THE STORY OF UAE BY MOHD BIN RASHID AL. MAKTOUM PART 1

 

MY VISION - CHALLENGES IN THE RACE OF EXCELLENCE- THE STORY OF UAE BY MOHD BIN RASHID AL. MAKTOUM

 




Preamble

Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) once said, “none of you will be a true believer, until he wishes for his brother whatever good he wishes for himself.” I wish the same good for my own people as I do for all Arabs by Moh. Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Our distinctive development experience in the UAE is a good example of what can be done when God blesses a country with unselfish leadership that strives for its good of the people and not its own good. Good leadership put the interest of the community as a whole, before those of specific group. Credibility of leadership can only be established through action and not words.

Our vision is sharp, our goals are clear, our resources are large, our will is strong, and we stand tall, ready to face the challenges ahead. Our mission is for Dubai to become an international pioneering hub of excellence and creativity, and we are already striving to make it the world’s premier trade, tourism and service destination in the 21st century. We are confident we can reach the ambitious goals thanks to our dedicated leadership and by providing the necessary infrastructure and environment.

To reach these goals, we have to show our people the right direction and nurture their potential for innovation, creativity, self-confidence, determination and leadership.

Those who lead from the top of the pyramid end up leading only those at the top, which is not how an exclusive development exercise should be carried out. This is because development is a common and concerted effort and requires common leadership, a true leader should select leaders from the rank of his own people. Once he selects the right leaders, they will join him in forging ahead to the final destination.

As Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) once explained, “Religion is all about sincerity” when we asked him for whom, he replied, ’For Allah, his Book, his Messenger and for the leaders of Muslims and their masses

It was also reported that Javin Bin Abdullahi, a companion of the prophet, once said; “I gave the pledge of allegiance to the prophet for offering prayer perfectly, giving Zakat (alms) and giving good advice to every Muslim’’.

This book was written with the aim of providing advice and explaining our experience to our Arab brethren in the sincere hope that they will find it helpful to achieve their own purpose.

We consider the achievement of the UAE and Dubai the achievements of all Arabs

 

PULSE OF DEVELOPMENT

A nation development does not happen overnight or by accident. Nor does the development of a nation ever stop once the process has begun. Nation building is a result of intense efforts at building a community and homeland; a phenomenon task not undertaken lightly but shouldered by a nation’s government, its public and private sectors and its people. Responding to rapidly changing conditions that ricochet around the world at breakneck speed. To achieve this, a modern infrastructure is not enough, we must have vision and flexibility to embrace change, to continuously adapt and to improve our personal performance and our commitment to service.

To lay solid foundation for our country’s future, we must build upon the achievements forged by our founding fathers and achievements that must not stop with our generation but must continue and be perpetuated by future generations. History shows no mercy for weaklings. Sheikh Zayed and my father, Sheik Rashid, our beloved late leaders, never waited for history to record their fears; they were proactive in making history themselves and in doing so, set the benchmark for us to follow.

In today’s fast paced world, if you are not leading, you will be left behind. Failure is not falling to the ground; it is remaining there once you have fallen, and the greatest failure is when you decide not to stand up again.

UAE leadership understands that if their country lags behind others economically, it will be left behind. It knows that large scale development will not only improve the country’s physical infrastructure but eliminate unemployment, ignorance, poverty and illness.

When nations fail to develop, they become vulnerable to a collapse in security and stability and loose the foundations on which their prosperity was built.

The secret behind a nation’s greatness do not lie in its military clout. History abound with nations made powerful by their military forces but in reality, they are powerless with fledging economies.

THE VISION

The first impossibility conquered was the establishment of UAE in 1971 as a new federation and Sheik Zayed as the President. Lesson learnt was our leaders have genuine interest of the well-being of the people.

The second impossibility was the construction of Jebel Ali Port in 1971, the largest manmade port in a remote area devoid of water, vegetation and people, during the great depression.

An original vision is the one that allows you to grasp the future. A visionary leader should adhere to his vision, fully confident that he sees things that those in his entourage may not be able to perceive and his visions should fulfil its set goals.

A true leader’s vision should reflect the following.

The country interest in the vision, interest of the community and business community of the people who will benefit from it and how. In what way will it promote development and enhance achievements from previous visions.

Vision is a race for victory in a bloodless battle for development. A good leader crystallizes its vision, defines its objectives, narrate its development and surpasses its implementation. This should be done with one goal on mind; that of serving the purpose and enhancing the status of the country. Progress or development is not a wish or favour or even a gesture of generosity on the part of the leader but a permanent, unconditional commitment by the leader, the government and all its civil servant, its people towards the nation

 

Dubai hosts expatriates of all nationalities, its dedicated towards bringing peace to all nations of the world. We believe that war very rarely settles a problem peace cannot solve and that calm dialogue is more effective than tension and implacability.

Dubai residents primarily focus their energies on collectively enhancing their quality of life contributing to emirate prosperity and building its present and future. Dubai is not a place for anyone who believes otherwise. It's recognized as one of the safest cities in the world. The people of Dubai are responsible for the peace because they are all investors in making it so, despite a capable police force.

Ø The development of the younger generations is also a prime target of the UAE Agenda. Any development must aim at keeping the younger generation to keep pace with new economy but also take the initiative and lead.

Ø This requires changes in the curriculum, training, thinking as well as in government procedures and priorities.

Ø We must not only provide our youths with best schools, colleges, universities, but also specialised institution capable of promoting their initiative and innovative spirit.

Ø Nations are only as successful as their younger generation and achieving success as a national responsibility not limited to government only.

 

 

LEADERSHIP

A rarer type of leader is one who uses its astuteness, intelligence and leadership skills to provide events that shape life and consequently history. The most gifted leader is, however, one who does not shape only the present, but a good part of the future as well. These are some of the qualities of a great leader, but another is a rare gift from God - to be blessed with love of his people. A leader might be feared or respected but to be truly loved by his people is something every great leader aspires to achieve.

 

Some attributes success to the luck of a leader but the luckiest leader is the one who makes his own luck. Opportunities are created by true leaders; they don’t just lie there for you to grab it.

True and original leadership must be free of arrogance, condescension, over confidence and the belief that one is incapable of ever being wrong.

Anyone who admires his leader greatly and seeks his respect and trust, should be frank with him and tell him about his mistakes or faults and advise him about the right way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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