In the name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate.

Brothers and sisters, may the peace and blessings of Allah be with you all.

In the name of Allah the Almighty, we inaugurate the Dubai e-government portal.

Eighteen months ago, in this very place, we announced that the traditional government of Dubai would be transformed into an e-government. We set a deadline of eighteen months for this initiative.

This was an ambitious promise, and many questions were asked: "What exactly is e-government?"; "We are familiar with electronics, but not with e-government." Many people approached me after my speech to ask what exactly their objective was. Among them were department heads wanting advice on how to begin. I explained to them how to implement the project, how to improve their departments, and how to train their staff.

Having started, some were optimistic; others were not, saying that there was too little time allocated, wondering how they could succeed, unsure of their direction in this uncharted territory.

As I have said before, one can be a leader or a follower, and we always aim to take the initiative. The whole world will eventually take this path - why not take the lead? Because we were pioneers, and started before others, some people were uncertain. My vision was clear, thanks be to Allah, as I am well aware of the capacity of our youth to understand new concepts. We all have great potential and, if given the right opportunity, we can use it in the best way. Allah has blessed us with mental ability of which we use only a small percentage. We should search for the power within ourselves. You can see how creative our youth were when presented with this opportunity. I am so proud that they have proved themselves with the inauguration of e-government, where they have matched the high standards we hoped for. Now that the vision has been realised, earlier doubts have been assuaged.

People are often sceptical of new ideas. A good example of this is what happened at the Breeder's Cup. The racing community categorises horses as turf runners or dirt runners. This concept is so ingrained that it cannot be changed, but our vision was broader than that, and we knew our own horses better.

We decided, Sheikh Maktoum, Sheikh Hamdan and I, to go against accepted wisdom, and we entered horses classified as turf runners in dirt races and vice-versa, an act that surprised everyone. They called us and said we had made a mistake, we replied that no, it was as we wished.

The most surprising thing was that the British, European and American media criticised our decision. I must admit that I thought they might appreciate the idea behind this change.

A friend called to inform me of the various opinions being expressed in the racing world. I told him that such gossip was unimportant; we do not care what is said about us, whether positive or negative. I told him just to tell them that soon it would all become clear. The races took place, our horses were successful, and our decision was vindicated. Then the newspapers wrote that Sheikh Mohammed was right, but the credibility of our vision was only realised after the races.

The attitudes of the racing world were mirrored by those of some department heads, who retained their doubts throughout this experience. I appreciate their queries, however, knowing that they came from a desire for the project to succeed.

I would now like to tell you a true story, which is an example of the reactions of several businessmen and officials. Saif Al Ghurair visited me two days after my announcement and said that he would like to discuss certain issues with me. I welcomed the idea. He began by asking why I wanted to implement e-government and e-commerce, saying that these things were unnecessary, and that it would be better if things stayed as they were.

I started to explain, saying, "Look, Brother Saif, first of all, these things will inevitably come about sooner or later. The train is moving and we have to decide whether to get on it or to stay where we are. If you choose to get on the train, you have the option to be in first class, second class, or even further back. You either take control of things by initiating them or you follow others."

I spoke with him for an hour and a half, reminding him of the early days of international trade, when Arabs would sail their trading vessels. The sails were eventually replaced by motors - a big step forward, saving time and effort. I told him that if we kept using traditional trading methods it would be as if we were still using sailing boats for trade.

Despite our long talk, he remained unconvinced, and he did not convince me either. He came back many times, and was still not convinced. I felt that he was going to reject the idea altogether, but in fact he continued to visit me because he wanted to find out more. I am happy to say that, finally, he implemented e-commerce in his organisation, reducing expenditure and minimising losses.

Most importantly, by Allah's favour, we have achieved our goals within the allotted time. If we had asked for the e-government project to be completed within ten months, it would have been impossible, as the training requirements meant that some departments were only ready a few weeks ago.

So, as you can see, our vision was as clear as sunlight, thank God. I am delighted that the young men and women lived up to my expectations. They worked day and night to meet the deadline.

I would like to thank the members of the e-government team, the department managers, section heads and all staff members, as they were the true force behind the project.

E-government is now a reality, and e-commerce has been implemented at governmental level. Many of those in the private sector have begun to implement e-commerce, and those who haven't will soon do so, as they are now convinced of the value of this change.

There are many managers and businessmen who ask what the government plans for the future. Well, the completion of the first phase means that all transactions between government departments are now carried out electronically. This was a difficult thing to achieve, but due to the efforts of our youth, and their knowledge, we reached our goal. Further steps must be taken though, because stagnation means regression.

I ask the e-government team to form a government expertise department to continue training vendors and customers in the new concept of e-government. We are only at the beginning of the road. Our aim is not merely to connect all government departments electronically; we still have challenges to face. The team needs to show determination to ensure that our customers are provided with knowledge of e-commerce - the interaction between government departments and their customers will be the true measure of success.

I am very happy that we have met the objectives set 18 months ago. We must continue to show the same level of determination that we started with, working round the clock. I keep a close watch on your actions, and I believe that if you continue to work as well as you have so far, you will, Allah willing, be promoted to the highest positions, for the hardest workers gain the greatest rewards. You have the ability, and we will find the best way to use it.

Today, I announce that the e-government department will move its offices to Dubai Internet City and will be directly supervised by the Ruler's Court.

We are aiming to build an e-society. It is vital, Allah willing, that we achieve our aim. Just as Saif changed his business policy, others will surely follow and they will find it easier than they think.

I would like to leave you with a final thought: that we must face the future and unite with it.

May peace be upon you.