A survey conducted by “Emirates Today” to measure the extent of responsiveness of official spokespersons in ministries and federal agencies with the press showed a deficiency in the performance of a number of them, as the newspaper was unable to obtain answers to its questions from more than half of the official spokespersons, for several reasons, including that a number of them They left the phone ringing and did not answer it, while others showed that they did not know the answer, and referred the matter to other officials who did not have the official capacity to answer.
Emirates Today was unable to obtain answers to its inquiries from 17 out of 29 official spokesmen, representing 58% of the total speaking officials in ministries and institutions, while 12 spokesmen, representing 42% of their total number, answered the questions.
The 29 official spokesmen were divided into three categories, according to the level of response. The first numbered 11 spokespeople in ministries and federal bodies who did not answer Emirates Today’s call or could not be reached, and six ministries and bodies whose spokespeople answered the call, but they did not have information, which prompted them to The question was transferred to others in the institution, and 12 ministries and agencies, whose spokesmen responded to the journalist and provided him with the required answers.
Last year, the Government Communications Office of the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers launched the system of the official spokesman for the federal government in the country, and announced that its most important objectives are to identify government officials authorized to make statements about the federal government to the media, to be the sole official source of information according to their specialty, and to define roles and responsibilities and organize… Procedures for the federal government, with all its ministries and agencies, to deal with the media, and to facilitate the task of media professionals while collecting information from various federal government agencies by adopting a clear methodology and unified procedures, and ensuring the credibility and authority of the information. issued by government agencies, and achieving easy flow of information, transparency in dealing with media professionals, and systematic and continuous communication with them.
The list of ministries and bodies whose spokespersons did not answer the call, or could not be reached, includes the Ministry of Finance, the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology, the Islamic Endowments Authority, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, the Securities and Commodities Authority, and the General Authority of Civil Aviation. The National Transport Authority, the Emirates Identity Authority, the Federal Electricity and Water Authority, and the Marriage Fund.
The official spokesman for the Ministry of Finance, Director General Younis Al-Khoury, did not answer the call. It was not possible to reach the official spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who is the Director of Media Affairs, Sultan Al-Ali, as well as the Director of Economic Affairs, Khaled Al-Ghaith, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attaché, Ali Al-Hajj, and the Ministry’s liaison officer, Talal Al-Tunaiji, refused to provide a means of communication with the spokespeople, while he requested that questions be sent to the department to be answered. officially. Likewise, it was not possible to reach the spokesman for the Ministry of Energy, Director General Nasser Al-Sharhan, the other spokesman for the Ministry, Executive Director for Electricity Affairs Ali Al-Owais, and the communications official in the Ministry itself.
3 speakers
Although the Ministry of Presidential Affairs has allocated three official spokespersons for it, namely the Director of the Government Coordination Sector, Rashid Al-Amiri, the Director of the Support Services Sector, Sultan Al-Humairi, and the Head of the Educational Affairs Department, Souad Al-Suwaidi, none of them could be reached, and the number allocated to the Ministry’s communications team official is wrong.
The communications officer at the Securities and Commodities Authority, Tariq Al-Tunaiji, refused to connect us with the authority’s official spokesman, CEO Abdullah Al-Tarifi, after he was unable to reach him, despite repeated attempts with the secretary of his office in Dubai during his presence, as she said that “he is busy and when he finishes, he will contact you,” and she denied knowing that he was the spokesman. The official authority.
It was not possible to reach the spokespersons of the General Authority of Civil Aviation, namely the Director of the Road Safety and Security Department, Aws Al-Khanjari, and the Acting Director of the Air Navigation Department, Hassan Karam.
Communications officer Hanan Al-Mousa also refused to transfer us to talk to the spokesman, or to give us his direct phone number.
