It is unusual for a government in the Arab world to be so clear that its mission is to serve the people. Far too many Arab governments got trapped in a cycle of self-preservation, which ended up with slow stultification of the government into inaction and paralysis.
This is why this week’s restructuring of the UAE government is so important, because it shows a remarkable willingness to embrace continual change.
The UAE government’s changes are also unusual in that they focus on the soft areas of government action that all too often get overlooked. There are very few governments in the world that have appointed ministers for happiness or tolerance, and even if it remains to be seen how they will implement their responsibilities, the creation of these posts mean that the UAE cabinet and government at large will have to think about the people they serve.
It is much to the credit of the leadership of the UAE and the Prime Minister who manages the cabinet, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, that they are willing to be so self-aware about their governance.
Far too many governments try to get away with the minimum, and even the more ambitious governments hesitate to judge themselves on their practice of the art of government, whereas the changes in the UAE point to a long process of self-examination.
The cabinet changes focus on developing community and knowledge. For example, they do not touch the ministries of defence, finance or interior, amongst others, which will continue unchanged according to the announcements so far.
But the ministries of education and higher education have been merged to create a new single ministry with a strategic overview of the whole educational process, which is vital for the future of the UAE. No country can flourish without a well-educated population that is able to think for itself, and the country’s schools is where this process has to start.
In the past the UAE has been poorly served by hanging onto a curriculum in government schools that focused far too much on learning by rote, and not nearly enough on developing innovation and critical thinking, never mind the technical skills that a population needs in the modern world.
But the government changes do not stop with just the Ministry of Education; they carry this urgent need across several other ministries that include a new Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, and the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation.
‘Priorities determine outcomes’
This is all part of the joined-up government that has been taking root in the UAE cabinet over the past few years, as ministries work across their various portfolios to develop integrated solutions for what is required.
As Lieutenant-General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, put at this week’s World Government Summit: “Priorities determine outcomes. After determining priorities, you can achieve your goals. The integrated doctrine is the main factor in foreseeing the future and being prepared for it. The doctrine of the state is that it should gather and not divide, and President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has chosen the integration doctrine.”
Another powerful strand in the restructuring was to place great importance in developing the community. The UAE has unique challenges as its small Emirati population works to reinforce its identity in their own country where they are a minority. The Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development has been specifically charged with protecting Arabic, as well as developing knowledge, and it will be working alongside the Ministry of Community Development that has a more overt role to support the UAE population.
The Emirati population and the government have been aware for some years of the necessity to work hard to preserve their UAE identity at the very least, but also to reinforce and take it forward into the future. This vital task started with work on making the unique Emirati heritage and culture more accessible to both Emiratis and expatriates, and also radically improving the teaching of Arabic in all schools — particularly government schools.
But while vital, these two tasks did not build a sense of Emirati identity that can be carried forward into the future, which has to be based on culture and values.
This is where the UAE’s position of being a Muslim, Arab and Gulf state lead it to espouse values like tolerance, which it has been very vocal in articulating since the need to counteract the horrors of extremism and narrow-mindedness that have suddenly exploded in the region.
But the strength of the changes announced this week is that they are not a reaction to outside events, but a natural progression of the Emiratis’ own need to take their country into the next century.
There is even a ministry with a new responsibility to prepare for the UAE of the future, which has to be more sustainable and a secure home for all Emiratis as well others who are working to build the UAE of the future.