Whilst
many have been looking at the prospect of global economic recovery, Dubai sent
investors into a tailspin in December 2009 when the government revealed that it
planned to ask creditors of Dubai World, the state-owned conglomerate, for a
six-month standstill on its debt repayments, stopping short of defaulting.
Dubai has $80 billion worth of debt, with the vast majority held by Dubai
World, which owns Nakheel, the property developer.
Nakheel,
which built the Palm Islands in the Gulf, was due to repay a $4 billion Islamic
bond on December 14th 2009. Most investors had assumed that there
would be no difficulty doing so as Dubai World, the Government of Dubai and
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai's billionaire ruler, were assumed
to be supporting the developer. It now appears that nobody has the money to
repay or refinance the bond and so the other $56 billion of Dubai World's
liabilities are also at risk.
Dubai's
rulers were considered to have provided a master class in how to develop an
economy from almost nothing. They used what oil revenues they had to create a
port and free-trade zone, believing that their little state could become a
business hub if they created the right conditions. For many this was a shrewd
move. Emirates, the airline, bolstered the hub and became the best possible
mobile advertising banner. Dubai was considered a genuine economic miracle.
However
the global economic crisis brought Dubai to its knees and has exposed the
fragility of its economic model. Dubai's growth was initially through its oil
wealth. This wealth was used to develop Dubai in order to attract foreign
investment and soon enough, foreign companies and foreign workers arrived
looking for opportunities in Dubai. Its position as a trading hub meant many
companies relocated their staff to work from Dubai which is fundamentally what
brought Dubai its wealth.
This
however was never sustainable. The skilled workers that were developing the
service sector were mostly from overseas, with only a small percentage of
Dubai's population today considered to be native Arabs. Its growth has been a
direct result of it becoming a tax-free zone for foreign nationals and
companies. These companies, whilst providing jobs and income to people in the
country, are not transferring any technical skills to the people. Its property
market boom was due in large part to speculation that the prices would continue
to rise.
Dubai
has merely exploited limited natural resources and has been importing talent
from abroad with little skills and knowledge-transfer to drive its economy.
Dubai was always nothing more than a mirage in the desert; its growth and
survival was dependent upon the talent and expertise of foreign entities. It
could only offer specialist services such as banking and finance as a means to
guarantee its future, along with tourism. As these sectors rely heavily on the
goodwill and confidence of foreigners, if in any way this sentiment was
affected, Dubai's desert empire will crumble.
This
is exactly what happened with the Global
credit crunch. In order for financial companies to shore up their losses
they have withdrawn their money from expensive and lavish projects. Service
companies which relied on loans are now seeing this dry up as one bank after
another either collapsed or required government bailouts. One expert from Nomura
investment Bank encapsulated the situation in Dubai: "Lenders blinded by rising oil
prices and borrowers spellbound by easy returns have helped build a mountain of
private sector debt in parts of the region that has generated an illusion of
excess and abundance." As Dubai was built upon foreign money,
it now awakes to find this has dried up, so in essence Dubai's source of growth
has been cut, causing the breakneck building-boom to come to a crashing halt.
The lending bonanza has evaporated and the government continues to ponder wider
steps to repay its debt, including asking its neighbouring emirate, Abu Dhabi,
for financial assistance.
Dubai
accumulated huge debt to construct the islands lavish towers and lavish
lifestyle to attract foreigners. The development of the islands infrastructure
led to Dubai borrowing large amounts of money in the form of bonds. Dubai even
attempted to sell its development as a distinctly Islamic approach through the
development of Islamic finance and through the sale of Islamic Bonds (Sukuk).
Sheikh
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has attempted to calm investor confidence
through the tried and tested formula Western nations attempted on the eve of
the global financial crisis with regard to the ‘fundamentals.' Sheikh Mohammed said:
"The economic
fundamentals, such as our highly developed infrastructure, strong transport and
communications hub and regional financial centre will ensure Dubai remains an
attractive regional market."
Islamic
Economy
The
suggestion that Dubai offered a new model for economic development and an
Islamic approach could not be further from the truth. Building an economy upon
foreign wealth, external expertise and personnel is a tried-and-tested model
which has a substantial track record of failure. Latin America, South East Asia
and the Baltic states have all attempted this approach with catastrophic
results.
The
development of the economy has extensive rules in Islam which have been
elaborated by many scholars throughout history. Islam has made the Khilafah
responsible for da'wah and the defence of the Ummah and this can only be
achieved through a process of industrialisation.
