Special Features
Maitha Faisal Jassim Al Dossari Puts Forth 3-Point Election Agenda Focused On Respect For Women And Responsible Citizenship To Make UAE A Global Leader
Maitha Faisal Jassim Al Dossari, Candidate No 321 at the upcoming Federal National Council (FNC) election from the Emirate of Dubai, has flagged off her election campaign with a three-point agenda and concrete recommendations to achieve them.A self-confident and committed individual, accomplished professional and successful entrepreneur, Maitha’s election campaign rests on three socially pertinent objectives – ensure respect for women, strengthen responsible citizenship among all UAE nationals and establish the UAE as a true global leader making a difference world-wide.
Currently serving on two roles as Head of the Centralized Procurement, Logistics & Administration of Emaar Properties and as Chief Operating Officer of Emaar Retail LLC, the 35-year-old mother is committed about her belief that every individual – man and woman – is endowed with an abundance of talent and energy that when channelled effectively can make a difference to the community.
She said: “I believe that the voice of the Electoral College members must be heard at the FNC, and I commit myself to being with them, serving them in every step forward.”
Maitha’s fundamental election pledge is to work towards “more respect for women.” She believes in the transformational power of education and envisions a nation where educated women have the freedom to pursue their personal and professional choices, and where distressed women are assured of strong social support structures. She passionately champions for divorced women, and the need to provide them a second chance to move ahead in life.
She puts forth a eight point action plan for the welfare of women that includes the provision of mandatory education for all women, scholarship programmes for overseas education right from school level, enabling girls to work while they are studying and setting up support centres and hotline for abused women.
“We should not deny the opportunity for our youth to study abroad and pursue their dreams simply because some are boys and the others are girls. We must enable our young Emirati women to discover their professional strengths from an early age,” said Maitha.
Underlining the right of women “to love and be loved,” Maitha said she will work towards a social system where women can make their marriage choice freely and without fear of losing dignity. “Women have the right to get married to their partner of choice – irrespective of the partner’s nationality and status. The criteria for marriage must be based on mutual respect, understanding and love, not nationality, wealth and race.”
As a professional who has demonstrated the importance of being responsible for one’s actions, Maitha recommends that a collective sense of financial, social and environmental responsibility must be ingrained in every UAE national’s outlook.
She calls for the need for UAE nationals to be more actively involved in every profession – across all levels. “We tend to depend on others to do our work; it is time to take responsibility and do every job, across every tier,” said Maitha, who promises to work towards setting up Emirati Innovation Centres and special training schools and facilitating knowledge exchange.
“I am disturbed by the fact that several young UAE nationals are debt-ridden. We must enable our youngsters to become more financially responsible. When individuals become financially secure and prudent, it benefits the nation, empowering the country to overcome any financial crisis,” said Maitha.
Maitha said she will work towards promoting youth entrepreneurship through Incubation Centres at Universities that support the active involvement of UAE nationals in setting up small and medium enterprises. “Entrepreneurship runs deep in every Emirati – we must encourage them to be innovative and creative. We must help them to leverage the growth opportunity that the UAE provides to doing business.”
Emphasising on the familial responsibility – especially towards the elderly and children – Maitha proposes the setting up of ‘Home Help Service,’ which offers advice on finance, healthcare and security, in addition to hosting civil education sessions to make people realise that taking care of the society is every one’s responsibility.
Maitha also calls for adopting sustainable development measures, especially by promoting recycling and strengthening energy and water use efficiency. “We must take responsibility to reduce our carbon footprint.”
Her concerted action strategies are aimed at establishing the UAE as a global leader, supported by an extremely competent Emirati workforce, comprising men and women across all ranks, who strive to make the world a better place. “The UAE is perceived as a moderate and civilized nation. We have a unique opportunity to serve as the voice of the Arab and Muslim world,” said Maitha.
In this drive forward, she envisages the creation of a UAE Competitiveness Centre, strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem and boosting the nation’s thought leadership position regionally and globally. The centre will benchmark UAE in comparision with other nations and propose specific growth strategies on various topics and across industries, to sustain and strengthen the country’s competitiveness.
Leading by example, Maitha is a graduate in Business Administration & Finance and has completed leadership and management courses from IMD in Switzerland. While continuing to pursue a rewarding professional career, she also hones her entrepreneurial skills managing her own cafe, KOZII African Cafe in The Dubai Mall.
Committed to humanitarian initiatives, Maitha undertakes an array of charity activities – where the emphasis is on empowering the beneficiaries to make a positive and tangible change in their lives.
As she steps forward to serve the nation as a representative of the Emiratis, her commitment remains unwavering – empower the community and underline the power of responsible action.
Follow Maitha on Twitter @MaithaAlDossari and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MaithaAlDossari.Candidate321
