Special Features
UAE 36TH National Day
The UAE marks the 36th anniversary of its National Day on December 2. As the nation celebrates this anniversary, it cannot but pay tribute to its founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, under whose visionary leadership many remarkable strides were made.Sheikh Zayed left behind an impressive legacy, a huge legacy that speaks of itself in various fields of human development. Today, the UAE has gained a conspicuous place among the comity of nations, thanks to its socio-economic achievements.
With major economic development projects achieved within a record time span of three decades, the country is now laying greater emphasis on empowerment of its people, a task which was clearly spelt out recently by the President H.H Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
In a major speech at the Federal National Council (FNC) on February 12, 2007, Sheikh Khalifa outlined his vision for the growth of the nation. Cognizant of the challenges of this new era, he told the august house: "Sky is the limit to our aspirations. The next phase of national action will be to transform our visions into strategies and eventually into tangible achievements of which our people would be proud to defend.".
Central to this vision, is the empowerment of our people, he said, adding: "The gist of what we perceive as Empowerment (Tamkeen) is our ability to harness the skills of our people and enable them take a proactive part in the development of their country. They should also be able to lead a decent, secure, and stable life, a life that is free from any forms of threats. We should create an environment that allows for creativity and innovation", he said Sheikh Khalifa further told the house that current government’s efforts to boost the competence and performance of the public sector were part of a grand strategy which, he said, does not contradict with parallel efforts to enhance the role of the private sector.
"The country remains committed to supporting the private sector. This support is crucial in view of the mega projects that are now underway. "We are not only determined to diversify the production base of our private sector but also committed to sharpening its competitive edge. We want our private sector to make its presence strongly felt in the international markets", he said. Sheikh Khalifa stressed the role of the private sector, describing it as a partner in the development of the country. He stressed the need for accurate planning that takes demographic, environmental and security issues into account.
"Investment and construction are not ends by themselves. Rather, they are means to achieving enduring prosperity, security, and social stability for our people", he said. The President made it clear that he was against any investments that do not take environmental impacts into consideration. "Although we remain committed to a free market economy, we will not allow any investments that would lead to environmental degradation or impinge on our security and national identity", he said.
On the political reforms in the country, Sheikh Khalifa cited the first ever elections of the Federal National Council (FNC) as historic. These elections, he said, have set the country firmly on the path towards wider public involvement in the decision-making process. Addressing the new members of the 40-seat house, Sheikh Khalifa urged the house to present new ideas to develop the policy-making process and improve the performance of executive and judicial branches of government. "These ideas would also reinforce security and justice, improve the level of transparency, accountability, and integrity, and promote the rights and freedoms. "You are entrusted by the citizens to represent them and to reflect their aspirations and needs," he told the new members. Sheikh Khalifa went to describe the new legislative chapter as a culmination of the achievements made over the past 35 years, notably in maintaining the UAE
