate in the country - but offers / add-ons / ripp-offs are all dependent upon who proves the smartest - the bank or you .

This post is all about making you the smarter (well that's how I feel - I might be mistaken).

1) Don't jump on to the very first "lucrative" offer, which is often linked with your credit card - These loans prove to be extremely costly - you tend to pay an extremely high rate of interest if you're not a good personal finance manager!

2) Look for at least 5-6 offers of local as well as MNC banks - Often quoted rates and benefits are better in case of local banks, since the govt. favors these banks to a large extent to make them grow.

3) Look for the "Interest Rate on Reducing Principal" rather than "Simple / Flat Rate" - Regardless of the simple flat rates quoted to you, the former is the process followed by every bank, not only in Dubai, but internationally. This falls under banking process. Hence look for the lowest applicable rate on reducing principal amount.

4) Look for the hidden fees - Often banks say there's zero processing fees. However, they might name it differently, saying that you' have to pay just X% as documentation charges. Clarify what other charges are applicable - esp. in case of banks which tend to offer easy loans and goodies.

5) Try to pay processing / documentation / other charges separately - Often banks are known to be notorious in adding up these charges into the principal, and then apply the interest while calculating the EMI. Logically, I don't see a reason why a customer should pay interests on these at all!!! Usually this charge ranges from 0.5 to 3%. A loan amount of AED 100,000 would therefore have a documentation fee of only AED 3000! If your flat rate is 8%, you'd keep on paying at the rate of AED 10 per month for the whole period of your payment plan - which is attrocious Hence, if you can, delay the first instalment of your EMI, but pay these "hidden" charges separately.

6) Look for the "Early settlement fees" - Often banks tend to have a high rate for early settlement - just to discourage a client to settle accounts earlier than the total period. Usually when a loan is approved and given, the interests charges on monthly basis serve as constant monthly incomes for the banks, which they don't want to let go.

7) Finally, Decide well on your type of loan - When you are new to this country, you might feel cautious not to get into a debt which you cannot handle. While it's necessary to have a car, the same could prove a liability a few months later, if (God Forbid) either you or company decides to let go / move on. If you're very confident of staying the whole period of your payback period in the country, then a Car loan to buy a car proves cheaper. If you feel you might not stay the full period, then a personal loan for the same amount would be helpful.

No one wants to buy a used car with EMI linked to it. Nor you can sell a car with a loan attached to it (practically the car is owned by the bank, not you) The bank too charges an extra fee (other than the Early settlement fee) in case of Car loans when you ask for settlement. A personal loan can be settled early at your own pace, which can be used intelligently in early settlement.

Lastly, you should consult a finance person to check and recheck if the EMI you are paying correctly recalculates the principal you were promised. I was quoted a flat rate of 3.95% on a car loan, with no processing fee. It was after many months I realized that finally, I'm paying 4.33% flat rate. By that time it was too late and all papers I signed, intelligently avoided mention of these finer aspects. Therefore, do find a way to cross check this!! (If you need a reckoner contact me)

Hope after reading the above, you would be doubly careful before taking a loan.
(Photo Courtesy) This blog spot does not have any relation to the photo source.

Of multicultarism and discrimination

The subject of cultural integration has been debated upon quite a number of times, and it would continue to do so perhaps throughout the growing years of Dubai / UAE. The issue is whether Dubai is a cultural melting pot or whether cultural co-existence. I have talked about this subject in my columns here and here. However I came across a very interesting outlook from Marco Blankenburgh in an old issue of Time Out magazine. Marco's company Knowledge Workx specializes in what he calls "intercultural training", which I agree is extremely essential for the ever-growing population of Dubai.

He agrees that the problem of people not being able to adapt culturally is indeed a serious and growing issue. Especially now that the pressure on people, in terms cost of living and quality of life, is rising:
"We co-exist but don't really mix, and we assume that it is supposed to be this way. So if I appoint a boss from a certain nationality to lead a certain department, it's assumed that people from that nationality will start appearing and sooner or later they will be the majority. If you have a social event at your company, you typically see people from the same nationality grouped together and there is no real synergy among the team."

I feel he also voices a very commonly felt syndrome which is rarely accepted or given credence in public - that of racial discrimination at the work place. Despite claiming that they are "equal opportunities employer", majority of the companies either flout it openly or have numerous ways possible to justify their stance.

For example the recruitment process itself starts with "Western educated" or "Indian Male" as a few of the pre-requisities for some positions, and comparatively much lower salaries offered to some nationalities despite more experience, maturity and values offered in return. (See the blog posts here, here and here.)

Marco agrees too, that people should be paid equal salaries regardless of their nationalities:
"It helps to create true cultural synergy and attaches value to the individual's skills rather than their nationality. You can't do it overnight ... It is so entrenched that it could take years to change. Slavery was abolished 200 years ago but the effects of it haven't gone
away..."

Any other ideas, comments or points of view?

Photo Courtesy