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A new ruler for Dubai

Dubai and the United Arab Emirates have lost a far-sighted leader with the death of Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid al-Maktoum. Under his rule from 1990, Dubai, one of the seven UAE states, metamorphosed from a trading outpost into a dynamic business and commercial hub of the region and a fast-growing cosmopolis. A sound decision to diversify into non-oil sectors — the emirate is not as oil rich as some others in the federation — preceded Sheikh Maktoum's rule, but it was only in the last decade that Dubai plunged energetically into new areas of economic growth such as finance and tourism. This in turn propelled a huge construction boom. Oil now contributes merely 5.8 per cent of Dubai's gross domestic product, according to data from the Dubai Department of Economic Development, making it a model among other states in the UAE and in the Gulf region. The last few years also saw this emirate make rapid strides in education and the information technology sector. Although free speech is written into the UAE Constitution, news outlets work under some restraints, including a 1988 law that prescribes subjects acceptable for publication or broadcast. Still Dubai aspires to be a nodal point for dissemination of news about the region, and recently set up a media park where some of the major international and regional news networks have opened shop.

Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, who has succeeded his brother as Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, is expected to provide continuity in change. With the ruler backing him, he took charge of Dubai's economic development and led the thrust into the new sectors. The rest of the world has high stakes in the makeover of Dubai and is interested in where Sheikh Mohammed will take it. As the emirate's second largest trade partner, India is an important contributor to the Dubai success story as well as its beneficiary. Of nearly 1.2 million Indians in the UAE, more than half are in Dubai and other northern emirates. Indian workers — unskilled, semi-skilled, and professional — are a vital part of the UAE economy. This, in turn, has taken some pressure off the Indian job market, especially Kerala's. Indians in the UAE send back annually $2 billion in remittances. There had been concerns that some Indian and Pakistani underworld elements were sheltering in Dubai. It took a while (despite a 1999 extradition treaty) for the UAE to respond to New Delhi's requests to hand over men wanted in India for various crimes. Diplomacy, and the post-9/11 situation, have led to positive developments on this front beginning with the deportation of Aftab Ansari, wanted in the Kolkota American Centre blast case. The hope is that with Sheikh Mohammed at the helm, India's partnership with Dubai will be strengthened and its concerns more expeditiously met. This will be in keeping with the enlightened modernity associated with Dubai and its new ruler.

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