It’s the kind of question you might hear from a daydreamer at a cafe: “If you could ask the Ruler of Dubai one thing, what would it be?”
But Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, also Vice President, is giving Emiratis the chance to do exactly that at a two-day government summit outlining and examining his vision for the country.
The summit, Leadership in Government Services, begins on Monday and will be attended by more than 2,000 leaders and speakers from across the world.
But it is the element of public participation that has prompted the most excitement.
Sheikh Mohammed will hold an open session on the first day to answer questions on his vision from the Emirati public.
They are being encouraged to send their questions to his official website, from now until the start of the summit.
Emiratis were yesterday quick to suggest some questions.
Ahmed Al Menhali, 37, said he would ask whether the UAE could change its laws on nationality.
“We see expat women coming here wanting to marry Emirati men in the hopes of getting UAE nationality and then filing for divorce,” the businessman said. “My question is: why not allow the man to take away his wife’s nationality once they are divorced?”
International affairs student Mohammed Al Hosani, 21, said: “My question is, what do you think about Emirati youth when it comes to their education levels?”
Sheikh Mohammed will also use the summit to elaborate on the Government’s progress in achieving its 2021 plan, which he launched three years ago.
Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, will also address the summit, along with other speakers from the US, UK, Australia, Singapore, Denmark, Canada, South Korea and Brazil.
Institutions including the World Bank and the World Economic Forum will provide lectures, and international companies will share their expertise on good customer service.
Questions can be posed in Arabic at: http://app.moca.gov.ae/publicquestions.
aalkhoori@thenational.ae