Dubai’s per capita
income is around
Dh80,000 per
annum, while the
annual salary
of an unskilled
expat labourer
is anywhere
between Dh6000
and Dh12,000.Politics &
Economy
despite being the emirate with the highest profile, dubai is neither the
wealthiest nor the most powerful� Those honours belong to abu dhabi,
the capital of the united arab emirates (uae) and home to most of
the country’s oil wealth� dubai is second in line, however, and is the
emirate that has truly maximised its tourist potential� in each emirate,
power rests with a ruling tribe, which in dubai’s case is the Maktoum
family� There are no political parties or general elections in dubai but
even if there were, it would be hard to imagine the Maktoums being
deposed, having been in power since 1833�
SomE political BackgrounD
Despite Dubai becoming so strong over the last few years, it has had to
fight long and hard to preserve as much of its independence as possible
and to minimise the power of the country’s federal institutions. As in Ras
al-Khaimah, it maintains a legal system that is separate from the federal
judiciary.
Politically, the relative interests of the seven emirates are fairly clear.
Abu Dhabi is the largest and wealthiest emirate and has the biggest
population. It is, therefore, the dominant member of the federation and is
likely to remain so for some time. Dubai is the second-largest emirate by
population, with both an interest in upholding its free-trade policies and
a pronounced independent streak. However, its dependence on Abu Dhabi
became clear during the financial turmoil of 2008–9 when the capital had
to bail out Dubai on several occasions. The other emirates are dependent
on subsidies from Abu Dhabi, though the extent of this dependence varies
widely.
The Decision-Makers
The seven rulers (emirs) of the emirates form the Supreme Council, the
highest body in the land, which ratifies federal laws and sets general pol-
icy. New laws can be passed with the consent of five of the seven rulers.
The Supreme Council also elects one of the emirs to a five-year term as
the country’s president. After the death in late 2004 of the founder of the
country and its first president, Sheikh Zayed, power passed peacefully to
his son Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan.
There is also a Council of Ministers, or cabinet, headed by the prime
minister, who appoints ministers from across the emirates. Naturally, the
more populous and wealthier emirates such as Abu Dhabi and Dubai have
greater representation. The cabinet and Supreme Council are advised, but
can’t be overruled, by a parliamentary body called the National Council
(FNC). See the boxed text (p157) for more information.