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Media must help create a harmonious world: Sultan
Media must help create a harmonious world: Sultan Afkar Abdullah / 24 February 2014 Sharjah Ruler talks about role of journalists at the International Government Communication Forum His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, has urged the media to restore the spirit of humanity in people, and inculcate in them moral and cultural values. Addressing the inaugural session of the Sharjah International Government Communication Forum (IGCF) 2014 on Sunday, Dr Shaikh Sultan said: “Media organisations must remain vigilant and approachable, uphold work and moral values, and help create a world that safeguards public harmony.” He was speaking in the presence of esteemed leaders such as Mikhail Gorbachev, the forum’s guest of honour and former president of the Soviet Union; Felipe Calderón, former president of Mexico; and Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs. The opening speeches also featured an address by Shaikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qassimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Media Centre (SMC). He said: “Two years ago, the forum was launched at a time when governments across the world witnessed sweeping political and social changes, which led to a greater interest in enhancing government communications.” “Recent studies reveal that listening, responsiveness and prompt ethically correct reaction are the first criteria for people in choosing a government. This clearly indicates that things have changed; we too must change. It is essential now for us to understand the specificities of the people and their challenge — not just deliver job, healthcare, and education opportunities. He added: “Today, we are missing an important person, Dr Abdullah Omran Taryam, who established the first printing press in the UAE and was the first voice that called for change. In my last meeting, he said that he was glad that Sharjah was moving in the right direction.” Dr Shaikh Sultan also toured the conference facilities and inspected the equipment and services provided at the venue. He also stopped by the memorial wall dedicated to the late Dr Abdullah Omran Taryam and left a message that said: “To the spirit of a good friend and companion since childhood and until the end of days, me and all your loved ones pray for your forgiveness and ask God’s blessing upon your children, who are as dear as you were to us.” The opening ceremony featured a short documentary on various people from different countries expressing the level of satisfaction with their governments, as well as their perceptions on how governments can be more connected and responsive to citizens’ needs and voices. In addition to a number of heads of government departments, members of Sharjah Executive Council and members of the Sharjah Advisory Council, the opening ceremony drew the presence of dignitaries and heads and directors of government departments and organisations, media and communications professionals from various Arab and foreign countries, and representatives of regional and international corporate and government communication departments. Themed “Different Roles … Mutual Interest”, IGCF 2014 will continue to discuss the positive impact of government communication on the relationship between governments and their audiences including citizens, government officials, private sector, public utility commissions and different media stakeholders. The first regional government communication event was organised by SMC in 2012. The forum discussed relevant communication challenges that were triggered by the socio-political occurrences in the Arab world. afkarali@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Mikhail Gorbachev calls for collective leadership
Mikhail Gorbachev calls for collective leadership Afkar Abdullah / 24 February 2014 Former Soviet leader says The root cause of the unrest in Ukraine was an interruption of perestroika and of the democratic process there. Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev says the crisis in Ukraine has been created by the government’s failure to act democratically. Speaking at the IGCF on Sunday, as the forum’s guest of honour, he dwelled briefly on the current political situation in Ukraine where protesters took to the streets of Kiev and seized the president’s office as parliament voted to remove him and hold elections. Speaking about the social conflicts across the world, Gorbachev said: “Today, the world is a kind of turbulent sea. The tensions that have accumulated can surface in the most dramatic way — although it will be difficult to say where. In such reactions, we have seen mass uprisings in countries such as Turkey and Ukraine that underline the failure of their governments to act democratically and talk to their people. The root cause of the unrest in Ukraine was an interruption of perestroika and of the democratic process there.” Calling for change, he said: “Weak crisis management indicates lack of political initiative and courage. Leaders have been content with small steps and have failed to act in the spirit of collective leadership, which is the only workable format in today’s world. The transition to a more sustainable world is