It is an important indication of the UAE government’s far-sightedness that its main focus is the improvement of its citizens and that it has made people’s happiness its top priority. This clarity, that the purpose of governance is the betterment of the people, is highly commendable and allows the government to target its actions towards this vital benchmark. The National Day speech by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan laid out a 10-point goal for the government with the common thread of seeking to improve the lot of the people. And this target remains the country’s priority despite the turmoil in the region and the UAE armed forces’ active participation in standing up for tolerance and the rule of law across the region.
Shaikh Khalifa included a long-established priority of seeking active citizenship from UAE citizens, through making more focused efforts to develop practices that promote and deepen national identity and loyalty and working with a sense of happiness, justice and equality that prevail in the UAE to encourage participation in national work, which Shaikh Khalifa described as “a right and duty of every Emirati man and woman”.
The final point of Shaikh Khalifa’s list of goals summed up the wider aim of the UAE to develop laws and policies that allow the country to remain an oasis of security and stability, a thriving destination for investment, and a centre for regional and international trade. It is important that the president has kept the UAE government’s focus on this brave target despite the turmoil in the region and the threat of short-term urgencies distracting from long-term essentials. At this time of war, Shaikh Khalifa paid a generous tribute to the men and women of the UAE armed forces, especially to those who have set wonderful examples through their ultimate heroism and sacrifice by offering their lives in defence of the nation and its values, and whose sacrifices will stiffen the UAE’s resolve, enhance its strength and solidify the UAE’s cohesion and solidarity.
His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in his National Day speech, added to Shaikh Khalifa’s tribute to the armed forces, who embody the ethics of national service and revive the spirit of sacrifice. Shaikh Mohammad paid fulsome tribute to the soldiers’ heroism and dedication and in particular to the sacrifice of the martyrs through the years and those who are fighting for what the UAE values in Yemen and other trouble spots in the region. Shaikh Mohammad praised the outstanding performance of the air, land and sea services of the UAE armed forces, pointing out that the building of a modern national army at the highest level of professionalism was a top priority during the establishment of the UAE federation.
Shaikh Mohammad also focused on the UAE’s values and internal priorities, giving two important examples of progress this year — the election of Dr Amal Al Qubaisi as the first woman to hold the position of Speaker of the UAE Federal National Council and the passing of the first anti-discrimination law in the Arab region, which is based on Sharia and the UAE’s values and seeks to protect the UAE from the plagues of fanaticism, discrimination and hate spread by extremist and terrorist ideologies and ignorance.
