Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, said on Monday, the 15th anniversary of his Accession Day, that despite many achievements, the work to transform the UAE “is nowhere near the end”.
In an open letter to the people of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed addressed the major achievements that have transformed the UAE’s government work starting with the first federal strategy of 2007 to the announcement of the UAE Vision 2021 back in 2009.
He also revealed that many people doubted him in the beginning and was warned about failing as Prime Minister.
In his letter which was cited by state news agency WAM, he stressed that the results of the UAE Vision 2021 are captured in the reality that the people of UAE are living in today.
He wrote: “We have established the principles of strategic planning in the government. Excellence and competitiveness have transformed into an institutional culture. We carried out the biggest legislative reform in our country through issuing more than 50 new laws to help us adapt to the future.”
He added: “The UAE government was ranked the second in the world in financial efficiency. We restructured the government several times to keep pace with the rapidly-changing world. We doubled the federal budget by 130 percent and boosted our competitiveness to make the UAE rank the first globally in 121 indicators across various fields. Our work is nowhere near the end.”
He said the UAE economy is the second biggest in the Arab world while its sovereign credit rating is the highest in the region.
On January 4, 2006, Sheikh Mohammed became the Ruler of Dubai following the death of his elder brother Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the then Ruler of Dubai. On 5 January, the members of the UAE Supreme Council elected him as the Vice-President of the UAE.
On February 11 2006, President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, nominated Sheikh Mohammed to become the Prime Minister of the UAE.
Since then, he has led a development journey for the UAE based on the main principle of investing in the human capital out of belief that people are the basis of any nation’s success, WAM said.
In his letter, Sheikh Mohammed said the UAE passport has become the most powerful passport in the world while the country’s judicial system is the most efficient in the region.
“We have made several legislative reforms and presented facilities for all to rank the first globally in attracting talents, the first in public-private partnerships and the first in the financial skills of the public sector.”
He added that the federal government has invested AED40 billion in housing, AED140 billion in education, AED94 billion in social development programmes and AED50 billion in health and prevention.
However, he said many people doubted him in the beginning.
“The past 15 years I spent in the federal government have not been easy. I remember when I first assumed my role as Prime Minister, many people have warned me from failure. I remember those who urged me to maintain my success in Dubai and avoid taking risks. I remember a senior Emirati dignitary who spoke to me years after assuming my responsibilities and said ‘we all expected you to fail, and we were all wrong.’ My answer will always be: this is not my own success. It is the success of our teams and of every official who took the opportunity towards change, and the success of thousands of young people we have trusted who proved trustworthy and reliable.”
He also said the spirit of the union of the UAE is a “major power that shapes our core and pushes us forward to work together relentlessly to honour our country”.
“We have a long journey ahead, a brighter future awaits us, our journey for the next 50 years is to begin,” he added.
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