Dubai Press Club concludes Ramadan programs with an Indian Cultural Night

DPC Ramadan activities also included a number of Majalis with government and private sector organizations, represented by their top most officials, in addition to a digital video conference with a senior representative of the US Republican Party. Etisalat has sponsored the Press Club's Ramadan activities.

Expressing her delight at the successful conclusion of the Ramadan programs, Maryam Bin Fahad, Executive Director, Dubai Press Club, said that the holy month was an occasion for the media community to interact in freewheeling discussions with top officials from the public and private sectors as well as international figures, resulting in a number of significant announcements and clarifications on policy matters.

"We are happy that the series of Ramadan programs could be concluded with a rich cultural program that showcased the best of the Indo-Islamic cultural heritage. We are grateful to all the organizations that partnered with us and made the programs successful,"

she added.

"Our first program, a DVC with Steven Duffield, Executive Director of the Republican Platform Committee for the 2008 Republican National Convention, who spoke to the media from the convention centre in Minnesota, was an exchange of views on the expectations of the Arab world from the next American President. We followed this with several Majalis, facilitating exchange of views between top officials from Dubai Police, Etisalat, Road and Transport Authority and the Dubai Group, besides two exclusive majlises with top media figures," Bin Fahad pointed out, adding that the Press Club highly appreciated the enthusiasm and the involvement of the media persons in the programs.

Abdul Latif Al Saigh, Executive Chairman of the Group, Ali Al Hadithi, the Director General of the MBC Group, Abdul Hamid Ahmed, Chief Editor, Gulf News, Mohammed Yousef, Chairman, UAE Journalists Union, Abdul Hamid Kamiyati, the Attorney and Legal Scholar were among the speakers who led the discussions on a host of issues concerning the media in the UAE. One of the two majlises on the media was to celebrate the first anniversary of the historic decree issued by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, banning imprisonment of journalists for press offences.

Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, Deputy Commandant General of Dubai Police, interacted at the Press Club with a large group of journalists on every aspect of policing in Dubai. In another majlis that complemented the one with the Deputy Police Chief, a host of senior officials from the Road and Transport Authority outlined the future plans of the organization in minute detail, while explaining the rationale behind many of the recent steps taken to reduce traffic problems in the emirate and improve public transport facilities. Abdul Muhsin Younes, Executive Director, Strategy and Corporate Governance, Engineer Abdul Majid Al Khajah, Executive Director, Metro Division, and Engineer Isa Al Dusari, Executive Director led the RTA team that engaged the press.

The Majlis with the Dubai Group, a member of Dubai Holding, provided the media with the opportunity to quiz the heads of the various companies within the Group. The chairman of Dubai Group, Soud Ba'alawi led the heads of the companies, which included.

"At the beginning of the holy month, we had promised that the majalis would provide rich material for the press, besides springing many surprises. In conclusion, we are happy that the programs not only generated rich news material, but also strengthened the relations between top officials and the media fraternity. We are keen to receive suggestions and feedback from the media so that we widen the scope of our Ramadan offerings next year,"

said Bin Fahad, wishing all the media persons a happy Eid.