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Sheikh Mohammed, a leader
with a vision, unveils the ingredients of Dubai’s success, provokes Arabs
to revive past glories
A Stunning Book from a Man of Stunning Achievements
By Sammy A.
Bishtawi
Monday, April 24, 2006
My Vision - Challenges in the Race for
Excellence
by Vice-President, Prime Minister of the UAE
and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, can
be described as a book about the man behind the outstanding success story of
Dubai, and the story behind this unique man. But this is just a one side of
a multi-faceted volume of exceptional diversity, simplicity, and nothing
less than a stunning achievement.
Reviewers of advance copies of the book have described it as perhaps one of
the most important works published in the Middle East in the past 50 years.
They may not be far off the mark. Books produced more than a century ago by
great Arab thinkers like Abdul Rahman Al Kawakibi, Jamal Uddin Al Afghani
and Mohammed Abdou had a catalytic impact on the future of the Arab World
and the Islamic Umma as both nations, at the time, were attempting to shake
off the oppressive shackles of the Turkish Sultans. Later on, exceptional
literary, philosophical and historical works were published in Egypt, Syria,
Lebanon and other Arab countries, but scientific, economic and social works
paled in comparison. Only a handful of such titles can be easily remembered
today.
Violence and political unrest in the Arab World must not obscure the fact
that the greatest battle awaiting Arabs in the 21st century is
the battle for development. Similarly, poverty, underdevelopment and the
chaotic, inefficient planning in most Arab countries must not obscure the
fact that this region is on the threshold of what could become the greatest
development for a thousand years.
Wishful thinking? Not according to Sheikh Mohammed: “All the ingredients
necessary for the emergence of an exceptional Arab development are present
today and I am confident it will be realized, and confident also of the
ability of Arabs to achieve. The exceptional development was a dream once
but the dream was embodied in a vision that has made the great Arab State,”
he says in the introduction to his book. “The vision suffered a setback and
back we went to the old dream, but I do believe there is a chance now to
wake up and turn this dream into a clear vision once again. How? I don’t
want to begin something I can’t complete within the confines of this
introduction so I will leave my book – my vision, with the task of providing
the answer.”
In
many ways this is exactly what his book is about: providing answers. How was
it possible for Dubai to rise to such towering heights from beneath the sand
dunes of time and oblivion, and with so little oil to export? How could
Dubai attract more tourists than Egypt, with its Great Pyramids and River
Nile? How could it become the largest financial center in the Middle East,
with the most successful airline carrier, the most expansive aluminum
smelter, the tallest hotel, the widest seaport and two out of four
structures in the world that can be seen from the moon? And what does Dubai
have that others don’t? Sand? Every country in the Gulf has that. The sea?
They all have it. White, warm beaches? They are everywhere.
The
answer is: The people of Dubai and the UAE. There are no more oil wells to
drill, so Sheikh Mohammed is poring into the minds of both nationals and
residents. This is where the true wealth of nations lies. Their brains are
the only true renewable source of wealth; a single exceptional idea could be
worth more than all the wells of the largest oil field in the Gulf combined.
Microsoft was an idea. How much is it worth?
For
nearly 20 years, my father has consistently bet against Dubai and Microsoft
alike. He has gained notoriety amongst hardened skeptics but he lost a
fortune. Now Sheikh Mohammed is telling us in his book that he plans to
double the size of Dubai in the next five years. It is already bursting at
the seams of its boundaries, but that is what he is intent on doing.
Even this outstanding project is not enough for the grandest vision of the
21st century. Listen again, carefully, very carefully: “I will
not discard an opportunity by waiting for another, but the highs we aim for
have not been reached. All that has been achieved is nothing compared to my
vision. All that you see around you is merely the beginning of our long road
to development. All that you observe are merely small stops on the road to
an expansive station, and all that you see merely represent the cornerstones
of what is to come. From these, the grand edifice for my people will be
built. Then I will wish all other Arab leaders to do the same in their
countries, to build the universal Arab development of excellence. The arms
of the UAE are stretched towards you, my Arab brothers, so let’s begin.”
What else but overwhelming awe can the reader feel when confronted with such
inspiring vision, but to follow him in his journey of development?
I
will ask my father, firmly this time, not to bet against Dubai anymore. I
know he will lose again and the author will win. Why? Because he has won the
bet with so many others all along. Sheikh Mohammed says: “Failure is a great
mentor but we have no time to learn from our failures. Simply put, we have
no experience in failure. All that we’ve learnt came from the failures of
others.”
