Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, published an open letter on Twitter on Saturday. Below is the full, translated transcript of what he wrote:
“[Dear] brothers, sisters and citizens, as a new season of achievements begins in our country, I would like to share some brief messages with you:
“First: The right place for officials, ministers and leaders is in the field. We want to see them among students and teachers or in the markets among traders and investors. We want to hear they are among farmers, at fishing ports, with widows, mothers and senior citizens, in hospitals and among doctors and staff. We want to see them there and hear them from there, not from conference halls and forums, which have multiplied and used up officials’ resources and energies. We are a government of achievements, not a government of lectures. We are a team of achievers, not a team of preachers.
“Second: Stirring up chaos on social media wastes achievements which thousands of teams toiled hard to build. The reputation of the UAE is not a gaining ground for those who are looking for more followers. We have the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, which is dedicated to managing our external affairs, to speak on our behalf and express our positions in relation to the UAE’s foreign policy. Among its core functions is to maintain the 48-year credibility and reputation that the country has built with countries and peoples of the world. We shall not allow a group of Twitter users to mess with Zayed’s legacy, which he established for us with credibility, love and respect for people. The UAE and Emirati citizens’ image must remain unblemished as Zayed wanted and built.”
“Third: There has been a growing number of complaints about Emiratisation and we hear them. And a decline in people’s satisfaction with regards to the officials dealing with this phenomenon. We are observing that. Providing jobs for Emiratis was and will remain our top priority. Our situation is like that of all countries in the East and the West. We stand firm in this season to follow up this issue and hold accountable those negligent. There will be new decisions as well, if Allah wills.
“Fourth: We thank Allah that our figures in the economy sector are in progress, our competitiveness is on the rise and our foreign trade is increasing. However, we are one of the countries that moves according to the average economic rates. We are a country that seeks to achieve time-saving economic leaps. In the next phase, we need [to pitch] quality projects, exceptional ideas to boost our economy. Real estate projects need to control their pace to bring added value to the national economy so as not to become a burden and a source of imbalance in our economic process.
“Fifth: We have repeated this tens of times before: that the government exists to serve people. Unfortunately, people’s requests increase on live streaming programmes and [other] means of communication. Some officials do not have the courage to deal with their demands or even answer their queries. I know there are challenges but dodging them will not solve them. Any entity that fears to face people is an institution that has lost confidence in itself. I ask everyone to respect any caller on live streaming or communication means and to reply to them and solve their issues. It is not important to have great resources when there’s absence of great hearts and ethics.
“Sixth: I [would like to] say to everyone: be optimistic. We are heading towards the beautiful, the greater and the best. We are one of the readiest countries for the future. We are the most competitive country in the region. We are the most advanced country in government management. We are the best country in adopting future technology. And, most importantly, we are a country that has the courage to face facts, review calculations and continuously adjust strategies to swiftly move ahead towards the future."
Translation by Liza Ayach
