Last Friday, August 7, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, was seen cycling around the city with friends and aides before stopping to pray on the roadside. The images, widely shared on social media, showed Sheikh Mohammed and a group of almost 20 friends and family cycle past the Dubai Canal, using a dedicated cycling path and wearing helmets.
This Friday, the Crown Prince of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed announced that Dubai is set to become a bicycle-friendly city after new road safety laws and infrastructure to support riders are put in place.
Two days after his cycling expedition in the Jumeirah Beach neighbourhood, the Ruler of Dubai along with his officials were seen visiting the iconic Ibn Battuta Mall in Dubai, enquiring about promotional offers during the ongoing Dubai Summer Surprises festival. Sheikh Mohammed provides Dubai residents an occasional surprise by visiting a coffee shop, a restaurant or just crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing in downtown Dubai. He can throw a surprise on government departments too by paying an early morning visit to check their functioning and pulling up late comers. Principle No. 2 of “The Eight Principles of Dubai”, a document Sheikh Mohammed issued on the 50th year of his service to the nation, states: “Justice is the basis of a strong and proud nation, and guarantees prosperity and stability. No one is above the law in Dubai, starting with the ruling family. The law does not discriminate between citizens and residents, rich and poor, male and female, Muslims and non-Muslims. Justice delayed is justice denied.” It also explains why the ruler and the ruled are able to walk on the streets without fear or layers of security.
His gestures and actions speak louder than words. It helps when the ruler leads by example – to wait for the green light at a pedestrian crossing or cycle to reduce carbon emissions in a city of cars. With the mall visit, he instils confidence to venture out and go about life as usual in a populace that had learnt to confine themselves to the four walls of their homes when the governments of the emirates devised plans to contain COVID-19. Now that the UAE has successfully reined in the coronavirus and cautiously opened up its businesses and leisure activities, the popular Indian Premier League cricket tournament has shifted venue to the UAE.
Sheikh Mohammed is a ruler who knows the pulse of his people, a visionary leader whose ambitious plans for his emirate has seen the desert city transform into an oasis of prosperity and modernity. The execution of his vision is achieved systematically by the best brains from across the world. That a 50-year-young nation can dream to be in space was proven when the UAE sent an Emirati astronaut to space and the Hope Probe to Mars. A human settlement in Mars by 2117 is the ultimate project of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) created in 2006 to make the UAE a world leader in space services and exploration.
The phenomenal growth of a fishing village that struck gold with oil in the late 1960s is also synonymous with the growth of its airline into the most prestigious airline brand in the 21st century. Before the pandemic struck, Emirates was the world’s most preferred airline, the Dubai International Airport the world’s busiest in terms of international passenger traffic and Dubai Duty Free the most successful airport retailer.
With his Midas touch, Sheikh Mohammed has made the impossible possible in Dubai – man-made islands, indoor ski resort, the Dubai Metro, trams, driverless pods, and of course, the world’s tallest building Burj Khalifa. There is more to come – the Creek Tower that will be the new tallest building, Ain Dubai the biggest Ferris wheel, Expo 2020 the World’s Greatest Show (postponed due to COVID-19), the Museum of the Future and Atlantis 2, to name a few.
Even as it builds more architectural marvels, Dubai seeks to be a sustainable and futuristic city. By 2050 Sheikh Mohammed aims to have 75 per cent of the city’s energy from clean sources and leave the smallest carbon footprint.
Under his enthusiastic and charismatic guidance, Dubai continues to aim for superlatives. So, welcome to the Happiest City in the world.
