Is Dubai worth copying? :: Arab News

Emiratis living in Dubai have become foreigners in their own country, representing a tiny minority of the city's population. Statistics indicate that natives make up a mere two percent of Dubai's total population. Imagine a place where 98 percent of the population are foreigners whose presence is dictated by transient interests. As for the number of UAE citizens compared to the overall population, they account for no more than 10 percent.

The figures given are gross exaggerations. What's the point of exaggerating when the true numbers are astonishing enough?

The question is whether the foreign presence will, in the long run, compensate for the diminishing role of citizens and their ability to run own affairs by themselves? It is a question facing not only Dubai but also every other Gulf country.

Let's put the question to a popularly-elected government where the voters are the citizens.