ABU DHABI // Frustrated by bureaucratic bottlenecks that can mean a five-year gap between a law being passed and its coming into effect, the Federal National Council has decided to impose new drafting deadlines on officials.
"We want to speed things up," Dr Abdulrahim Al Shahin, an appointed FNC member from Ras Al Khaimah who has spearheaded the push, said during the council's last session.
Under the constitution, laws passed by the President, Sheikh Khalifa, must then be published in the official gazette. Only then can the ministry concerned begin writing the regulations needed to put the law into effect.
The constitution requires the publication to happen within two weeks of the law being passed by the President. Often, though, it takes longer.
Further, once a law has been published in the Gazette, years or even decades sometimes pass before ministries write the relevant regulations. For example, the Ministry of Finance has yet to issue the statutory instruments for a 1985 law on the regulation of Islamic banks.
To speed up the process, the FNC will, as it deems necessary, add a clause to bills it passes that sets a deadline for the ministry concerned to write the laws.
One of the first bills with such a clause concerned certification of precious metals and stones. It was passed at the FNC's last session, on January 17.
Members had wanted to set a six-month deadline, but the head of the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology, Rashid Ahmed bin Fahad, insisted that that was not enough.
"Giving the authority six months and another six months for its implementation would mean that the law would already take a year to work," Dr Al Shahin said.
Dr Al Shahin added that 90 per cent of the law was the same as the one it replaces. "We already had a law, if it was not implemented, then you are responsible," he said to Mr Fahad.
Dr Al Shahin had broached the issue of delayed Gazette publication with Dr Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for both Foreign Affairs and FNC Affairs, at the FNC session on January 3. Other members have since joined Dr Al Shahin's call.
"We need the laws to be published so ministries and other authorities know what their rights are when putting together the bylaws," he said.
His frustration grew at the January 17 session. Then - two months after the new FNC first met - members received the official announcement of the start of the council's 15th legislative chapter, along with the 40 members' names.
"These should have been in the first session," he said.
Ali Jassim (appointed, Umm Al Qaiwain) echoed his frustration. "This is a pressing issue," he said. "The names of the members we saw in the papers before the session started was through the media's own efforts."
Mr Jassim also called for laws to be published not only in the Gazette, but also in the press. "These laws affect citizens," he said. "They should know about them."
At the suggestion of the Speaker, Mohammed Al Murr (appointed, Dubai), the FNC voted to make an official complaint about the delay to the Ministry of Justice. "Some laws stay for five years and they are not executed," Mr Jassim said.
Still, the debate on the new law for the certification of precious metals showed that for some FNC members, faster is not necessarily better. Indeed, the standardisation authority's Mr Fahad did find some sympathy on the council when he asked for more time to write the bylaws.
"A lot of work is needed in this," said Ahmed Al Amash (elected, RAK). "The authority saw that it needs at least this time."
Ahmed Al Manouri (appointed, Dubai) agreed. "This business is big; hundreds of tonnes have been imported from Dubai, that is billions," he said. "I agree, six months is not enough."
After a half-hour debate, members agreed to Mr Fahad's request for a one-year limit.
osalem@thenational.ae
The Cockroach
(Vintage)
Ian McEwan
Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II
UAE Division Two
Winners: Barrelhouse
Runners up: RAK Rugby
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Norway v Spain, Saturday, 10.45pm, UAE
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Teams
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan Shanwari, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Corey Anderson, Mark Chapman, Lockie Ferguson, Colin de Grandhomme, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Seth Rance, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.
Zidane's managerial achievements
La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017
THREE
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