Opinion | Columnists
A visionary and statesman to the end
As the UAE prepares to celebrate its 38th National Day, many throughout the region will certainly remember the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founder of the UAE and the wise man of the Arab world.
- Marwan Al Kabalan
- Published: 00:00 October 23, 2009
- Image Credit: Illustration: Ramachandra Babu/Gulf News
As an outstanding leader and moderniser, the death of Shaikh Zayed on November 2, 2004, was felt as a great loss in the Arab world and particularly for the people of the UAE, to whom Shaikh Zayed had given an identity.
Few leaders in the Arab world have, in fact, gained the respect and popularity that Shaikh Zayed enjoyed — not only inside the UAE, but throughout the region. We would probably not find a single person who would dispute the fact that under his reign, the UAE has become the jewel of the Arab world and the example that many wish to emulate. Unlike some Arab leaders who spent their life-time trying to consolidate their power and grooming heirs, with little regard for the wishes of their people, Shaikh Zayed spent his life trying to establish a prosperous country, improve the lot of his people and shield them from the turbulent events of the region. No wonder that since he assumed power in 1971, the history of the UAE has always been in striking contrast to the volatile history of the Middle East. Rarely has the UAE been in the news except for when people wanted to talk about success, economic prosperity and political stability. And even when succession was a problem facing nearly all Arab states, regardless of the type of political system, the UAE always stood as a peculiar exception.
Shaikh Zayed, by any standard, was an unusual politician and great transformer. One could not but admire his determination, which transformed the UAE from a desert land into a modern and prosperous country. On the fifth anniversary of his departure, many would recall with admiration his tireless efforts to make the UAE what it is today.
Shaikh Zayed's personal capabilities and qualities of leadership surfaced after Britain announced its intention to withdraw from the Gulf. Shaikh Zayed, who at the time was ruler of the eastern province of Al Ain, began urging the nine small states of the lower Gulf to unify in protection against the challenges ahead. But it was a difficult task.
Special status
Bahrain, influenced by its longer period of development, felt it was entitled to a special status; Qatar was reluctant to share its oil income; Abu Dhabi held the same attitude until 1966; and the six smaller states simply were unable to agree among themselves.
The accession of Shaikh Zayed as Ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966 was a turning point in the history of the UAE, as he threw his weight and the increasing income of Abu Dhabi behind the project. In December 1971, Shaikh Zayed was able to tell the world that his dream had come true and that the UAE had come into being.
The early years of the UAE, however, were full of questions about what its union really meant and how the responsibilities and obligations were to be handled. Many doubted that the union would endure, but the presence of Shaikh Zayed as head of state was always assuring. At the time, doubters did not realise that what they considered weak points in the body of the union were in fact the pillars of its strength. The major questions during the early years focused on the constitutional status of the UAE. Questions were raised about whether the union was a federation or a confederation. Outside observers considered the UAE a single state with a capital, flag, currency, bureaucracy and international recognition, but were, nevertheless, concerned that the writ of the federal government was limited. Shaikh Zayed was confident that this was the secret of success for his project and that it was.
If Shaikh Zayed's accession was necessary for the formation of the UAE, his wise leadership was essential for the modernisation process, which led Abu Dhabi and with it the UAE into the oil age.
The ingenuity of Shaikh Zayed went far beyond that. Indeed, if Germany was the miracle of Europe, Japan of the Far East, Malaysia of South East Asia, under Shaikh Zayed the UAE became the miracle of the Arab world. We can also say, without exaggeration, that if Egypt was the gift of the Nile, the UAE was the gift of Zayed to his people.
Dr Marwan Al Kabalan is a lecturer in the Media and International Relations Faculty of Political Science and Media at Damascus University in Syria.
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