Popular leader in constant contact with people

Dubai: In a bid to open up channels of direct and less formal contact with the people, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, became an active leader on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

He had been even ranked sixth on the "Heads of State Using Social Media" list, which was compiled by the Digital Policy Council, which monitors the usage of micro-blogging sites such as Twitter.

Before he opened up a Facebook account, Shaikh Mohammad had the first e-session in 2009 with the general public as a Prime Minister. The public were asked to post questions they wanted to ask him on his website www.uaepm.ae.

In his address, he had said: "This online encounter with the everyday public is the first of its kind, but it will not be the last. The Prime Minister's website is here to allow all of you to ask as many questions as you wish — and I will regularly answer them."

Shaikh Mohammad then opened a Facebook account, but had to migrate to a fans page due to the many friends' requests.

He then created a Twitter account, which he uses to engage with his community. On Facebook, he posts about the visits he conducts to ministries and government departments and even posts videos of the visits.

In a recent post on his Facebook page, Shaikh Mohammad posted: "The new decade will no doubt bring us challenges, as every decade does, but I know we will meet them with strength of character, building on our achievements to reinforce the pillars of our economy and society."

"I would like to take this opportunity to reaffirm my pride and belief in our young and dynamic population, our heritage as a trading nation and our strategic place in the world. Today we think back but we also look forward to the next five years, as we work to realise Dubai's full potential. Wishing you all peace, prosperity and happiness in 2011 and beyond."