ABU DHABI // As one of the younger members of the FNC, Faisal Al Teneiji, 39, appeals to a younger demographic.
A S, a 26-year-old from Rams in Ras Al Khaimah, said he voted for Mr Al Teneiji because of his relative youth. He added that Mr Al Teneiji’s late father was well-known in the community and loved by many.
“He is a clone of his dad,” A S said. “Everyone knows the other here, so we know them both.”
While a number of FNC members were uneasy about lowering the driving age, Mr Al Teneiji was not, knowing that under-age driving was already a problem. He believed an age reduction would help regulate "child drivers", who were already driving without a licence.
However, he said strict regulations should be in place.
“The Middle Eastern mentality is that a car is not a means of transport but an accessory,” Mr Al Teneiji said. “Therefore, there must be conditions under which someone at the age of 17 can get a licence.”
At the FNC, Mr Al Teneiji is a member of the Education, Media and Youth committee and head of the Complaints and Appeals committee.
Over the past three years, he has made only a few remarks to the Government, one of which questioned the Minister of Public Works about the damage to Shamel Al Qasedat Road which resulted from last November’s heavy rain.
The road was a main thoroughfare in Ras Al Khaimah and had been built only a few months before the damage occurred.
Mr Al Teneiji also joined Abu Dhabi member Mohammed Al Qubaisi in a call to sack Mohammed Saleh, director general of the Federal Water and Electricity Authority, shocking members of the Government.
The duo made the call following a series of complaints over power cuts and poor water quality in the Northern Emirates and of over-chlorination.
osalem@thenational.ae