Dow Jones news wire reported yesterday that 30 per cent control of Galadari Brothers had been taken over by the Dubai government. It was the result of an old debt of the Galadari Brothers that was being offset with a stake. In most cases this would seem like a simple business deal where creditors were becoming stakeholders. But Galadari Brothers is not just another company.
In oligarchic Dubai the Galadaris are an old name. And they controlled through Galadari Brothers the oldest English newspaper in the UAE, Khaleej Times. While there is no information of the time when the debt was incurred, it is the timing of this settlement that is intriguing. And people say it has something to do with the brash son of one of the brothers, Mr Mohammed A. R. Galadari, who became the head of the newspaper and decided to run it like his megaphone
For one he decided to write (more accurately have it ghost-written) a daily column where he would hold forth on any given issue of the day. From the crucial importance of Sonia Gandhi and why she should be PM to Tony Blair to the way Taiwan should manage its economy, there was nothing outside his ken. There is no information whether he had drawn his inspiration from a fictionalized Citizen Kane or a real-life Hearst, the fact that he thought of himself as one whose thoughts, at least in his own estimation, counted or ought to be counted on the world stage was obvious. He would either begin his columns with “Dear Reader…” or intersperse the columns with this personal note of endearment.
Such affection, however, was not reciprocated by his journalists who were unhappy with his whims and fancies and his interference in the everyday working of the paper. Such grandiloquence typically comes from an overestimation, which is nicely reflected in this biographical note (most of these are prepared and approved by the person): “Mr. Galadari’s is a powerful voice in the Middle East region, where he writes a daily Comment column in the Dubai-based Khaleej Times, the widely respected and the highest-circulated of the ABC-certified English language dailies throughout the Gulf. His views on and analysis of regional and international affairs are widely discussed, highly appreciated and quickly responded to. These views-simple, straight and strong-are seen by many also as a barometer for the political temperature building up in the region, and, as such, they guide both regional and international policy-makers.”
All of this may have been fine except that his views even about Dubai and some of the stories that he would allow to go in the paper may have drawn adverse attention. For example in a column that initiated a campaign called “I love my Dubai”, (A campaign to show our love for Dubai, 22 August, 2006) he went to the extent of suggesting that the newspaper was responsible for the growth of the city: “As you all know, in the past three decades, Khaleej Times has had a unique and privileged role to play in this growth, as it recorded events for posterity and acted as a link between those who pushed the engines of this growth and the various segments of the society that worked hand — in — hand to turn the city’s dreams into realities. In the process, we helped develop a cosmopolitan character to the city.” Earlier in the same piece he had said that there are problems in Dubai and had gone on to thank all those who were responsible for the way the city has grown: “And who isn’t thankful to all those who have made this progress possible the hundreds of thousands of hands that worked in unison, guided as they were with proper planning, direction and above all, an excellent and exemplary leadership. Dubai, in many ways, has made the impossible possible.”
In the entire piece on Dubai there was no mention of the contribution of the ruling family whose members like the late Sheikh Rashid and the present ruler Sheikh Mohammed are held in high esteem by the people. In a region where the ruling families are venerated, such an omission speaks volumes. Also, the flip side of Galadari being at the helm was stories appearing that would not find mention in the other newspapers. For all the nasty things that could be said about this young man’s megalomania it has to be accepted that the newspaper did carry slightly bolder stories. It would be unimaginable in most publications for the owner to run a line that said, “We may have a grievance or two. Who doesn’t?” That he was running the paper to the ground with his maverick ways is true, but that he did have some courage is also true.
And that may be the reason why this 30 per cent stake is seen as not just another business deal. Dow Jones reported, “The 28-year-old Khaleej Times, one of the Mideast’s most established newspapers, is expected to undergo changes, said people familiar with the matter. Although Mohammed Galadari remains on the interim board, people aware of the issue say the government stake will effectively sideline his decision-making power in the companies, including at the newspaper, which runs under the strapline ‘The Truth Must Be Told’. The observers say that the editorial stance and quality of the daily, one of the few local newspapers to write critical articles on Dubai, raised government hackles.” And a journalist who had recently left the United States to come on board sent an email that he could not continue in what would be a government controlled environment.
Such then are the travails of a Dubai newspaper that has had many, many people from the Indian sub-continent working for it. Whether 30 per cent is a minority stake or a controlling pie is not the issue. Mohammed Galadari may be a crazy chap who was running down his own paper, but to say that he did not have his uses would be to misunderstand journalism.
