ABU DHABI, 3 December 2002 — President Sheikh Zayed ibn Sultan Al-Nahyan warned yesterday that a large expatriate community is threatening to unravel the social fabric of the country.
UAE citizens are a shrinking minority in their own country where foreigners comprise up to 85 percent of the 4.6 million population — the highest percentage of any Gulf state.
“This imbalance continues to pose a grave problem which threatens the stability of our society and the prospects for future generations,” Sheikh Zayed said in a statement marking the 31st anniversary of the creation of the UAE federation.
He called on National Day for “the implementation of measures to remedy this imbalance,” in a population of over three million.
“Every citizen must help the state to correct this imbalance,” he said, but did not specify what measures needed to be taken.
Sheikh Zayed, who has ruled over the only federal country in the Arab world since 1971, noted the success of the UAE.
“The social and political stability that we have enjoyed has made it possible for our country to achieve remarkable growth in gross domestic product,” he said.
GDP has shot up from $1.77 billion in 1972 to 70.84 billion this year, with more than $52 billion of it from the non-oil sector.
However, the octogenarian stressed that “the challenge of today is to build the youth” to guarantee the state’s future.
UAE officials and businessmen say they are alarmed by what they see as a growing reliance on a foreign work force, mainly from India, Pakistan and southeast Asian countries.
Aware of the demographic imbalance, the UAE authorities are already enforcing curbs on unskilled workers and have introduced a policy of “Emiratization” where local firms must hire a set percentage of nationals.
But thousands of illegal immigrants still sneak into the country every year looking for jobs and companies continue to bring in thousands more as Gulf citizens traditionally shy away from menial jobs.
Dubai Crown Prince and UAE Defense Minister Sheikh Mohammed ibn Rashid Al-Maktoum said the booming federation where giant new development projects are under way was “on the threshold of a new era”.
The seven sleepy desert sheikhdoms have been transformed into a prosperous oasis which looked unlikely when Britain surprisingly announced in January 1968 that it was pulling out of what were known as the Trucial States.
The following month Abu Dhabi and Dubai quickly united, but Ras Al-Khaimah delayed joining the federation until 1972.
Fujairah, on the Indian Ocean coast, Sharjah and the two smallest emirates, Ajman and Umm Al-Qaiwain, adopted a new Constitution along with Abu Dhabi and Dubai on Dec. 2, 1971. (Agencies)
