By us I mean the South Asian Diaspora.

Generally speaking here, there were two major groups of people in Dubai from 10-15 yrs ago. They built the foundation of what Dubai is right now. Those groups were the native Arabs and the imported south asians. Initially South Asians went because the Arabs were too lazy to do anything and they had money to burn. So South Asians did all the work. What did we get - nothing but a "bigger than India" paycheque (which was not much). We could not become citizens, we could not participate in the political process, nothing of significant value. We were well suited to the Arabs, because with a 200 yr history, we were educated and yet we were used to being "colonized". A combination that is hard to find.

So here we are - 15 yrs later, Dubai is booming and we are left holding the bag! By holding the bag, I mean this. Now Dubai has grown and most of our people are still labour class. Other than few businesses, we do not have any stake there. We have no political clout. We have no representation. We do not have any security. We can be kicked out tomorrow, if the Arabs so wished.

BV

Well, I did read some of the earlier responses, and it amazes me to see how good the PR job that Dubai does works. I hear people saying its an amazing place to live and that they somehow understand the way that Dubai works etc, just by seeing some ads (by the way the ads only apply to you if youre in the super rich bracket) that they saw on TV.

We're due to move FROM Dubai to Vancouver in about 3 days. I was born here in Dubai, and have lived for most of my 31 years here.

If you think this is the best place in the world, think again. The cost of living has spiralled out of control, not by any investors or anything of that sort. There is a construction boom, but the prices of everything are artifically inflated. Say I make a building with some cheap asian labour. Then I charge US$ 1M for an apartment or if I plan on renting it out, charge an exorbitant amount for it. No one can afford it, so there is an artifical demand created. My apartment was Dh 23k when we moved into it in 2001. in 2006, it was Dh 55k, and in 2007 (the next poor sap who is renting it) its going to be Dh 95k.

Almost all of the subcontinent people cant afford a decent flat in this place, and share an apartment with someone else.

Salary is of course by skin color (once you get used to it, you just live with it), but you dont hear about the way that you live. In constant fear of losing your job for raising your voice, and hence losing your residence permit (with the dreaded "6 month ban". So you live and work with all the crap that they throw at you. Traffic is bad, costs are high, VAT is being implemented in June/July, Road tolls are being applied, the government looks at any possible way to leech money off you. Wether it be exorbitant telecom charges, parking meters or traffic fines.

If youre stuck in a traffic jam, a policeman comes and instead of sorting it out, sits and writes traffic tickets of those who are in the middle of it. You get abused by locals for no reason, one guy reversed his 4WD into me yesterday for no reason other than the fact that I honked at him for parking his 4WD in the middle of the road. The two indian guys (I'm indian too BTW) who were standing there by the side of the road told me they wouldnt corroborate my story (theres indian guys for support eh..?) and I would have been stuck with a hefty fine if not for one decent chap who did tell the cops what happened.

Even the cops tell me "What can we do, these guys have lots of money and no fear for the law" about the locals. I have been swindled once and it took us forever to get justice (4 years, with the government releasing the guy every time and then telling us to go find him), and even when we did, we only got half of what we were owed. A Bangladeshi guy who came cried and told my wife that the government owes him Dh 26k, and they pay him in installments every 3 months. After 13 years they have paid him so far Dh 5k. (paying him Dh 200-300 every three months - This too from the UAE Presidents treasury).

You think you'll have it easy. Dubai NEEDS people. Who the heck are they going to get the money from to run the country...? If you want some insight from Dubai, read the secret Dubai blog, or others like it. You will see what I mean. http://secretdubai.blogspot.com

I know that theres so much crime here but the papers dont report it, the newspapers self censor themselves out of fear of being closed down and the PR juggernaut (you wont believe how much money they spend on PR) just makes it seem like a heaven on earth.

BTW, the buildings being constructed are shoddy and not worth it, people who paid Dh 4M for a villa cried when they saw what was delivered, with missing tiles, broken steps, doors that wouldnt close and wall sockets that werent level.

I have a large circle of friends, most of them old timers. ALL of them are migrating, to australia, new zealand, canada, US or even Singapore. A lot of the newer people come into Dubai thinking its this super amazing place. I just dont have a heart to tell them whats in store for them. Heck, you have people moving to INDIA because at least they get paid there.

The lady who came to do some housework everyday has quit and gone back home, since the government has raised the price of the visas by almost double and now its easier for her to just move to India.

