The Majalis Affairs Office at the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court has organised a lecture in collaboration with the Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs (MFNCA), held at Majlis Mufleh Alahbabi in Al Ain.
The lecture witnessed great participation and interaction from the audience, who asked questions about political participation and ways to better engage citizens and empower them to play a bigger role in sustainable development.
Featuring Dr Ahmed Al Mansouri, Expert in Law and International Relations, the lecture sought to determine the role of political participation in enhancing the “Shura” approach espoused by the UAE, which empowers citizens to play an effective role in decision making.
Dr Al Mansouri asserted that the Shura approach is deeply rooted in the UAE’s political life, whose main tenets were set by the country’s Founding Father the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and which materialised in the 1972 establishment of the Federal National Council (FNC) to engage citizens in national decision making.
“The UAE Constitution placed great emphasis on political participation,” Dr Al Mansouri said. “Emirati society has long adhered to a participatory approach in politics through its tradition of Shura, whereby the majalis of Their Highnesses the Rulers of the emirates were places of gathering, where ideas were exchanged, and discussions covered all topics pertaining to citizens – their issues, their problems and ways to address them, and their needs and aspirations. The UAE Constitution regards people as the cornerstone of all political, economic, and social development.”
Dr Al Mansouri then shed light on the political empowerment speech, delivered by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, on the 34th National Day in 2005, which set the foundations for a national action plan that included, among other things, empowering the FNC to offer support and counsel to the executive authority.
The Council has always been committed to embedding the values of political participation and Shura in society, he added, lauding the success of the UAE’s inaugural election cycle in 2006, which sought to have half of the Federal National Council members elected by the electoral colleges in each emirate. The success carried through to the 2011 and 2015 elections, reflecting our leadership’s commitment to training citizens to play a bigger and more effective role in the UAE’s sustainable development efforts.
Dr Al Mansouri stressed the necessity of maintaining the momentum in order to truly establish a culture of political participation, enhance parliamentary life in the UAE, and foster new communication and interaction channels with all segments of society.
This lecture is part of a series of activities organised by the Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs to promote political awareness and enhance communication with all segments of society. It also serves to achieve the Ministry’s vision and strategic objectives to build long-term national partnerships.
