Dubai: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has said the UAE’s historic project to send an unmanned probe to Mars by 2021 would benefit all humanity and its findings would be made available to all countries to use.

Presiding over a brainstorming session with his team on Saturday, Shaikh Mohammad said the goal of the project is to develop knowledge within universities and research centres and to build national capabilities in the fields of aerospace.

Present during the session were Shaikh Maktoum Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai; Mohammad Bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister for Cabinet Affairs; Eisa Kazim, Governor of Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC); and Khalifa Saeed Sulaiman, Director General of Dubai Protocol and Hospitality Department.

Shaikh Mohammad said the Mars project requires lots of studies and research, leading to a host of long-term benefits, including emergence of new sectors in the national economy, catering for telecommunications, satellites and data transfer.

During the brainstorming session Shaikh Mohammad also said that the function of the leader in the end is to put together a working team, and that what makes any leader very proud is assembling a successful and strong team capable of change.

Shaikh Mohammad also pointed out during the prolonged meeting with the team the importance of not listening to sseptics and negative people at the beginning of any project or when launching any plan. He also noted some advice he heard at the beginning of his presidency of the Council of Ministers from some friends about the difficulty of development in the federal government because of routine and bureaucracy, but he did not listen to them.

He also pointed out that he surprised the cabinet in 2006 when he declared that his goal is that the UAE government reach top levels worldwide over the coming few years; that goal, he added, resembled a farfetched dream to many, however, it came true over a few years after by hard work, perseverance and the refusal to recognise the impossible

He also answered some questions posed by his team where he was asked about the next target after reaching the world’s first status in government efficiency, according to a report by the International Institute of Management Development, Switzerland.

Shaikh Mohammad said that remaining in the same position will be considered a decline because the world is moving forward and nations are competing among themselves.

He added that supremacy is a continuous journey that does not have an end terminal. He also said that there are a lot of areas that one must compete in and that the government has a lot of challenges that need to be taken care of.

Shaikh Mohammad also stressed that people’s expectations are constantly changing and therefore continuous development is a must.

He also answered a question regarding the victory of Yamamah and its winning the World Cup for endurance, led by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai. Shaikh Mohammad said that Yamamah is an excellent Emirati horse, she was not purchased from abroad, rather she was born and raised in the UAE desert, specifically in Marmoum. He added that he nominated her for this race based on his follow-up of her abilities for several years. Shaikh Mohammad noted the difficulty of competing in the World Cup’s endurance race where tens of countries’ best riders and fully trained horses compete.

He also spoke about his directing Shaikh Hamdan during the 160-kilometre-long race to reduce the speed of the horse through many stages of the race in order to preserve its fitness until it reached the finish line and attained first place in the world.

In a question to Shaikh Mohammad about his expectations for the members of his team, he said he wished nothing but the best for everyone and their families. He said he wanted everyone to benefit themselves, their country and their families.

He then added that serving one’s country is not a job, rather it is one’s whole life.

He said there are thousands of work teams in the country working day and night to hold the UAE’s name high and to preserve its gains and achieve prosperity for its people.

At the end of the brainstorming session, Shaikh Mohammad praised the ideas given to him by the members of the team and urged them to continue their ambitions and positive outlook towards the future.