We want freedom of expression!

In case you hadn't already noticed by the banner on the bottom-right of my blog, I am a fierce believer in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I believe that every human should have the right to openly express their views in any format, be it on paper, radio, TV- anything.

So how can it be that a country like the UAE, considered almost developed, still lags at number 90 on the press freedom list? How, in such a country, can blogs and websites be blocked and unblocked at random without notice? Why can't constructive criticism be accepted by anyone in positions of power? Enough already! As the UAE transforms into a veritable player on the world (or at least regional) map, it will have to open itself up to criticism. It is already receiving a lot of it internationally so why not internally? More importantly, perhaps, what happened to the so-called revision of the hilariously old-fashioned UAE press laws? Weren't they supposed to have been replaced almost a year ago?

I say bring on freedom of expression!