The communications officer at the National Transport Authority refused to connect us with the official spokesman, Director General, Dr. Nasser Saif Al Mansouri. Likewise, it was not possible to reach the spokesmen of the Federal Electricity and Water Authority, Director General Mohamed Mohamed Saleh, and the Executive Director of the Electricity Department, Fatima Mohamed Al-Foura, and the communications officer at the Authority refused to give them their direct number. He said, “It is not permissible to ask them any direct question except through the communication department.”
Frequent communications
It was also not possible to reach the spokespersons of the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology, namely the Director General, Walid Al Mansouri, and the Deputy Director General, Mohamed Badri, even though the latter is the authority’s communications officer. But he did not respond at all to Emirates Today’s calls.
The Director General of the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments, Dr. Matar Al-Kaabi, did not answer repeated calls.
The official spokesperson for the Marriage Fund, the Minister of State and Chairperson of the Fund’s Board of Directors, Maitha Al-Shamsi, did not answer the calls. When contacted by the Fund’s Communications Team Officer, she said that the press is supposed to deal officially and send questions through the Communications Department instead of contacting the Minister.
As for the six ministries and bodies whose spokesmen responded to the call but did not obtain information, which prompted them to refer the journalist to others, or to the communication department of the institution, they are: the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Labor, and the Zakat Fund. And the Emirates Identity Authority.
The official spokespersons for the Ministry of Health are the Executive Director of Institutional and Support Services Affairs, Dr. Salem Al-Darmaki, who requested to contact another person in the Ministry. The other spokesperson is the Executive Director of Medical Practices and Licensing Affairs, Dr. Amin Al-Amiri, who requested to contact Dr. Mahmoud Fikri, even though he is not an official spokesperson for the Ministry.
The official spokesman for the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development, Executive Director of Culture and Arts Affairs, Bilal Al-Badour, apologized for not answering the question, “Where did the draft law on emptying creative writers and artists come from?” Considering that he is outside the country.
The spokesman for the Ministry of Education, Minister Hamid Al-Qatami, answered the call, but he did not answer the question for two days, and he asked to contact his office at the Ministry to send the answer through them.
Sabbatical leave
The Ministry of Labor spokesman, Acting Director General, Hamid bin Dimas, refused to answer the question, and said, “Please contact the Ministry’s Communications Department, and they will accept questions, and I will respond through them.”
The official spokesman for the Zakat Fund, Abdullah bin Aqeedah Al Muhairi, answered the call, but asked that questions be sent through the communication department and then they will be answered. As for the Emirates Identity Authority, it currently lacks an official spokesperson, despite the allocation of three spokespersons, namely the Executive Director of Administrative Affairs and Relations, Badr Al-Ghaithi, “who received a leave of absence due to his full-time study,” and the Director of Planning, Thamer Rashid Al-Qasimi, who “left work there,” and the latter is the director. General Darwish Al-Zarouni, who had just returned from a three-month medical trip, said that he “did not know anything about work as a result of his travel.”
Responses to inquiries
As for the 12 ministries and agencies whose spokesmen responded to the journalist and provided him with the required answers in a timely manner, they are: the Ministry of Public Works, the Ministry of Environment and Water, the Economy, Social Affairs, the Federal National Council, the Interior, Justice, Foreign Trade, Zayed Housing, the Communications Regulatory Authority, and the General Authority. For Sports Sponsorship, Insurance Authority.
“Emirates Today” asked the official spokesman for the Ministry of Public Works, Director General, Dr. Abdullah Al Nuaimi, about the number of beneficiaries of government housing during the year 2009 and the expected number during the next year 2010. He replied by saying, “Currently the Ministry is not the entity concerned with government housing, but rather (the Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme).” We have been tasked with implementing the home ownership law, meaning enabling citizens to own homes, and we usually work on facilities, roads, and hospitals.”
