Fujairah needs infrastructure

A reader calls for better infrastructure in Fujairah. Other topics: force-feeding, municipality tax, coffee charges, Narendra Modi

A reader calls for infrastructure development in Fujairah. Sarah Dea / The National

With reference to your story Residents of Al Ghub hope for fresh air (August 16), I recently went to Fujairah on a leisure trip and have to admit that the emirate has yet to achieve a lot in terms of development and infrastructure. It was sad to witness the lack of basic facilities across a city that offers some of the best scenic views. Most of the areas are underdeveloped with barely a few shopping malls and retail stores. The roads are unpaved and a few residential buildings are scattered along the sandy stretch of road. The city requires planning and hefty investment to get noticed.

Fatima Suhail, Sharjah

Force-feeding is against the law

Regarding the report Unconscious Palestinian detainee could be force-fed by Israel (August 15), force-feeding is against international law, in that it is considered ethically unacceptable, or immoral, by all major global medical organisations. However, like almost everything else concerning international law, the US and Israel have simply refused to ratify the provisions that would make the law technically binding.

This and the notion that law is not law without effective enforcement are ridiculous.

For this we can use the word evil. Thirty-five years ago Margaret Thatcher refused to recognise IRA member Bobby Sands as a political prisoner. She condemned him as simply a convicted criminal. Yet in truth, his and his fellow prisoners’ martyrdom brought the plight of the Catholic Irish underclass in British-occupied Northern Ireland out of the shadows of “The Troubles” and on to the world stage, where it raised the level of violence in the short term but led to substantial changes for the Irish Catholics.

It’s true Sands was a criminal and it’s also true that he was a political prisoner besides. And the British were enlightened enough to recognise his basic human right to refuse to eat.

Marti Martini, Dubai

Concern over municipality tax

Markets are cyclical and fluctuate. This is normal in a maturing market like Dubai (Dubai property prices are falling faster than rents, August 12). My concern is with the correlation of municipality service fees, collected by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority to rents rather than property values. Elsewhere in the world, people pay property tax, which is what the service fees are. I have no problem with that, the funds support the city's infrastructure that we use daily. What I do have a problem with is the fact that my fees are calculated at the top end of the rental index for a home that I own and live in.

Further, I live alone with one car, greatly reducing the impact on the city, yet service fees are calculated for multi-person, multi-car households.

I hope that the municipality will come up with a more equitable formula for calculating Dubai’s housing fees for owner-occupiers and for those of us who intentionally strive to minimise our impact on the city and the environment.

Elan Fabbri, Dubai

Want extra? Be ready to pay

You want extras? You have to pay for them, it's that simple (Mocha shocker in the coffee shop, August 15). It's called "upselling" and if you haven't worked that out already then you have no business being let out without mummy or daddy. However, if they're giving you the extras without asking you if you want them and then charging that would be wrong.

Dave Pryce, Dubai

Leaders have common vision

There are many similarities between Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India.

Both are dynamic,determined and have a clear vision on how to lead their countries on the path to progress and prosperity.

Both the leaders are tech savvy, and make special efforts to connect with the youth, who in turn adore them.

Amitabh Saxena, Canada