Dh11bn fund for needy: ‘A nation moves when a citizen is hurt’
The Cabinet yesterday established a Dh11 billion fund to help low-income Emiratis, after a father of nine told a radio talk show that he had been struggling to provide for his family on his health benefits.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, made the announcement on Twitter after ministers heard from Ali Al Mazrouei about the struggle to support his family.
Sheikh Mohammed invited Mr Al Mazrouei, 56, to the meeting after hearing of his plight when he called Ajman Radio’s live programme Al Rabia Wal
Nas and was criticised by the show’s host.
He called for the meeting on Saturday to review the action plan to support low-income citizens, overseen by Hessa Buhumaid, the Minister of Community Development.
Yesterday Cabinet heard the plan and adopted the fund. Sheikh Mohammed said the Cabinet also appointed Mr Al Mazrouei, who is from Ras Al Khaimah, as a social researcher at the ministry.
“A nation moves when a citizen is hurt,” Sheikh Mohammed tweeted on Sunday. “That is what [the Founding Father Sheikh] Zayed wanted”.
Dr Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, yesterday said he was “proud and happy” to see Mr Al Mazrouei at the Cabinet meeting. “Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid listened to his suffering and healed it,” Dr Gargash wrote on Twitter. “Thank you Abu Rashid for your assurance that citizens are the focus of government work.”
Of the Dh11bn, Dh3.88bn will go to social assistance for the elderly, Dh1.55bn for those with a financial and health problems, Dh1.7bn for the disabled and Dh183.9 million for families of prisoners, as part of the government’s social assistance plan.
Dr Saeed Al Mutawa, a Federal National Council member for Sharjah, said the UAE government and leadership responded to the needs of its citizens.
“These proposals had already been in the pipeline and have been discussed several times,” Dr Al Muttawa said.
“Ali Al Mazrouei might have helped to speed up the process but they were already in progress. In no country in the world does the leadership respond so fast to the needs of citizens.
“Mr Al Mazrouei was offered a job based on the belief that he is the best suited to know the needs of this segment of society.”
Salem Al Shehhi, FNC member for RAK, said the story of Mr Al Mazrouei, who left his job as a government worker after becoming ill, “broke our hearts and we felt his pain and anguish as if it were our own”.
Last week, Mr Al Mazrouei told
The National that he called the radio show because he felt “life was starting to close its doors in our faces”.
“Instead of just worrying in vain every day I decided to take a proactive step,” he said.
Mr Al Mazrouei worked as a driver in RAK but had to retire on health grounds. He has diabetes and high blood pressure.
On the show, he spoke of the rising cost of living and how hard it is to get by on Dh13,000 in health benefits from the Government.
He said many Emiratis were not as wealthy as stereotypes might suggest, and that they struggled with the rising cost of living.
When he phoned Ajman Radio’s morning talk show on March 29, Mr Al Mazrouei tried to highlight what rising living costs meant for families such as his.
When he spoke of inflation and the cost of basic goods, the show’s co-host Yaqoub Al Awadhi interrupted him to say “there are retired people whose salaries are Dh10,000 and even used to be Dh7,000” before the Government raised payments.
The presenter suggested that someone who could not live on that sum must have poor financial skills and did not appreciate what he has. The ill-tempered exchange continued for some time.
When news of the argument reached Sheikh Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Crown Prince of Ajman, he ordered Al Awadhi’s suspension from the show.
The Emirati presenter told
The National he was protecting the country’s reputation and did not mean any harm to the caller or anybody else. “I did not want his words to downsize the efforts of the country and its leaders in providing for the people,” Al Awadhi said.
“I felt upset and I was upset when he said half of the Emirati people, as in 500,000 locals, are living poorly. This is an insult.”
He has since apologised publicly to Mr Al Mazrouei live on another show, Al Bath Al Mubasher, on Ajman radio.
I did not want his words to downsize the efforts of the country and its leaders YAQOUB AL AWADHI Broadcaster