The celebration of National Day marks the beginning of the UAE’s 50th year of existence, a milestone in its history. It’s traditional at this time to look back and to review the achievements that have been made since that day in 1971, when the country first emerged on to the international stage. There’s a continuing relevance to that approach, but this year, it seems perhaps more appropriate to mark the occasion in a different way. Recent events and announcements, I believe, suggest that 2020 and the year that lies ahead may well prove to have been not just a milestone, but a significant turning point in the country’s history.
One reason for that assessment, obviously, is the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Everyone has been affected, from the highest to the lowest in the land. The impact varies, of course, not just in terms of whether or not one has caught the virus or has been affected because of quarantine imposed on one's family. The ability to travel has been curtailed, although in Dubai at least a return to something resembling the "Before Time" is well under way.
The regular pattern of education has been disrupted. For hundreds of thousands of people, these past few months have seen their time in the Emirates come to an end, at least for the time being. Many others have lost their jobs.
As the UAE moves forward, major adjustments will need to be made. A move to more online working, and education, seems probable. Some businesses, large and small, will have put up the shutters for good. There will be permanent changes to the patterns of consumption, while demand in many sectors may remain depressed for some time to come.
While the points mentioned above, and much more, may prove to be a turning point in the country’s process of development, there is also a swathe of other changes that will have a substantial impact.
Internationally, of course, the Abraham Accord and the rapidly developing relationship with Israel represent a hugely significant step in terms of the UAE's foreign policy.
At home, the full impact of recent changes to legislation affecting personal lives, for both citizens and expatriates, is yet to be seen, but will definitely affect the way many people live.
These, along with changes to visa regulations, may provide a boost to the drive not only to attract people from overseas but also to encourage more inward investment. That process, it seems, is already under way, judging by the positive buzz pervading the property market.
The strategy of attracting more foreign investment, and, in consequence, the creation of new employment opportunities, is also likely to receive a further boost from last week’s announcement that non-citizens will now be able to establish onshore companies without the need for an Emirati partner. That will present a real challenge for those who have become accustomed to serve as silent partners in businesses, providing just the use of their name. The agile, who make a real contribution to such businesses, will survive.
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Suhail Al Mazrouei, the current Minister of Energy, who oversees oil production among other areas, was made Minister of Energy and Infrastructure. The Ministry of Infrastructure was merged into his new department. Victor Besa / The National -
Noura Al Kaabi was made Minister of Culture and Youth, with Shamma Al Mazrui serving as Minister of State for Youth. Courtesy: Ministry of Culture and Youth -
Dr Sultan Al Jaber was made Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology. He was a Minister of State in the previous Cabinet. Victor Besa / The National -
Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi was made Minister of State for Foreign Trade, and is one of three ministers to serve in the Ministry of Economy. He was Minister of Environment in the previous Cabinet. Victor Besa/The National -
Ahmad Al Falasi was made Minister of State for Business and SMEs, serving in the Ministry of Economy. He was previously Minister of Higher Education and Advanced Skills, which is responsible for universities and other training centres. Courtesy: Dubai Media Office -
Sarah Al Amiri was made as President of the UAE Space Agency. Ms Al Amiri, who was Minister of State for Advanced Sciences in the previous Cabinet, is a computer science graduate who worked on satellites before entering government. She steps into the job as the country prepares to launch the Mars Hope space probe on July 15 -
Saeed Al Attar was appointed head of all government communications. He was previously director general of the Office of Public Diplomacy -
Mohamed Hamad Al Kuwaiti was made head of cyber security. He was previously executive director of the National Electronic Security Authority -
Huda Al Hashimi was appointed as head of government strategy and innovation. She has worked in the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and The Future, planning and executing major projects including UAE Vision 2021 -
Abdullah Al Nuaimi was made Minister of Climate Change and Environment, with special focus on working with farmers to boost local food production. He is a mechanical engineer by training, with a degree from University of Wisconsin–Madison, and was Minister of Infrastructure Development between 2013 and 2020 -
Shamma Al Mazrui, one of the youngest members of the Cabinet, will serve as Minister of State for Youth in the Ministry of Culture and Youth -
Ahmed Majed Al Badawi was made Assistant Secretary-General to the Cabinet -
Mohammed Sultan Al Obaidly was made Head of Legal Affairs in the UAE Government. He served as Assistant Secretary General to the Cabinet since 2007, after briefing working as a private lawyer in Dubai. He began his career at the Ministry of Labour in 1988, resolving disputes and labour complaints -
Hamad Al Mansoori was made Head of Digital Government. He was previously head of the telecoms regulator TRA -
Ahmed Juma Al Zaabi was reconfirmed as Minister of the Federal Supreme Council at the Ministry of Presidential Affairs -
Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak was reconfirmed as Minister of Tolerance
Taken together, the impact of the pandemic and changes in regulations, both in terms of personal life and in terms of business and investment, may well lead to a substantial re-setting of the nature of life in the Emirates in years to come.
The changes we have seen have been driven by both the need to respond to the unforeseen pandemic and by a recognition that local society has reached a stage in its evolution where something other than incremental changes is required.
From that, on the occasion of this 2020 National Day, there are, I think, some lessons to be drawn in assessing the very nature of our Government.
In the past, even at times of huge challenges, such as the collapse of oil prices in the 1980s or the impact of serious upheavals in the wider region, Government has generally chosen to follow a well-charted path towards the future.
It would have been possible to continue to do so, with a few adjustments and tweaks here and there.
Such might, indeed, have been the approach of a Government that was averse to innovation, or one that, perhaps, had become slightly sclerotic, rigid and unresponsive, which had lost the ability to adapt to radically changed circumstances.
Looking back to the earliest days of the Emirates, however, we can see that when an enormous challenge was presented, that of the unexpected announcement of the British withdrawal from the Gulf, the UAE's leadership, in particular that of Sheikh Zayed of Abu Dhabi and Sheikh Rashid of Dubai, was prepared to take radical steps to set out on an uncharted path towards the future.
That set the course for the successful first half a century of the UAE. Now, however, the landscape is different, in ways we could not have imagined.
The changes through which we are now living may prove, with hindsight, to have laid down the foundations for a new, and increasingly successful, path for the next 50 years.
Peter Hellyer is a UAE cultural historian and columnist for The National
