Hamdan replies to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid: ‘I promise to remain close to the people’

Dubai: In a moving reply to a message from his father, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum pledged to remain close to their people, steadfast in upholding justice and devoted to the UAE.

Sheikh Hamdan, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, made the pledge as he responded to his father’s message marking 20 years since his appointment as Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai.

Addressing Sheikh Mohammed as “my father, my teacher and my pillar of support”, Sheikh Hamdan said finding words worthy of his father was among the most difficult moments for a son, particularly when that father had taught him the meaning of responsibility, the nation and the importance of actions preceding words.

“Twenty years in your school have been a true preparation for understanding the meaning of leadership, how the nation must come above every consideration, and how serving the people is a trust and a pledge we must never break,” Sheikh Hamdan said.

He said that regardless of the responsibilities a person carries or the achievements they attain, nothing could equal the importance of earning a father’s approval.

“Your words today brought joy to Hamdan the son, but they placed an even greater pledge upon Hamdan the official: to always be worthy of this trust and to ensure that what comes next is the truest expression of everything you have instilled in me.”

‘I promise to remain as you taught me’

Sheikh Hamdan pledged to continue following the principles his father had taught him throughout two decades of leadership.

“I promise you that I will remain as you taught me: close to the people, steadfast in upholding what is right, and loyal to the nation,” he said.

He also pledged to safeguard what Sheikh Mohammed and the UAE’s leaders had built through hard work, dedication and sincerity.

“We will remain, for Dubai and the UAE, as you taught us: accepting nothing for them but first place.”

Sheikh Hamdan concluded with a prayer for his father, describing him as a father, teacher and leader, and asking God to help him always live up to Sheikh Mohammed’s expectations.

“May God preserve you for us as a father, teacher and leader, and preserve you as a source of strength, pride and an incomparable symbol,” he said. “May He always grant me the ability to live up to your expectations.”