Rashid bin Saeed…and the five pillars of governance
On this day, the seventh of October 1990, a man of the stature of Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum left us, may God have mercy on him.
I was in Rashid Hospital that day, at the moment of the birth of one of my daughters. At that time, my eyes were not leaving the television screen while the burial ceremony of Sheikh Rashid was being broadcast live. It was as if my heart was split into two halves, one half for joy at the birth, and the other half was squeezed by sadness. The arrangement was from God and fate was the ruler, so that day would pass. In a place whose name is immortalized to this day, and may God rest his soul in peace.
How was this great builder able to build the civilization and greatness of Dubai from nothing?!
I had a father who did not leave the council of Sheikh Rashid when he died, and he did not leave the council of Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum in the prime of his youth, and after them he continued to attend the council of their sons Sheikh Maktoum and Sheikh Hamdan, may God have mercy on them, until the hour of his illness came.
After this, I will tell you how Sheikh Rashid ruled Dubai, “the paradise of the Gulf,” and how he built its rules with unparalleled precision.
The first principle of his rule for Dubai is peaceful “coexistence” between the various components of this society, and it is a long, sound and rational legacy that he inherited from the period of his father, Sheikh Saeed, may God have mercy on him, and for nearly fifty years of his term.
The other principle is “shura” in its highest sense. One of Sheikh Rashid’s companions on the road told me: We were sitting one day while Sheikh Rashid was in the midst of silent thought, and we did not say a word. After a while, he presented to us an economic project that was occupying his mind and disturbing his thoughts. Then the matter was discussed with all the people sitting without him interrupting us until we finished. From the conversation, and then after that he takes his decision on any matter. This type of discussion, despite its simplicity, was impressive in its results even after his physical separation, with his achievements continuing in the eyes of the honorable sheikhs of his children who are continuing in his path.
As for the third principle, it lies in the field supervision of all projects that raised Dubai’s status to international status.
Sheikh Rashid did not believe in sitting behind desks to manage major business remotely, or by issuing relevant orders or decisions. The fourth, most important principle for him was daily knowledge of construction in all fields. Working in the field was more important to him than sitting in the court.
As for the fifth principle, it lies in the importance of the economy, as Sheikh Rashid, may God have mercy on him, understood with the insight of his eyes, the soundness of his mind, and the strength of his awareness, the meaning of the strength of the economy, and that it is the lever of society towards development to build a better future for all, not just the people. His saying became famous for this: If only That is, one who invests a stone in the country, to bring out pure gold from underneath it, pleasing to the onlookers.
Dubai was created by Sheikh Rashid as an industry at a time when its resources were scarce and its capabilities limited. Al Habtoor narrates in his memoirs about his visit to Sheikh Rashid’s council for financial assistance to implement an economic project in the emirate. His response was: As for the money, we do not have it, but I will recommend some banks to you to finance the project.
Decades later, I was present in the council of Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid, may God have mercy on him, and memories of his father were mentioned by one of Dubai’s most prominent figures, who said: “May your life be long. If your father, may God have mercy on him, had helped us in those days, we would not have reached this mall today.”
Let us today take a closer look at the harvest of Dubai’s economy, according to what was indicated by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, may God protect him:
We received numbers for the first half of 2024… as our exports in just 6 months reached what we exported during a full year before Corona in 2019… and our foreign trade approached 1.4 trillion dirhams within six months, with a 25% growth in our non-oil exports… and our goal is to achieve 3 trillion dirhams. Non-oil foreign trade by the end of this year, God willing.
*Emirati writer
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