If you want the real scoop, read SecretDubai. Dont bother with Gulf News, theyre all SUPPOSED to print gleaming reports of this city. They cant take the risk of printing anything negative. After all, the owner is a prominent LOCAL in Dubai.

There are no standards here. Forget anything of rights. If something is lost, its YOUR fault. And YOU need to prove yourself innocent (trust me, its happened to me). If the government wants to do something, they'll do it. YOU have no say in the matter (after all its THEIR country - get used to it, you'll hear that a lot). If you invest in the stock market and lose all your money, you have no rights to do anything about it (BTW, Dubai was one of the worlds WORST stockmarkets last year - Did you read THAT in Gulf News..?)

I'm moving because I dont want to be a second class citizen serving someone else. I dont want my daughter to either. These last few days, I'm just waiting to get everything packed and sent off. Once I'm out of this place, I'll write more. Till then, wish us luck.

BTW, we're moving to Burnaby, BC. We currently dont have that many friends, but if youre interested in making some new friends, please drop us a note. We'd be glad to be your friends :-)

Herectic ,

A very nice and clear insight on the updated life @ Dubai .Thanks .

One very pertinent q comes to my mind ~ why is there always a queue for people to come in in these GCCs . And why the people already here are resistent to return .

Is it also bnot true that taking all factors in account life is still lot cheaper than Canada / Europe / West and the Govt subsidised a lot of things including food articles. A pepsi costs 1 Dh there , it costs $1 + here . Plus everything from cabs and electricity and everything is much cheaper . Plus the weather is good and Jumeirah is fun

Though I do agree that rents have gone up exhorbitantly and the 2nd class citizen argument plus the job insecurity and lack of permanence .

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fido.

You pave the roads with Gold, furnish everything I would ever imagine but you would keep a Gun in my forehead and put me in shackles. Why would I choose to live that way if there is a recourse.

I've lived in Saudi briefly for about two years and visited Dubai and other several other Middle Eastern countries as I got my relatives continue to live there. After all I would still consider my life in Canada is far better. At last I can't eat the currency and keep kissing the shoes of some one. If some one rub my back, I need to protest. Can I do that in Dubai.

I've got a feeling that I've digressed a bit from my original focus of initiating this thread to discuss more about the dubious economy and prosperity (Come on folks, dispute it with your facts). Excuse me if you think so.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Fido

I m sorry to ask this , but what took you 31 years plus (assuming your dad was there) to decide thus . !!

One very pertinent q comes to my mind ~ why is there always a queue for people to come in in these GCCs . And why the people already here are resistent to return .

Is it also bnot true that taking all factors in account life is still lot cheaper than Canada / Europe / West and the Govt subsidised a lot of things including food articles. A pepsi costs 1 Dh there , it costs $1 + here . Plus everything from cabs and electricity and everything is much cheaper . Plus the weather is good and Jumeirah is fun

Though I do agree that rents have gone up exhorbitantly and the 2nd class citizen argument plus the job insecurity and lack of permanence .

---

-----------------------------------------------------------------
The cowards never started,
The weak died on the way,
Only the strong arrived.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yK1i9cLAMM

Perhaps one of the most well eloquently narrated post that has brought several not so often discussed problems to light. I like to read it again and reply.
Thanks.

Quote:

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Originally posted by heretic

Well, I did read some of the earlier responses, and it amazes me to see how good the PR job that Dubai does works. I hear people saying its an amazing place to live and that they somehow understand the way that Dubai works etc, just by seeing some ads (by the way the ads only apply to you if youre in the super rich bracket) that they saw on TV.

We're due to move FROM Dubai to Vancouver in about 3 days. I was born here in Dubai, and have lived for most of my 31 years here.

If you think this is the best place in the world, think again. The cost of living has spiralled out of control, not by any investors or anything of that sort. There is a construction boom, but the prices of everything are artifically inflated. Say I make a building with some cheap asian labour. Then I charge US$ 1M for an apartment or if I plan on renting it out, charge an exorbitant amount for it. No one can afford it, so there is an artifical demand created. My apartment was Dh 23k when we moved into it in 2001. in 2006, it was Dh 55k, and in 2007 (the next poor sap who is renting it) its going to be Dh 95k.

Almost all of the subcontinent people cant afford a decent flat in this place, and share an apartment with someone else.

