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‘Whatever next?’ HAVING spent many years in the Emirates, I should, by now, cease to be amazed by any new project that is announced. Massive islands in the Gulf, canals and lakes in the desert, the world’s tallest building, and so on. No longer do these technological achievements raise more than an eyebrow. But I have to admit that the latest effort to push the frontiers of science did cause me to utter those overused words “whatever next?” Here in this land of searing hot sand and camels, plans are being hatched to breed — and you have to believe this — penguins. I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised. A few days ago I eventually got around to visiting Ski Dubai, the massive ski slope and snow park which has been built as part of the Mall of the Emirates. It opened several weeks ago; there was a time when I would have been queuing up on day one to see the latest wonder, but I suppose I have been getting a little blasé about such happenings. But so many people were telling me that I really must go and have a look — and others were boring me crazy with stories of having taken up skiing lessons — that I gave in. I went on a weekend, together, it seemed, with the rest of the Dubai population, and have to admit it is quite a sight: a 400-metre snow-covered (real snow) slope which descends from the height of a 10-storey building. Chair lifts carry those with sufficient experience to the summit and they rapidly descend either on skis or snowboards. They are far outnumbered by the beginners — those who have no experience, not only of action on the icy slopes, but have never seen snow before. For me, this was the more fascinating area. I can watch downhill skiers on the satellite sports channel any day but what you see at the snow park is a microcosm of Dubai. People of every age and from just about every country in the world, dressed in thermal suits, which are provided as part of the admission charge, frolicking in the cold and throwing snowballs at each other. Most of them were people far removed from their indigenous habitat but they appeared to have adjusted quite well, which is what, I suppose, the penguins will have to do. Not that they will be making their home at Ski Dubai. In typical Dubai fashion we are now promised an even bigger snow experience. The Dubai Snowdome will be the biggest dome in the world. It will recreate the Antarctic in the desert, which is fast being gobbled up by construction, just outside Dubai. The Iranian company that is behind the project says they plan to import eggs to begin a breeding programme for penguins. “Everybody on this planet loves penguins. And in the Snowdome, we are going to create the same atmosphere and lifestyle for penguins to make them feel at home in Dubai,” according to Mashid Pishyar, the company’s chairman. He adds that people will be able to buy or adopt penguins but I presume it would not be advisable to take them for a walk in a Dubai summer. Like all themed developments in Dubai they range from sports to technology, Snowdome will include a substantial residential property element, but it has not been announced whether this means igloos will be for sale as a way of mitigating the current accommodation shortage in the city. Several other developments have recently been attracting unwelcome attention in both the local and international press. Bear in mind that Dubai’s property boom is only four or five years old. Before that, foreigners were not allowed to own property so when the government got the idea of selling worthless pieces of desert at inflated prices, there was unprecedented demand. Both people who were fed up paying rent and those who saw the chance to make quick money by buying and selling, rushed to sign up. It became the norm for large developments to be sold out within hours of being offered. Such was the frenzy that prices rose rapidly and investors were able to make money, even before construction of developments had begun. Now, a few years later, the early plans have become reality although in some cases they haven’t, and this is causing distress. Not so long back the press was fearful of criticizing anything that happened in the UAE, but the spread of media in recent years has brought a new emboldened approach and stories have begun appearing that all is not well on the property scene — stories which have been picked up internationally, for instance in Britain, where Dubai properties have been heavily promoted. Complaints are numerous, but essentially fall into four categories. People have complained that completion dates for developments have not been met and in some cases are well over a year behind schedule. Properties on the now famous Jumeira Palm Island are among those which fall into this category. There are also complaints about the quality of workmanship in some developments, which was inevitable in a market where low price is so often the only factor in the award of a contract. People had to be moved out of one group of villas after they started cracking up. Then there is criticism of the marketing of the properties. One example is the use of an artist’s impression showing how a tower block will appear when complete. Inevitably it is shown surrounded by blue skies and open space. The reality is probably that when complete it will be only metres from other buildings on all sides and the ‘splendid views’ which are mentioned will be straight into the neighbour’s kitchen. And, finally, not everything that is promised in the way of amenities is always delivered. A prime example was a development of villas and apartments that were supposed to be built on a golf course. After everybody had signed up and paid their deposits, the golf course was quietly abandoned. Property companies — the major ones are ultimately owned by the Dubai government — are being forced to admit there are problems, that they have learned from them, and are addressing them, but whether they will do so to the satisfaction of the buyers remains to be seen. Consumer power is a new phenomenon in Dubai and still not fully understood. But at least the penguins are not likely to complain about their accommodation. * * * AND talking of domestic issues, Pakistanis in the UAE want to see the end of a 10-year old restriction on employing maids. Under an agreement between the UAE and Pakistan governments, the UAE will not issue visas for Pakistani maids. It was apparently introduced because of concerns that young ladies who arrived as maids were becoming involved in activities which had nothing to do with cleaning, cooking and looking after children. M. I. Javed, welfare counsellor at the Pakistan consulate, told the Gulf News that the ban was imposed because there had been complaints of ‘illicit relationships and prostitution’. But many members of the community believe it is now time for a re-think. It is possible for Pakistani families to employ maids of other nationalities but they complain of the language, religious and cultural barriers. Tanveer Khawaja, chairman of the Pakistan Business Council, who was recently refused a visa for a maid who had worked with his family in Pakistan, said he believed the ban should be lifted but with certain restrictions, such as a minimum age limit of 35 ‘to avoid any complications’. Raja Ekram, a banker, said Pakistani maids should be allowed at least to work for Pakistani families living in the UAE. “We can’t trust maids from other nationalities because we don’t know their background,” he said.
