Abu Dhabi: High growth rates, obsession with international role models and unbalanced local-federal relationships could undermine the UAE's national identity, Emirati academics fear.
They urged to find a formula that would balance high growth rates and economic diversity on the one hand with protecting national identity on the other.
"Our national identity faces a tsunami of challenges and difficulties made by Emiratis and foreigners alike. Many Emiratis are worried about their future and I believe it's time to stop, breathe and think over the development process," said Dr Abdul Khaleq Abdullah, professor of Political Science at UAE University, Al Ain.
Dr Abdullah told a roundtable discussion, held at the Federal National Council about the challenges faced by the national identity, that the UAE had a unique position. "We should belong to the UAE Federation in the first place and not to an emirate or local identity. Loyalty in good and bad times should be to our homeland and not to a group of emirates."
Imbalance
He fears the local identity is growing by the day at the expense of the federal identity. "Local departments, local investments, local services, local budgets ... all take priority, while all that is federal is declining. This unbalanced local-federal relationship could undermine national identity."
Dr Abdullah also warned that the UAE's obsession with international standards and role models is also a major threat against the national identity. "Our plans and strategies are worked out by foreign experts. Developing our Parliament is given to foreign consultants, all our 2020 and 2030 plans are done by foreign experts, education development is also in the hands of foreigners. This expertise comes with its problems," he added.
Dr Abdullah told Gulf News: "With each new development initiative comes new investment opportunities, and more demographic risk factors at the same time. Each development project worth Dh100 billion brings to the country 100,000 expatriates.
"If the investment is worth Dh2.2 trillion in two years, that means 2.2 million expatriates will come to the country, more than three times the number of nationals."
According to a recent Labour Ministry report, the more than 3.1 million foreign workers make up more than 90 per cent of the workforce in the UAE.
Dr Mouza Gobash, professor of Sociology at the UAE University, thinks Emiratis run the risk of becoming a minority in their own country.
"A political decision is needed to stop the influx of foreign immigration into the UAE and reduce the pace of steadily growing growth," Dr Gobash said.
"We are selling lands and properties to foreigners. We are crying over three islands taken by Iran, even though we are selling entire cities," she added.
By Samir Salama, Associate Editor