imperative. If the current elite are not able to provide leadership to pioneer this change, it is time for the new race of leaders to take their place. Today, we need to look for solutions that lead to world peace. We need global governance — it is a multi-level initiative that covers the local, national, and regional levels. We have only years and not decades to resolve this problem.” In his keynote address, Gorbachev said: “The 20th century has turned out to be the bloodiest century. Although we are living in an interdependent world, we are yet to live in interdependence. We are, therefore, seeing the consequences of this inability in political, economic and social interactions. Globalisation is the dominant reality of the world. The end of the cold war gave impetus to this globalisation.” Gorbachev criticised the way issues are being addressed: “In as much, the assumption that the current model of globalisation will see us overcome the problems of inequality is not working. In fact, we see the development of new weapons and conflicts while old conflicts remain unresolved. For instance, the economic crisis of 2008 is not over. It should have been an alarm bell – but we have not responded to it adequately; there has been no sincere shared effort.” He said globalisation would achieve equality and spread tolerance in the world; it is now encouraging Muslim countries to confront the marginalisation by the Great Powers. afkarali@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Pay your taxi fare by Nol, debit or credit card
Pay your taxi fare by Nol, debit or credit card Lily B. Libo-on / 20 February 2014 The move that came into effect February 19 onwards is aimed at making taxi rides easier and hassle-free. Tourists and residents of Dubai can now pay their taxi fares using Roads and Transport Authority’s (RTA) Nol card, or their debit or credit cards. The move that came into effect February 19 onwards is aimed at making taxi rides easier and hassle-free. An RTA official demonstrates how the taxi fare can be paid by Nol, debit and credit cards, at the RTA headquarters on Wednesday. — KT photo by Rahul Gajjar This move also complements RTA’s efforts to fulfill its commitment to enhance Dubai’s Smart City Initiatives. In a Press conference, Dr Yousef Al Ali, RTA’s Public Transport Agency CEO, said the new initiative will be implemented in four phases, starting with 20 airport taxis, followed by 155 Hala taxis two months from now and the rest of the 8,700 taxi fleet by mid-2015. “This initiative will indisputably constitute an added value service to public transport commuting in general and to taxi rides in particular. Using this latest mode of taxi payments, we expect the ridership to increase, especially when we increase our fleet by 2020.” He said passengers will only have to swipe their Nol or debit or credit cards of various types from around the world, on a meter installed inside the taxi to pay their fares in a smooth and easy payment without the trouble of finding ATMs, in case they run out of cash. “Tourists do not need to rush for currency exchange outlets to be able to have cash to pay the airport taxis. Residents of Dubai can use only a single Nol card since there is easy integration of all RTA modes of transportation.” Al Ali also said that the initiative was not easy to implement before, as it needed to network RTA data with Network International, which powered the payment solution through Verifone, and the franchise operators. “This initiative is an answer to the long standing demand of the customers but it takes time to implement since the new features need to have RTA system directly connected to the banks worldwide.” Abdullah Al Madani, CEO, RTA’s corporate technical support services sector, explained that the unified Nol card is considered one of the most secured cards, thanks to its high tech and multiple features that qualified it to win the Best Prepaid Card in the Middle East Award in 2012, as part of the Middle East Awards for Smart Cards, which is regarded the first of its kind specialised programme in the Middle East Region. He said the infrastructure in place in this initiative will enable RTA to add more services for the taxis in the future. “This initiative will unquestionably raise the level of satisfaction of taxi commuters, and the system is customised to enable taxi users to tip the taxi drive through the use of Nol, debit and credit cards,” he added. Bhairav Trivedi, CEO of Network International, said that both types of consumers — leisure travellers and business travellers — do not need to carry cash. “All terminals are wireless. We instal one meter which accepts Nol card, debit or credit card for payment by simply swiping them on it.” He said that Network International stands in this initiative to fully work in the entire government entity within UAE and continue to produce world-class payment system of top quality so that this can be addressed like anywhere else in the world. “We are pleased to have been selected by RTA to be the payment provider of this ambitious project, which is a key initiative in line with RTA’s Smart Taxi vision. The convenience of taxi users in Dubai was the key driving factor behind the launch of this service.” lily@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
