In a statement given to Dira Al Watan magazine, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum described December 2nd as one of the most glorious national days in modern history thanks to the unification efforts of the country's founders. The following is an edited translation of the speech.
My dear citizens, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon you.
I would like congratulate all of you on the UAE's 39th National Day, and offer my congratulations to UAE President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the rulers of the emirate and supreme council members.
I invoke almighty God through prayer to make our days occasions of joy, and spell out the praise and gratitude to Him for the blessings that He bestows upon us; for the success, which He has written for us on our journey; and for the goodness, prosperity, safety and security, with which He has given our country and our citizens.
We bid farewell today to another year of our life in the federation that was full of accomplishments and progress. We welcome a new year full of hope, optimism, ambition and determination to advance our homeland and our society towards the goals set by our leadership; those sublime goals, around which our resolve has united, to lead our nation - the United Arab Emirates- towards the 50th national day when the UAE will be ranked as one of the best countries the world in all fields; our people, amongst the most civilized and forward looking of nations, making a tangible contribution to the furtherance of human civilization.
With God's help and blessings, with the guidance of the leader of the march, His Highness the President, with the efforts of the citizens of the UAE, men and women, with scientific planning, hard work and determination to accomplish and succeed, we are able to achieve our goals.
Fellow citizens,
The pride in our country's achievements over the past 38 years; the pride in highly-esteemed position our nation holds, and our ambition that knows no borders; these are our incentives for further work, self-giving, innovation and development. However, competence dwells forever in the present and in the future, not in the past, near or remote. You occupy a prestigious position because of what you are today and what you will achieve tomorrow, not what you were yesterday. The measure of success is not only the achievements of this year compared to last, but also what you have achieved in the direction that leads to the goals set by the leadership for the country and the people.
I thank God that we are moving in the right direction towards our goals. On the 38th anniversary of our federation last year, the Vision 2021 stood as an inspiring reference for all our plans, work and projects.
As we do not have time to mention all the government's achievements, I would like to highlight successes in three sectors in particular: First of all, human development. The UAE has earned the first place in the Arab world and 32nd place internationally according to the latest performance indicators. This means that we have advanced five positions compared to where we were in 2005, reflecting the great strides taken by the government over the past five years in education, health, economic growth and gender equality.
Secondly, I would like to mention the progress that the UAE has made in terms of economic development, as our country has assumed first place amongst Arab countries and 21st globally in this field. This is an important indicator as it demonstrates the amount of progress made by the country in it legal and regulatory infrastructure that governs the financial sector. It also points towards improvements in the business environment, corporate governance and the liberalisation of the financial sector.
The third thing that I would like to mention is the important progress achieved in cooperation and coordination between the federal and local authorities, demonstrated by the smooth running of joint meetings between the cabinet and the local authorities across the emirates.
I say to you that the United Arab Emirate acts as a monolithic entity, with all federal and local institutions working to serve the country and its people. At the same time, the structure of the federation, by its nature, necessitates special attention towards cooperative relations, as well as federal and local integration. This is especially true as life is the practical accumulation of experiences that promotes lessons learned, bringing to the surface any deficiencies in one area or another, so that we gravitate towards development and integration in order to achieve the interests and aspirations of our country and our citizens.
Fellow citizens,
We end this month and this year having completed the first cycle of the government's strategy, which we launched in 2007, inspired by the National Action Programme put forward by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. Beginning next month, we have in front of us the major tasks of the strategy's second cycle to implement for the years 2011-2013. A strategy which is guided by the goals set in Vision 2021; one that accommodates change and unfolding developments that are based on major accomplishments and successes to be achieved by our beloved country.
You the citizens, men and women, are at the heart of this strategy; you are its priority, its goal and its means. Our plans, projects and programmes are built on the role you play. I am confident that you are worthy of the responsibility and that you will meet the leadership's expectations. We want you to be effective and enterprising in programmes to strengthen national identity, social integrity and family cohesion.
We want parents as well as the social and cultural authorities to be more engaged in the process of developing education, to which the government has attached great importance, allocating it nearly a quarter of the federal budget. This is because we believe that our human resources are our most precious commodity and that the achievement of our goals depends on our success in utilising this asset. Finding the optimal way to use this precious wealth is a great responsibility shared by all and the role of household is not less important than that of the school; the role of the parents is as crucial as the role of teachers.
We want the business sector to play a greater role in the process of building our national economy to a more competitive level, through the promotion of innovation, research and development, placing greater emphasis on quality and productivity, while working to attract the national workforce; to nurture and develop their abilities.
We want from those who work in the youth sector, at both governmental and private levels, to pay more attention to educational and cultural factors, as new generations are exposed to various influences that know no boundaries or limits.
The only way to take advantage of this openness is to take positive action to strengthen solidarity, compassion, communication, honesty, truthfulness, justice and tolerance, as well as the values of work and production excellence.
With pride in our national identity, we also need to strengthen efforts to enhance the hearts and minds of emerging generations, through attention to our Arabic language, our national heritage, our history, our customs and our traditions. We also need to harness the tools available to develop young people, giving them value and acceptance.
Fellow citizens,
Our country today occupies a leading position according to all indicators showcasing comprehensive development, competitiveness, security, stability and quality of life. But this status does not satisfy us as we have a long way to go to get to the top. This will only be achieved with more hard work, more productivity, innovation, creativity and improvement.
We can occupy the front row as God has blessed us with a leadership whose primary concern is the progress of the country and the happiness of citizens. With the grace of God, we have a unique relationship between the leadership and the people. This relationship is rooted in love, respect and loyalty. This unique relationship is reflected by the surge of joy that swept our nation when my brother, President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, returned safe and healthy from treatment and convalescence abroad.
Fellow citizens,
When December 2nd comes, the presence of our founding fathers can be felt amongst us. We cherish their memory and are becoming increasingly proud of their history and achievements. With each passing year, we perceive how wise and prudent they were; how great was their perseverance and patience in dealing with adversities and overcoming them.
This country which dwells within us, my dear citizens, deserves all that is dear to us. So let us compete with each other in serving the nation diligently and faithfully. Let us give without limits and initiate all that will contribute to the development, progress, security and stability.
May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon you.