It also obliged the Khilafah to organise the fulfillment of the basic
necessities of the people which are food, clothing and accommodation. This
cannot be achieved by having an economy geared around services but needs one
geared around manufacturing and agriculture. This allows a nation to produce
all that it needs and export any surplus. Relying and depending on imports and
foreign money is not an assured path for development and survival.
The
Islamic economy also makes the aim of the economy the catering for it citizens,
not foreigners. To attract foreign industry, labour and money, Dubai has had to
compromise on many Islamic values to do with the mixing of the sexes and
alcohol in the name of necessity. The imposition of some Islamic rules in
reality is a charade. Islam has a framework for the economy and Islamic finance
forms one aspect of its detail. The mere existence of some Islamic financial
contracts does not make a nation Islamic. Britain was one of the first nations
in the world to offer Islamic bonds yet nobody would argue that Britain has an
Islamic economic system.
The
Islamic economic system has extensive rules for ownership and disposal of
citizen's wealth and assets. Beyond this Islam recognises a sphere of the
economy as the economic science i.e. through study and research a solution can
be derived. Hence how to develop and economy or to industrialise, where
the factories and the supply lines should be, how the steel and iron mills
should be constructed fall under this category, however what is produced and
how it is distributed falls under the ‘system' for which Islam has extensive rules.
The
Islamic economy is based upon wealth generation where participants partake in
investment, employment and trade in the real economy. Islam does not have a
dual economy where the real economy operates alongside a financial sector. The
Islamic economy focuses all participants on the real economy, through
employment, company profits, utilisation of land (agriculture) and
manufacturing. This brings the huge benefit of wealth only circulating in one
sector - the real economy, where all can participate.
The
Islamic economy is built upon the real economy this is where the process of
production of tangible goods and services, Islam has designated a role for
finance in the economy - due to Islam's focus on the real economy which is the
wealth creating aspect of any economy finance in Islam is not an end in itself
as there is no interest (Riba). Wealth in Islam is created through each stage
of industry i.e. mining, refining, manufacturing and sales' All of this adds
value at each stage and creates wealth for the economy.
Islam's
monetary policy is centered around a legal tender based upon the Gold and
Silver and not one based upon interest rates to regulate inflation and the
economy. In Islam when it comes to exchanging a commodity with a specific
monetary unit, Islam has guided Muslims to the monetary unit by which the
exchange is to take place. It has restricted the Khilafah to a specific type of
money, which is gold and silver. The Islamic evidences have designated gold and
silver as the primary measuring unit for prices and labour. This is understood
from the actions of Muhammad (saw) when he collected Zakat, levied taxes and
imposed fines, all were measured according to gold and silver. This means the
notes and coins circulating in the economy would all be backed by gold and
silver. This will no longer make possible the free printing of currency as the
Khilafah would need to increase the actual holdings of gold and silver. This
has a unique effect on Inflation which free market economies have been unable
to contain.
Although
Islam is built upon the real economy and the financial sector is based upon
providing finance for the real economy, Islam has allowed a few purely
financial transactions. Islam has permitted currency exchange as this was a
common practice amongst the people of Mecca and Madina and the Prophet (saw)
did not object to it. Islam permitted some forward contracts - this is where
payment is taken before the actual delivery of goods or before the final
transfer of ownership of the goods. However the items that can be sold before
ownership is undertaken must be of a defined nature where they can be counted,
measured or weighed, this is due to what is established in the hadith of ibn
Abbas, that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "Whoever pays in advance in dates, let him pay in advance for a
known price and a known weight for a known period." And in another
narration of ibn Abbas who said: The Messenger of Allah (saw)
said: "Whoever pays in advance in something then (it
should be) in a known measure and a known weight for a known period"
(narrated by Al-Bukhari). Islam has categorically prohibited purely financial
transactions where one lends money in the hope of receiving more in repayment.
All trade and transactions are linked to the real economy as they are built
upon construction, manufacture, services, or the production of goods and so on.
In
conclusion it will not be surprising if Dubai eventually defaults on its debts,
this is because the cash line for Dubai has been cut, which was foreign wealth
entering the nation and going into lavish projects. Dubai could have utilized
the foreign expertise and developed oil refineries in the region which although
blessed with huge oil reserves lacks the necessary refineries. Instead it was
duped by the notion of hyper finance and geared its economy around finance,
which may bring some wealth, but it does not give a nation any skills or
technical knowledge. Bankers have lost all credibility in the West due to
inventing dubious financial products. Dubai could have taken a lead in
constructing the 21st century's first Islamic economy and unified
with the wider Muslim world that are blessed with mineral resources. Success
only lay's with Allah (swt) deen
"Indeed, the ones who oppose Allah and His
Messenger - those will be among the most humbled."
[Al-Mujaadila: 20]
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