Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid 1945 - 2021
▶ Obituary The elder brother of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President, devoted his life to the UAE
The passing of Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid marks the end of a lifetime of service to Dubai and the UAE.
Appointed as Minister of Finance under Sheikh Zayed, the Founding Father, after the formation of the country in December, 1971, Sheikh Hamdan held the post until his death, which was announced yesterday. He was in his mid-70s.
Like his brothers, Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid, the former Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan was prepared for the responsibilities of office from an early age.
The second of four sons of Sheikh Rashid, Sheikh Hamdan was part of a rising generation of young Emiratis from the ruling families whose duties required them to articulate the vision and ambition of their new country on a global stage.
Even as a teenager, he was always at his father’s side, as Sheikh Rashid pursued his goal of turning Dubai into a world centre for trade and business.
A photograph from 1959 shows Sheikh Hamdan, not yet 15, standing by his father’s side at London’s Heathrow Airport as they arrived for an official visit to the UK.
His formal education began in Dubai, studying mathematics and science as well as pursuing Islamic and Arabic studies at a school in the city.
In his early 20s, he spent a year at a language school in Cambridge to further develop his proficiency in English.
It was during his time in this ancient university city that Sheikh Hamdan was likely to have developed one of his lifelong passions, for nearby was the town of Newmarket, arguably the world centre of thoroughbred horse breeding.
The popularity of racing in the UAE is widely attributed to Sheikh Hamdan. In 1981, he founded Shadwell Racing, with a breeding and racing operation that eventually expanded to eight stud farms and hundreds of Arabian and thoroughbred horses across the UK, Ireland and the US.
British Flat Racing Champion Owner five times between 1990 and 2005, his triumphs included the English and Irish derbies, the 2,000 Guineas, the Ascot Gold Cup and the Dubai World Cup in 1999 and 2007.
But his love of racing never distracted him from the duties of government, as a minister, and Deputy Ruler of Dubai from 1995.
From the start of public life, he followed Sheikh Rashid’s vision of developing Dubai as a diverse economy that would become a world city.
He was placed in charge of key institutions by Sheikh Rashid, including Dubai Aluminium (now EGA), Dubai Natural Gas (Dugas), Dubai Cable and the Dubai World Trade Centre.
His responsibilities would grow to encompass Dubai Municipality, the presidency of the Dubai Ports Authority and roles in the information and health departments.
As a minister, Sheikh Hamdan was responsible for making sure the UAE’s new oil wealth was used to develop an infrastructure that would benefit all – funding roads, hospitals, electricity networks and water.
On the world stage, he was the UAE’s chief representative to the International Monetary Fund and the Opec Fund for International Development.
Sheikh Hamdan will also be remembered for his contribution to education, science and philanthropy, giving generously throughout his life.
In partnership with Unesco, he created the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Distinguished Academic Performance, to improve the quality of education and teaching.
His involvement in science included the Sheikh Hamdan bin
Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences, rewarding medical research that serves all humanity.
His support for medicine resulted in honorary fellowships from the Royal British College in London and Edinburgh, and an honorary fellowship for internal medicine and surgery from the Royal British College in Glasgow.
Sheikh Hamdan was also the patron of Al Maktoum College of Education in Dundee,
Scotland, created to promote cross-cultural understanding. This included a Dh6 million grant to serve the local Muslim community.
The year 1996 marked the opening of the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland, the first project of Sheikh Hamdan’s Al Maktoum Foundation.
This supports dozens of charitable and philanthropic projects worldwide, building schools, providing scholarships and offering financial and material aid from Africa and Asia to Europe and the Americas.
Of its work, Sheikh Hamdan said: “I feel extremely happy and comfortable when I help fill the heart of a deprived individual with joy and happiness in building a school for those who couldn’t get education or construct a masjid to the faithful who couldn’t raise enough funds to build their own house of worship.”
I feel extremely happy and comfortable when I help fill the heart of a deprived individual with joy and happiness SHEIKH HAMDAN BIN RASHID Former Minister of Finance
Anational period of mourning in the UAE has been announced following the death of Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid, former Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Finance Minister of the UAE. It is a time of reflection, to recognise Sheikh Hamdan’s lifelong journey helping to shepherd the country in its transition from a series of desert and coastal settlements to a leading regional power.
Hailing from Dubai’s ruling family, Sheikh Hamdan was a central player in one of the most remarkable episodes in the history of urban development. In 1970, Dubai was estimated to have a population of a little more than 70,000. Now, an estimated three million people live and work in the city, a global hub for business, aviation and cultural exchange.
His home city was Dubai, but his ultimate service was to the country. In the half-century since federation, the UAE has been catapulted on to the global stage at colossal speed. To the public who witnessed the beginning of its story, the country’s success was by no means assured.
But for its leaders, including Sheikh Hamdan, that success was seen as a matter of skill and hard work. Not faltering in the limelight required the dedication of open-minded and adaptable statesmen. Sheikh Hamdan’s career embodied these characteristics.
He oversaw one of the widest portfolios in the country. A defining role was as the UAE’s finance minister, awarded to him by Sheikh Zayed, the nation’s Founding Father, in 1971. He held it until his passing. This involved him helping to manage the UAE’s growing oil wealth, and spending it to cultivate an advanced and prosperous society. Other posts included leading Dubai Aluminium, now EGA – the centre of the country’s aluminium industry, accounting for almost 1.5 per cent of the UAE’s economy – Dubai Natural Gas, Dubai Cable and the Dubai World Trade Centre. He began representing his country abroad in the world’s halls of power in his mid-teens, while accompanying his father, Sheikh Rashid, who was then ruler of Dubai.
The biggest challenge for the leaders of the UAE during Sheikh Hamdan’s tenure was, in the middle of this boom in wealth and status, plotting a route to modernity that did not lose sight of the nation’s culture. He participated in this assertion of identity, whether it was through the patronage of tolerant religious institutions at home and abroad as division grew around the world, or responsibly allocating wealth for the benefit of all of the country’s citizens. The government sees these values as fundamental pillars, to the extent that each year, a particular theme is chosen that hones in on a particular aspect of Emirati identity. Recent examples include 2019 as Year of Tolerance and 2021 as Year of the 50th, in recognition of the golden anniversary of the UAE’s formation.
This is a mourning period in honour of a truly remarkable statesman. It is also a moment during which Emiratis and other residents of the Emirates will be reflecting on the visionary personalities who brought them to where they are today.