Who is Dubai ruler's social media warning over 'misuse' aimed at?
Some Gulf news outlets see the message by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum as a coded warning to prominent Emiratis on social media, such as former police chief, Dhahi Khalfan
Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, walks through the International Defense Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Feb. 17, 2019. The biennial arms show in Abu Dhabi comes as the United Arab Emirates faces increasing criticism for its role in the yearlong war in Yemen. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)
Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum has issued a warning to Emirati social media users over the purported spread of misinformation about the country.
Al Maktoum, who is also the vice-President of the UAE and its prime minister, issued a six-point letter, titled ‘A message for the new season’, late on Saturday.
In the letter, he warned social media users against spreading misinformation in order to attract followers, arguing that doing so imperilled the UAE’s reputation abroad and jeopardised ‘achievements for which thousands of teams worked so hard to realize”.
In what could be a coded jab as several Emiratis prominent on Twitter, Al Maktoum said that the country had “the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, which is concerned with managing our external affairs, speaking on our behalf and expressing our positions in relation to the UAE’s foreign policy.”
“We will not allow a group of Twitter users to mess with Zayed's legacy of credibility, love and respect for people. The good image of the UAE and the Emirati must remain as bright as Zayed wanted and built,” he added.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was the founder and first president of the UAE and the patriarch of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family.
The Qatar-based network, Al Jazeera, has interpreted the comments as an attack on Dhahi Khalfan, Dubai’s former police chief, and pro-government personality, Hamad al-Mazroui.
The two have been enthusiastic supporters of the UAE’s war in Yemen and are known for their provocative posts targeting enemies of the country.
In what appeared to be his own coded response addressing the statement, Khalfan hit back.
“If there is a son of the UAE, who God forbid says that I did not preserve the legacy of Zayed and his values, he should evaluate his evidence or apologise.”
The UAE consists of seven emirates, which each have their own rulers but are united in a federal system. In practice, however, Abu Dhabi- with its vast oil wealth- is the dominant power and seat of the capital.
Under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi has adopted an aggressive foreign policy, which has seen the country back warlords in Libya, support a coup in Egypt, and go to war in Yemen, as well as other clandestine activity.
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