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Gulf News looks back over the years at concerns and issues raised by readers in their letters to the newspaper. It’s a retrospective that offers an insight into the community, the development of the country and the paper’s journey. This week’s letters are from May 1980.
Bravo!
It was a pleasant surprise, indeed, to be greeted by a "fatter" Gulf News. You have done it again. First it was in tabloid size, and then it grew into a regular newspaper size with a weekly magazine supplement and now more pages! Keep it up.
From Mr Sunil
UAE
Explaining death
The other evening my seven-year-old son, returned home, from school, visibly upset.
What happened? I asked. With a tremor in his voice he replied: "A boy in my class died, ma, in a car accident. He stayed in Karama. Why did he die? He did not do any mistake? Why did God take him away?"
What does one explain to a seven-year-old about life and death? To him punishment only follows a mistake.
From Ms Mridula Narasimhan
Deira
Disconnecting electricity
I would like to comment on the recent disconnection of electricity, which affected many flats in the residential area of Karama in Bur Dubai. Many residents were not warned beforehand and those who did not have spare candles in their flats must have had a very difficult time.
I agree that those who fail to pay their electricity bills on time should have their electricity disconnected, but shouldn't they be warned at least once?
When a bill is presented to a tenant in the middle of a month, it's quite possible that the tenant will find himself unable to pay, as all employees depend on their monthly salaries to settle their bills.
I humbly request the electricity department to allow at least 10 days after submitting their bills before they taken any action.
From Mr A.S. Dear
UAE
Olympic hope
Many congratulations for having given coverage to the UAE athletic meeting and having spotlighted the feat of young sprinter Rashid Al Gerbiy. His talent is ready to be moulded and aimed at higher achievements.
No Arab or Asian has yet got into the first three at an Olympic sprint event and if this young man is taken in hand early, under a good coach, there is hope that he could achieve the feat at a future Olympics.
Rashid's time of 10.3 seconds for the 100 metres was the timing with which the late Jesse Owens won the gold at the Berlin Olympics (1936). After the war, when the Olympics were resumed, that brilliant hurdler Harrisson D. also from the United States won the 100 metres in the same time. It is also interesting to recall that in the Games prior to Berlin, the winning time was 10.3 seconds.
What a triumph it was for a poor boy who practised only on the beaches to win the most coveted event at Montreal. I refer to Hasely Crawford, of Trinidad and Tobago, one of a family of 14 who won the 100 metres in 10.06 seconds.
What a great day for all Arabs, Asia and above all the UAE if Rashid Al Gerbiy can stand on that Olympic podium. All the best to him.
From Mr R.S.
Al Ain
A comic scene
I enjoy Gulf News and the magazine. The cartoons are quite hilarious. The breakfast scene in our house is a comedy. The children run away with the sports pages. The wife takes the editorial and I start on the crossword - the wife and children read out all the news to me.
Since I do the crosswords every day, I find that once every 15 days or so there is a mix up in the crossword solution of the previous day.
Sometimes a crossword is a repeat of a used one or the solution is not for the previous day's puzzle at all.
Will you please check into this? Best wishes to all and looking forward to a great Gulf News.
From Mr Vasi Savarirayan
Dubai
Creek colours
Why don't you carry features about life on Dubai Creek describing the colourful souks in Dubai instead of confining mainly to five-star hotels?
From Ms Savita
Dubai
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