JANUARY 24 — A few months ago my wife asked my 83-year “young” mother-in-law (M-I-L), if you are given a chance to travel overseas, which city would you choose? Without hesitation her answer is Dubai. We expected she would choose places like London, Paris, Melbourne or nearer home, Singapore. By the way, she had performed her haj way back in 1987.

Allah SWT granted her wish recently. In preparation, she bought a wheelchair to ensure she does not hold back people. There is a lot of walking especially at Dubai Mall. This trip of her’s gave me an idea to make comparison between KL and Dubai. It would have been easier if it were Singapore due to its close proximity and cultural similarities

But our love-hate relationship may create some biasness in the comparison. Besides, Dubai is a Muslim country and also has a vision like ours, but theirs is UAE Vision 2021.

Not being pessimistic, I will skip Burj Khalifa, Burj Al-Arab and Dubai Mall due to their superlatives and it will be sometime away before we can come close to it.

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Dubai is an absolute monarchy, has been ruled by the Al Maktoum family since 1833 and had long been a British protectorate. On 2 December 1971, Dubai joined the Act of Union to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

It is one of the world's fastest growing economies. with a growth rate of 6.1 per cent in 2014. Revenues from oil and natural gas account for less than five per cent of the emirate's revenues. Movers for the economy are real estate and construction, trade, financial services and tourism.

In 2013, approximately one out of eight of the population of the emirate was made up of Arab UAE nationals.

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A report by City Mayors showed Dubai was the world's 27th richest city in 2012 (KL at number 51), in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP).

The iconic Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
The iconic Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

Tourism is an integral part of the Dubai government's strategy to maintain the inflow of foreign cash. As of 2014, Dubai was the fifth most visited city in the world (KL: Eighth). Annual events such as the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) and Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) attract millions of tourists.

Dubai won the right to host Expo 2020 by Bureau International des Expositions due to the infrastructure and the level of national support.

Talking about infrastructure, transport in Dubai is controlled by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) formed by royal decree in 2005. Just like KL, the public transport network has in the past, faced congestion and reliability issues. However, large investment programme addressed the issue including over AED 70 billion of improvements targeted for completion by 2020.

Dubai International Airport (IATA: DXB), is the seventh busiest airport (KL: 20th) in the world by passenger traffic handling 70.4 million passengers in 2014.

The airport is also the busiest airport (KL: 13th) in the world by international passenger traffic. The new Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International Airport when fully completed will be the largest airport in the world with a capacity for 240 million passengers.

The two-line 75 km Dubai Metro built at a cost of AED28 billion (US$7.6b) have 49 stations (nine underground). The average cost is about AED375 million (US$102m) per km. Our one line KVMRT is 51 km but we still do not have an idea of the total cost.

A back of the envelope calculation is around RM33 billion (US$7.3b at current exchange rate; higher if using the rate before the fall of the RM), has only 31 stations (seven underground). The average cost is about RM647 million (US$147m, again, higher if using the rate before the fall of the RM) per km. For information, stations cost more than just plain tracks.

All taxi services are licensed by the RTA and the services are way above KL. There are about 9,500 taxis operating within the emirate making about 109 million trips. As a comparison, in 2013 there are over 37,000 taxis in the Klang Valley.

Dubai's property market experienced a major deterioration in 2008–09 following the financial crisis of 2007–08, but the emirate's economy has made a return to growth.

It may be an expensive city but as in other cities, if you talk to the locals, there are places where one can get things that are much cheaper. A briyani dinner could cost AED25 but the portion is good for two persons.

Taking into consideration the higher salaries and no income tax, how would you rate living expenses in Dubai? No wonder I have quite a number of friends who have offsprings working there.

Non-Muslims are allowed to consume alcohol in licensed venues, normally within hotels, or at home with the possession of a licence. Restaurants outside hotels are typically not permitted to sell alcohol.

The crime rate in Dubai is considerably lower than in most cities throughout the world of similar size. Violent criminal acts are very rare. The government actively promotes the safety and security of Dubai as it is a major tourist destination. Sharia law is a significant part of its legislation and incorporates hudud crimes of Sharia in its Penal Code.

Serious vehicle collisions resulting in fatalities or serious injuries are not common as defensive driving is strongly encouraged.

It seems the only major concern the international community has on Dubai is human rights violations.

Given the above, there are many things Malaysia or KL can learn from Dubai. May Allah SWT help and guide us on this noble journey.

For me, I learn something from my “young” M-I-L. Keep on wishing and be positive and we are never to old to do what many other people can only dream of. By the way, I advised her not to do the desert safari...

For those who have not read UAE Vision 2021, it is a good read and very objective.

Would you give up a chance to visit Dubai during its Dubai Shopping Festival?

If you are thinking of going, the official exchange rate produced by Bank Negara shows the rate as follows:

2/1/13 — AED100 = RM82.69

18/1/16 — AED100 = RM120.04

That is a good 45 per cent depreciation in the RM.

By the way, my M-I-L is talking about going there again ...you want to follow?

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.