Salary is of course by skin color (once you get used to it, you just live with it), but you dont hear about the way that you live. In constant fear of losing your job for raising your voice, and hence losing your residence permit (with the dreaded "6 month ban". So you live and work with all the crap that they throw at you. Traffic is bad, costs are high, VAT is being implemented in June/July, Road tolls are being applied, the government looks at any possible way to leech money off you. Wether it be exorbitant telecom charges, parking meters or traffic fines.

If youre stuck in a traffic jam, a policeman comes and instead of sorting it out, sits and writes traffic tickets of those who are in the middle of it. You get abused by locals for no reason, one guy reversed his 4WD into me yesterday for no reason other than the fact that I honked at him for parking his 4WD in the middle of the road. The two indian guys (I'm indian too BTW) who were standing there by the side of the road told me they wouldnt corroborate my story (theres indian guys for support eh..?) and I would have been stuck with a hefty fine if not for one decent chap who did tell the cops what happened.

Even the cops tell me "What can we do, these guys have lots of money and no fear for the law" about the locals. I have been swindled once and it took us forever to get justice (4 years, with the government releasing the guy every time and then telling us to go find him), and even when we did, we only got half of what we were owed. A Bangladeshi guy who came cried and told my wife that the government owes him Dh 26k, and they pay him in installments every 3 months. After 13 years they have paid him so far Dh 5k. (paying him Dh 200-300 every three months - This too from the UAE Presidents treasury).

You think you'll have it easy. Dubai NEEDS people. Who the heck are they going to get the money from to run the country...? If you want some insight from Dubai, read the secret Dubai blog, or others like it. You will see what I mean. http://secretdubai.blogspot.com

I know that theres so much crime here but the papers dont report it, the newspapers self censor themselves out of fear of being closed down and the PR juggernaut (you wont believe how much money they spend on PR) just makes it seem like a heaven on earth.

BTW, the buildings being constructed are shoddy and not worth it, people who paid Dh 4M for a villa cried when they saw what was delivered, with missing tiles, broken steps, doors that wouldnt close and wall sockets that werent level.

I have a large circle of friends, most of them old timers. ALL of them are migrating, to australia, new zealand, canada, US or even Singapore. A lot of the newer people come into Dubai thinking its this super amazing place. I just dont have a heart to tell them whats in store for them. Heck, you have people moving to INDIA because at least they get paid there.

The lady who came to do some housework everyday has quit and gone back home, since the government has raised the price of the visas by almost double and now its easier for her to just move to India.

If you want the real scoop, read SecretDubai. Dont bother with Gulf News, theyre all SUPPOSED to print gleaming reports of this city. They cant take the risk of printing anything negative. After all, the owner is a prominent LOCAL in Dubai.

There are no standards here. Forget anything of rights. If something is lost, its YOUR fault. And YOU need to prove yourself innocent (trust me, its happened to me). If the government wants to do something, they'll do it. YOU have no say in the matter (after all its THEIR country - get used to it, you'll hear that a lot). If you invest in the stock market and lose all your money, you have no rights to do anything about it (BTW, Dubai was one of the worlds WORST stockmarkets last year - Did you read THAT in Gulf News..?)

I'm moving because I dont want to be a second class citizen serving someone else. I dont want my daughter to either. These last few days, I'm just waiting to get everything packed and sent off. Once I'm out of this place, I'll write more. Till then, wish us luck.

BTW, we're moving to Burnaby, BC. We currently dont have that many friends, but if youre interested in making some new friends, please drop us a note. We'd be glad to be your friends :-)

---

-----------------------------------------------------------------
The cowards never started,
The weak died on the way,
Only the strong arrived.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yK1i9cLAMM

Quote:

---

Originally posted by heretic

I'm moving because I dont want to be a second class citizen serving someone else. I dont want my daughter to either. These last few days, I'm just waiting to get everything packed and sent off. Once I'm out of this place, I'll write more. Till then, wish us luck.

---

Quote:

---

One very pertinent q comes to my mind ~ why is there always a queue for people to come in in these GCCs . And why the people already here are resistent to return .

---

Quote:

---

Is it also bnot true that taking all factors in account life is still lot cheaper than Canada / Europe / West and the Govt subsidised a lot of things including food articles. A pepsi costs 1 Dh there , it costs $1 + here . Plus everything from cabs and electricity and everything is much cheaper . Plus the weather is good and Jumeirah is fun

---

Quote:

---

Though I do agree that rents have gone up exhorbitantly and the 2nd class citizen argument plus the job insecurity and lack of permanence .

---