Celebrating unity on our special day

Readers discuss National Day. Other topics: turtles, bullying, reckless driving and fireworks.

Readers discuss National Day, turtles, bullies and fireworks. Photo: Pawan Singh / The National

With regards to Khalaf Al Habtoor's most recent column By working as one people we have built the UAE (December 2), many critical and interesting points were raised.

The writer has rightly stated that the progress of the country is attributed to the unity of those living and working here, Emiratis and expatriates alike.

The UAE is an example to others. It is one country that has managed to provide its citizens with the best of facilities and a safe environment despite unrest in the region.

The rulers of the country deserve every praise for being an inspiration to all and leading by example.

Name withheld by request

The strength of the Union lies in its strong bond of unity akin to one large family with its leaders as the heads of the family. There is an age old saying “you shall know them by the fruits they bear”.

The fruits are those who are the ordinary citizens of UAE who keep the Spirit of the Union alive as one big united family.

Mohammed Khelvi, Abu Dhabi

Protecting all investments

Your report Licence revoked from Dubai e-commerce trader Gold AE (November 28) has raised much concern for me and many others across the country.

Having worked here for 20 years, all of my hard earned money was tied up in one of these schemes. I am not sure what I will do next but I have strong faith that this situation will be remedied.

K Ahmed, Dubai

Turtles go free on National Day

I was delighted to read your report 44 turtles released to celebrate 44th UAE National Day (December 2). It is wonderful to hear that these turtles have been released in the Arabian Gulf.

The bond between the natural environment and our society is strong. Therefore, it is important to have these kinds of occasions when they naturally arise.

There cannot be anything more rewarding than to allow these animals back to their natural habitat – to where they belong.

It is not only a great celebratory gesture but also a way to give back to the environment and the society.

Name withheld by request

Using creativity against bullies

Regarding your recent opinion piece, We should work as a community to tackle the problem of bullying (December 1), I have a lot of experience with the issue. I was a schoolteacher for 20 years and fully understand the problem of bullying.

One thing that became clear to me over the years of teaching is that tolerance and kindness can be learnt from songs, which can help combat bullying. For example, more than 6,500 hits have been made to the “Be a Buddy, Not a Bully” song site so far.

Gloria R, Dubai

Who doesn’t love fireworks?

I loved your piece by Mona Thomas, Great occasions deserve an explosion of colour (December 1) because it reflected sentiments we should all aspire to.

We all have more in common than we often realise and we all enjoy celebrating our successes whenever and however they occur. Fireworks tingle the senses of people the world over.

Debbie Wills, Abu Dhabi

No place for reckless drivers

The behaviour of the driver in your video report Driver in Doha smashes into Rolls-Royce in road rage incident (December 1) is shocking.

The driver should be charged for vandalism, reckless driving and posing a threat to hotel staff and customers. The manner in which this young man drove his car could have easily resulted in a fatality.

Had a passer-by been on the road at the time, the driver would have mowed him down in a fit of rage. This man deserves a punishment for his recklessness.

In addition to paying for the damage, he should also be fined to deter him from repeating the mistake in the future. It is drivers like this that effect overall road safety. Let the legal system swiftly deal with the case and make the roads safer for all of us.

Fatima Suhail, Sharjah