Driven by a sense of community

Obaid Rekad, a member from Umm Al Quwain, sees serving on the FNC as a form of social service. A former policeman, he believes a strong bond with the citizens of the emirate contributed to his victory and success, writes Ola Salem.

‘We have faced no obstacles in the council. My experience in the FNC has been better than excellent – there is a lot of response to us,” says Obaid Rekad, FNC member from Umm Al Quwain. Fatima Al MarzShow more

ABU DHABI // Obaid Rekad believes he won his seat on the FNC because of his popularity in Umm Al Quwain.

“I expected to win,” said Mr Rekad, 54, as he greeted visitors to his office.

“I know everyone and they all know me.”

He said he did not spend a dirham on advertising during the elections, as he was sure that people would vote for him.

“The whole population of Umm Al Quwain is about 5,000 to 6,000 people,” he said. “There is a strong bond between all of us. All I did was phone some people and I just went for it.

“I wanted to become a member because it is a form of social service,” he said. “I see it as such and I wanted to take part.”

Mr Rekad is one of the quieter members on the council. This, he said, was because many issues that he wanted to debate were taken off the agenda after being addressed by Cabinet and Presidential rulings.

“Before we are even able to bring an issue up, as soon as we just think about it and it’s on our minds, immediately, the sheikhs address them one way or another, and issue grants and other rulings that immediately solve the problem,” he said.

He recalled the issue of housing being a matter of concern among Emiratis, but before it was discussed in the FNC last year the President’s committee approved grants of Dh243 million for education, employment and housing in the Northern Emirates.

“We have faced no obstacles in the council. My experience in the FNC has been better than excellent – there is a lot of response to us,” Mr Rekad said.

He has found little need to bring issues to the council as the country’s leadership almost always has improvement plans in the pipeline.

“It is evident that the country only cares for the comfort of its citizens,” he said. “As Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid [Vice President and Ruler of Dubai] noted, we are the happiest nation in the world. Everyone knows that.

“Rulers ask the people what they want and they fulfil their every need.”

Mr Rekad is a retired police officer and is proud that a number of his children have followed in his footsteps.

He said serving on the council had given him an insight into how laws and reviews and the Government worked.

“I have learnt a lot,” he said. “We were not really aware of the council’s work, just like other members.”

When asked if he would change anything about the council, he said: “Everything is great. There is no need for any changes in anything.”

Mr Rekad was still undecided whether he would like to run again if his name was listed in the 2015 electoral college list. But he said the Umm Al Quwain community was urging him to stand again.

“One more year is left, then I will think about it,” he said. “A lot of voters have asked me to go for a second term. We will see.”