The official spokeswoman for the Ministry of Environment and Water, advisor to the minister, Dr. Maryam Al-Shinasi, immediately answered the question: “Is the red tide phenomenon threatening the fish wealth in the country?” Where have the Ministry’s efforts to combat it reached?”, saying that “the type of phytoplankton that flourishes in the country that causes red tide does not secrete toxins, as the center conducted analyzes of it and proved its non-toxicity, in addition to conducting toxicological analyzes of fish and shellfish at the center and in international laboratories in Singapore or France has proven its non-toxicity, and the Ministry periodically conducts analyzes of shellfish to ensure its non-toxicity.”
The spokesman for the Ministry of Economy, Director General, Engineer Mohammed Al-Shehhi, answered a question about whether there is a tendency to issue a new law that tightens the penalties for commercial fraud, saying, “There is a project currently, and its details will be revealed soon, and if you want information about the current law for commercial fraud, It will be sent to you immediately.
When contacting the official spokesman for the Ministry of Social Affairs, Director General Abdullah Al-Suwaidi, he asked, “Does the Ministry intend to make any changes to the categories eligible for aid?” Will the 2010 budget witness an increase or decrease in the number of beneficiary cases?” He responded to the first call, even though the official work time had ended, saying, “There are no amendments to the categories eligible for aid, and the number of beneficiary cases will not change in the current year.”
The spokesman for the Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs, Executive Director, Dr. Saeed Al-Ghafli, immediately answered the question, “Why has the election law not been issued yet?” by saying, “Until now, the law has not been spoken about or the matter has been raised, and as soon as the project is presented, the media will know about it.” .
The spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, Director General of Nationality and Residence, Major General Nasser Al-Menhali, responded to the call and commented on “the linkage procedure between the Ministry of Interior and Labor,” saying that it helped alleviate the burden on the Ministry of Labor, workers, and the owner of the labor establishment.
The spokesman for the Ministry of Justice, Acting Director General of the Ministry of Justice, Dr. Ali Al Hosani, answered when asked, “Will the ministry be able to fully introduce computers in 2010?” by saying, “The services in the ministry are currently 90-95% electronic, but the implementation of projects is 100% electronic.” “It will be during this year.”
The spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Trade, Director General Abdullah Al Saleh, answered the question, “What are the reasons for delaying the signing of the free trade agreement with the European Union?” by saying, “Until now, some matters are pending, and no solution has been reached.”
The spokesman for the Sheikh Zayed Housing Program, Assistant Director General for Financial, Administrative Affairs and Planning, Mohammed Abdulaziz Jassim, answered the question, “How many beneficiaries of the program will there be during the current year?” by saying, “A specific number has not been specified, but the housing will be distributed according to needs, and we are awaiting the adoption of the regulations.” “Executive”.
The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority’s spokesman, Director General, Mohammed Nasser Al-Ghanim, responded quickly, despite the end of the official working hours. We asked him about “the reason for the high prices for (mobile) phone calls in the Emirates compared to neighboring countries?” He considered that “the prices are reasonable and competitive compared to countries in the region.” He asked to call him in the morning so he could provide us with statistics showing call rates in the country and prices in neighboring countries.
When contacted by the spokesman for the General Authority for Youth and Sports Welfare, Assistant Secretary-General for Sports Affairs, Abdul Mohsen Al-Dosari, and asked a question about “providing first aid in sports clubs after incidents of death of athletes,” he replied that “the Authority concluded an agreement with the Unified Ambulance Center, and a joint meeting was coordinated in which it was discussed.” Some matters related to competitions and tournaments in Dubai, and national team competitions, such as festivals or youth gatherings, to provide emergency services in them.” “Emirates Today,” the Insurance Authority’s spokesman, asked the Deputy Director General, Fatima. Al-Awadhi: When will the decision to increase the capital of insurance and reinsurance companies be implemented? She replied, “There are instructions and procedures from the Council of Ministers to implement the decision.”
During a panel discussion it organized last week, the Committee for Education, Youth, Media and Culture Affairs in the Federal National Council called for activating the role of official spokesmen in ministries and federal agencies, and the need for government agencies to provide information to the local press on an ongoing basis and deal transparently with it.