Celebrations demonstrate unity

The joyful and spontaneous participation of Emiratis in the 38th National Day celebrations, along with officially planned events, has truly reflected the collective pride in the nation's great achievements through the past 38 years.

As we celebrated National Day, we were reminded that the federation is our solid rock that represents the greatest achievement, making us proud in this most successful experiment of unity in the Arab world.

And after more than three decades of hard work and dedication, we can see the fruit of the federation in the development and stability enjoyed by our nation.

As we look ahead, we realise that what we have left behind may be different from what lies ahead, yet is similar in terms of the challenges that we have faced and the spirit of collective work that we embraced to reach the leading position we occupy now.

The great nation in which we are proud would not have been possible without having great leaders who believed in this nation and the devotion of its citizens.

This year's celebrations were special, different and unique, with the colours of the nation's flag (red, green, white and black) dominating the general scene and underlining the fabulous harmony between the spontaneous public response and the official celebrations.

Deep-rooted identity

This was a true reflection of the deep-rooted identity of UAE citizens, who proved their loyalty to the nation and commitment to preserving the nation's gains and working hard to press ahead with the march of progress towards a better future.

Visitors view the achievements of the UAE through hotels, towers, airports, highways and other concrete constructions.

We do not disagree with this view, because material aspects are an important part of our success and are an indication of our reaction to the demands of diversifying our economy and the risk of adopting the model of a revenue-based country.

We do not claim that we have achieved total success, but still have the honour of trying and persistence.

As we celebrate this glorious occasion, we must highlight the great development achieved through the federation, and those who want to overlook material accomplishments can look at our people and evaluate our experience from a fresh perspective.

Signs of this human development include the illiteracy rate, which has dropped to five per cent, while life expectancy increased to 80 years for women and 77 for men.

Many bet that the federation would not be durable and stable, because it was established amid regional tensions.

Yet, the UAE proved this prediction wrong when it emerged as a respectable and serious player in the regional and international arenas.

The UAE's foreign policy and international relations have become a model to be emulated. It proved to be the peaceful neighbour and loyal friend, while extending help to needy people across the world.

The UAE's successful bid to host the headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency is indicative of the great appreciation the country and its leadership enjoy on the global stage.

Yes, the federation is a successful experiment by all measures, and we as Emiratis view this entity as a strong fortress, which we are keen to protect.

We gave priority to development and economy over politics, which we dealt with as a means, not an end, and always endeavoured to firmly establish the ideology of a fair and capable country.

Fortunately for the UAE, the wise and experienced leadership realised the importance of consultation, collective work and carefully considering all issues, which led to one success after the other and set a modern Arab example of unity, tolerance and development.

There is no doubt that the role played by the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan was significant, and now President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, are following in the footsteps of the founding fathers.

The modern vision and leadership of General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, also contributed to enriching this collective experience.

As we commemorate this dear occasion, we cannot overlook the new chapter of the global financial crisis, which revolves around Dubai and the debts of Dubai World. Needless to say, Dubai and its leading experience were the subject of a vicious media campaign, which used the tools of scepticism and offensive direct and indirect accusations.

Anyone who monitors foreign media realises that the attack against Dubai and the UAE is still ongoing, and even attempted to distort the relations between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Here, we must say that the restructuring is a natural repercussion of the global crisis. Since the UAE is the most globalised country in the Arab world, it is normal for it to feel the effects of the crisis more than other areas, which is the test we face right now.

We will overcome this with teamwork, because the lessons we learnt from the crisis indicate that institutional work must be placed above individual work, since the culture of institution, control and accountability must prevail.

Keeping the past four decades in mind, the future looks bright, and the speech by Shaikh Khalifa on National Day showed the way forward to further successes.

Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash is Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.