'Dubai a global model for success'

Dubai: In a frank question and answer session online with the local and regional media, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Saturday said the UAE is not disturbed by negative campaigns, mainly in the western media, targeting the state of the national economy, which he said was firm and stable.

"Dubai, the city that has set up a successful economic model at a global level, was under a daily attack by some Western media, as if they were in a race against time to harm the UAE," Shaikh Mohammad wrote in an answer to "hundreds of questions" he had received from local and regional newspapers on the official Prime Minister's website. The e-session with the media, the first for Shaikh Mohammad since he took over the office of the Prime Minister three years ago, will be conducted periodically, he promised.

Most of the questions focused on the current global financial crisis and its impact on the UAE. The media campaign in some Western countries also dominated a good part of the session. The campaign against the UAE was described by Shaikh Mohammad as a "media bombardment," and "wishful thinking on the part of some people."

"They are illusions, not realities. The economic foundations and development [of the UAE] are firm and stable. I keep hearing the expression of "the bubble" for the past couple of decades. In my opinion, this bubble is found only in the minds of those who often keep repeating it and do not know its meaning. The future will prove to them the truth."

Shaikh Mohammad said criticisms and negative statements "do not really disturb me," but welcomed objective criticism that would help the UAE improve. He explained that the success of the UAE as a federal state and the "Dubai model" were not about "the world's highest building, the best airport, the most luxurious hotel, the largest seaport and man-made islands."

Dubai, the Prime Minister explained, "is about providing the highest international standards in education and health systems. It is a city with entrepreneurial spirit that entered into international investment areas and bought assets in global ports, airports and financial markets. Dubai succeeded in building a global financial centre and entering into partnerships with reputed financial institutions, and was able to compete globally in the areas of air and sea transport, and charitable initiatives were created to help less-fortunate countries."

Shaikh Mohammad said the UAE's commitment to transparency is "unequivocal and unquestioned."

"We have been very transparent with all measures undertaken over the past few months to counter the impact of the global financial crisis. Senior government officials have spoken openly about the current situation, highlighting key facts and figures - including the actual debts by both the government and government affiliated companies. President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has also openly clarified different dimensions of the crisis's impact on the UAE economy. Despite all that, some people in the media continue to weave rumours and negative speculation into their articles," Shaikh Mohammad wrote.