‘A man of major reforms and development’

Najeeb Al Shamsi, adviser at the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry

“As Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan assumed power in Abu Dhabi on August 6, 1966, he set up a huge programme of development and began to push his people to contribute their energies in this process. Shaikh Zayed also called on foreign talents to support this process with expertise.

“For almost four decades, the bright ruler painstakingly invested in the UAE, which witnessed the creation of major institutions, ranging from ministries of finance, planning, defence, communications, internal and foreign affairs, as well as health, education and the judiciary.

“Shaikh Zayed financed the large-scale construction of public housing facilities, schools and hospitals across the country.

“The capital city’s airport, which was little more than a dirt strip, was upgraded into an international facility, along with a modern seaport, highways, roads and bridges linking the island to the mainland. The end result was an advanced country [that is the UAE today].

“Inspired by its founding father, Emirati officials in Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah all embarked on grand economic

schemes that changed the face of the country.

“‘Shaikh Zayed said: ‘I always thought before I had the possibilities’.

“‘With the advent of oil, our people have been deprived of services and facilities in the past’,” he said on another occasion. ‘But I was sure that dreams would one day be realised’.”

“It is the suffering of the human condition that made Shaikh Zayed and his deep concern to provide appropriate capabilities for the people of the UAE, and compensate them for the harsh circumstances and difficult life.

Shaikh Zayed was a man in a hurry, anxious to introduce fundamental reforms to his nation-state, willing to pay any price and assume any burden as long as these advanced the status and condition of the average Emirati. Unlike many who also possessed wealth, Shaikh Zayed lived a relatively modest life, always attuned to his basic traditions and values.

“At ease in his beloved desert, Shaikh Zayed would spend many hours contemplating sunsets over the horizon, comfortable in a familiar environment that nurtured and sustained him.”