Microsoft is an idea but so is Emirates Airlines, Emaar, Dubai Holding,
Nakheel and dozens of other successful companies and corporations. As long
as there are brains that generate such great ideas, Dubai will only grow
further. But minds have to be trained in order to produce excellence and
here lays the greatest challenge in the Arab World. The author explains: “We
could talk about financial resources derived from exporting energy but I
would rather talk about the optimum use of these resources because the
availability of finance does not necessarily mean the automatic creation of
development. Moreover, the true value of money lies not in its volume but in
the ways it is used. You may start a certain project with US $12 million
only to see it increase 1,000 fold in 20 years. Alternatively, you may pour
billions into another project that bleeds hundreds of millions of dollars a
year simply to cover its losses and help to keep its wings raised.”
The
author expands on this idea further: “The difference between these types of
projects and others is the difference between a good idea and a bad one, and
the difference between a bad idea and an excellent idea is between a mind
that can generate excellence and another that can’t. This doesn’t mean that
the mind that can produce excellence is the mind of a particular nationality
or one region of the world and not another, but that we failed to implant in
the Arab mind the distinctive thinking process that leads to the production
of excellence. Why did we fail to do that? Because we invested handsomely in
failed projects and we failed in investing generously in minds. Why again?
Because we pile the back of the Arab steed with so many political, social
and economic loads that he can’t cope with the weight, and we expect him
later to join nimble, well-trained horses and win the race.”
Can
the Arabs rise to the challenge? Could they achieve excellence that lasts
for 1,000 years? The author believes they could. The proof he offers is
Dubai itself. We have succeeded, he tells his Arab brethren, and you can
succeed too. With Dubai’s help, he declares, you can achieve it. We can all
achieve it together.
Dubaians
Are Like This
“Walking or driving alone
through the streets of Dubai, I am sometimes overcome by this feeling that I
can’t accurately describe. It seems to me something like the translucent
shades of dawn or the shadowy folds of late night. I could say that what I
really feel is the spirit of Dubai. If I were asked what I meant by that, I
may say that this feeling is a mixture of the spirit of this great city and
that of its people”.
Thus starts a section of Chapter
10, described as one of the most beautiful passages in Arabic. Undoubtedly,
it is the most melodious song about Dubai and its people. “You see,” he
continues, “the lips may part but it is the heart that really smiles.
Dubaians are like this. The first step in evoking the gentle smile is to
uproot the negative energy from peoples’ hearts and empty their chests of
despair and frustration. This happens when we do satisfying work that brings
us joy and pride. When this happens the morale of each of us will be boosted
and we will be nice to others and ourselves. Work days, in such a case, will
be an extension of our weekends.”
“Those who live
in Dubai are likely to remain in Dubai. Even when they leave us for another
city, part of them remains here and many return. I’ve heard stories of
people who left for Canada, Europe and the USA only to come back a year or
two later with their children ahead of them. Some had a modest beginning
with us and grew globally in business and investments. Some bought large
companies while others gained advanced work experiences and were lured by
large salaries and generous offers of work in other countries. Still, they
came back. They left good management to look after their investments abroad,
quit their senior posts and returned. Why? There is affinity in Dubai. There
are warm surrounding feelings and emotions. This tolerance is observed by
all and these traditions are respected by all. There is self-respect and
this results in the respect of others. There is balance, excellence and
culture. Cordova was like this…”
The author has all the people of
Dubai in mind. Nationals will have all the attention and support they need,
but resident expatriates are not at all forgotten soldiers: “Dubai needs the
effort, creativity and the participation of all those who live in it. Those
who have a stake in Dubai’s present will have a stake in its future but they
have to safeguard the present and work for their future which is Dubai’s
future as well.”
This creative participation is
the cornerstone of Sheikh Mohammed’s vision. For him, a vision is legless
unless supported by the people, and the people will not participate in
turning a vision into reality unless they are convinced of its value, and
unless this vision corresponds to their needs and interests. It should move
away from theorisation and complexity into clarity and simplicity. “Everyone
should know that his or her opinion is important in any vision or plan. And
each is duty bound to participate in its making, even with a single word.
Then, and only then, the national and the resident who participate in making
the vision of Dubai become a part of Dubai.”
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