When the United Arab Emirates Union (UAE) was created on December 2, 1971, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God bless his soul, testified to the history of the efforts of Sheikh Rashed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, his companion in the construction of the Union. “The truth is that Sheikh Rashed has played a serious and sincere role for the Union … He has also adopted the positions I wanted with regard to the Union”. Sheikh Zayed described his companion as a sincere friend who, without his role and his efforts, the UAE would not have reached this level of development. The founders of the Union led a common struggle that was crowned by the construction of the State of the Union, a journey of struggle that was carried on the shoulders of these great men. Without Zayed, the Union would not have emerged, and without his agreement with Rashed, the idea would not have would not have come to fruition and the wish would not have become a reality, as His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed Al Maktoum said in his testimony on the founding period of the Union.
Today is so similar to yesterday. This old school of political education could only give birth to two great leaders like His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Governor of Dubai and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, which explains the true loyalty shown in His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed’s thanks to his brother and his companion, as described by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed . Every noble trait of character has its roots, and is inherited as is money and all goods, and there is no better than a noble character inherited by a son of his father.
The occasion of the thanks was the passage of 50 years of the journey of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed Al Maktoum in the service of the homeland, having been designated at the beginning Commandant of the Police of Dubai, a journey described by his brother His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed as being rich in giving, where he accompanied Zayed and Rashed God bless their souls, in the school of life, until he became a true school in leadership, administration and life making !
These are words like no other. Respect is detectable between lines and meanings. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed said, “My brother, teacher and companion, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,” and then said of him later: “A sincere friend, honest and faithful support”. Like his father, the founding leader who described his companion as a sincere friend, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed describes his companion in the same way, the sons having inherited from their fathers sincerity and loyalty in the love of their homeland. The UAE has every right to enjoy this strong bond of fraternity that unites its leaders. This bond is a pillar of the Union that was founded on the unity of hearts and minds before unity of decision, sincerity and loyalty were the cornerstone before the policies and strategies were established and before the beginning of the progress of joint action.
The message of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed has brought profound meanings. His Highness expresses to the nations his pride of an outstanding leader who enjoys the love and respect of his people and the peoples of the world. He attributes to him the successes and aspirations that have turned into achievements, testifies to his sincerity, honesty and constancy in terms of principles, and commits himself to his people to pursue together a continuous journey of work and giving, and to honor and glorify the homeland. He called on his people to thank the leader who “enriched the homeland and its Arab expansion with its vision, its innovations and its distinctive initiatives”. Similarly, with the same generosity and nobility of sentiments, His Highness Mohammed bin Rashed expressed in his poem “Fifty Years,” which he dedicated to his companion, in which he said, “Thank you, Abu Khalid, good man,” promising him “total obedience,” concluding with “appreciation to Abu Khalid is a source of pride, and his kindness is greatly appreciated.” These are words that come from the heart, expressing what it contains, with a rare spontaneity and feelings difficult to express as the author wanted.
The words flowed in both the message and the poem, and the expressions continued to forever anchor what the hearts of all the sons of the nation feel for the two outstanding leaders who set an example for our generation in fraternity, sincerity, honesty and loyalty.
The school of Life, of which Sheikh Muhammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke, is the same school that gives birth to the leaders of the United Arab Emirates, and teaches everyone how to work in the spirit of the team for the interests and happiness of the people, and that loyalty and gratitude are the right of every hard worker to the service of his country and his people. The truth is that Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashed is a true school of management, a unique model that has made Dubai an icon of the world: it has turned the UAE government into an “electronic government” and then into a “smart government” that anticipates the future and precedes its time; a government that abandons all traditional administrative heritage to become a ray of light in an Arab environment subject to bureaucratic constraints that prevent States from being at the rendezvous with the era of progress, development and benefits of the fourth revolution a revolution in which the United Arab Emirates is an integral part or even a competitor for the leadership of this revolution, thus becoming a unique Arab model in creating hope and anticipating the future.
For fifty years in the service of the homeland, he has provided much to the Emirates and our people still expect from him and his brothers, great achievements, both to achieve the aspirations of our country to become the number 1 or to embody all these achievements and turn them into sources and reasons for more happiness for the people of the UAE.
Long live the UAE, its people and leaders who are a source of pride for all of us.
