ZAYED
THE MAN AND THE PRESIDENT

Introduction

Since its foundation in 1971, the United Arab Emirates has been fortunate to have been guided by one man, President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, first elected to the post by his peers on the Supreme Council of Rulers at the creation of the State, and subsequently re-elected unanimously at successive five year intervals.

One of the Arab world's longest serving Presidents, he has played a leading role in the governance of the state and of his own emirate, Abu Dhabi, for nearly half a century.

Sheikh Zayed is the grandson of Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa al Nahyan who ruled the emirate of Abu Dhabi from 1855 to 1909, the longest reign in the emirate's history. His father, Sheikh Sultan was Ruler between 1922 and 1926.

Following a brief reign by an uncle, Sheikh Zayed's brother, Sheikh Shakhbut, became Ruler in early 1928.

Vicissitudes of the Pearling Era

At that time Abu Dhabi's economy was built upon the precarious base of fishing and pearl-diving, together with local agriculture at inland oases such as Liwa and Al Ain.

The collapse of the world-wide market for wild pearls caused enormous hardship throughout the Gulf region, and Abu Dhabi did not escape the far-reaching economic impact of this social and financial catastrophe.

Sheikh Zayed's family suffered along with their people, experiencing hardships and deprivation that members of the UAE's young generation of today still find difficult to imagine.

Virtually all the supporting facilities that they take for granted in our modern world were lacking.
For example, when the young Zayed was growing up there was not a single school in the Trucial States. Like his fellows, he received only a basic instruction in the principles of Islam from the local cleric or religious teacher.

His strong thirst for knowledge led him into the desert, where he learnt a great deal from Bedouin tribesmen about the lives and heritage of his people.

Early Days in the Desert

This fascination with, and experience of, exploring the environment in which he lived stood him in good stead when he was appointed as a guide to the first oil exploration team to commence preliminary surface surveys in Abu Dhabi in the early 1930s.

His personal knowledge of the desert and its people was a crucial factor in the success of this work which was to lead, eventually, to the discovery of one of the world's largest oil reservoirs.

His appointment in 1946 as Ruler's Representative in the oasis of Al Ain was greeted with widespread approval by local inhabitants who were already familiar with Zayed and his commitment to improving the lives of his people. At that time Al Ain was a cluster of small villages, quite a contrast to the thriving metropolis of 200,000 or so people that it is today.
Edward Henderson, who represented one of the oil companies at that time, recalled the impression that the young Zayed made upon him when the two men met in Al Ain. "He was then around thirty years old," Henderson wrote. "He was handsome, with humorous and intelligent eyes, of presence and bearing, simply dressed and clearly a man of action and resolution.
Although he was young, and had only been in charge of the Abu Dhabi sector of the oasis and its surrounding deserts for some two years, he was experienced in the politics of the region and was already by far the most prominent personality in the area. He had a sure touch with the Bedouin."

The job of Ruler's Representative involved administration of the surrounding area as well as the immediate vicinity of Al Ain. This gave Zayed an early opportunity to learn the art and practice of good government, experience that he put to good effect during the Buraimi dispute in the 1940's and early 1950s - an issue that also called for great skills of diplomacy and political astuteness.

Water: The Essential Ingredient For Development

One of his greatest early tasks, and a life-long interest, was how best to manage the supply and distribution of water. Ancient falaj water channels that had fallen into disrepair around Al Ain were targeted by Zayed as a first step towards improving the lives of the people living within the region. He organised the repair of leaking channels and had them cleaned where they had become blocked by sand or debris.

Where they were required, he had new ones constructed, bringing fresh water to new communities or to agricultural projects. This action of getting straight to the root of the problem, and taking decisive action to deal with it, had an immediate impact and epitomised a style of leadership that has brought the UAE to its present, highly developed and prosperous condition.
It was also characteristic that, having taken care of the practical aspects of providing a water supply, Sheikh Zayed also considered how to maximise the return from the falaj project, taking into account aesthetic and social considerations.

He arranged for ornamental trees to be planted throughout Al Ain, trees which have today grown to maturity and make the city one of the greenest in the whole of Arabia. This determination to enhance both body and soul has been an enduring feature of Zayed's inspirational leadership.
The Al Ain tree planting at that time was also the beginning of one of the largest afforestation programmes ever undertaken in Arabia. What began in Al Ain has since been extended throughout the UAE. First the resource, then a maximisation of its utilisation, and finally a keenness to share the joy of success with as many people as possible.

In 1953 Sheikh Zayed visited Europe in the company of his brother. It was a visit that made a lasting impression and Zayed determined to bring to his own people the facilities of modern schools, hospitals and other aspects of social infrastructure that he so admired in Europe.
Returning to his administrative headquarters in Al Ain, which remained his base for twenty years, he set about doing whatever was possible despite the limited resources available to him.
He made rapid and impressive progress surprising many people with what was possible and all the time proving to himself that his approach to stimulating development by helping people to help themselves was correct.

Revenues from oil exports provided the means to extend the lessons learned on a local scale in Al Ain, and to finance development of the emirate as a whole. Sheikh Zayed was determined to use the emirate's newly found oil wealth in the service of the people. Given his wide experience, his qualities of leadership, his administrative skills and the high regard in which he was held by local people, he was a natural choice to tackle the challenges ahead. On August 6th 1966 the Al Nahyan family met and decided that he should replace his brother as Ruler.

Establishment of the Federation

A firm believer in co-operation and consensus, Sheikh Zayed believed that the Gulf states had more to gain from working together in harmony than in competition with one another.

When Britain announced, in 1968, its intention to withdraw from the Gulf by the end of 1971, Zayed was ready to act. Together with the late Ruler of the Emirate of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed al Maktoum, later UAE Vice President and Prime Minister, he took the lead in calling for a federation among the Emirates. In July 1971, the United Arab Emirates was formed, with Sheikh Zayed being elected the first President.

When the flag of the UAE was raised on December 2nd 1971 it marked a new era for the seven emirates which had decided to join together as a political and economic entity. Twenty-six years have now passed since that first National Day, and the UAE has been utterly transformed.
Whereas in 1971, the population was around 180,000, it is now 2.3 million. Where there were less than 30,000 students at schools, there are now more than 400,000 at schools that serve the smallest mountain and desert settlements as well as the cities, and also nearly 15,000 students undergoing higher education, most of them at the Emirates University in Al Ain.

The "real wealth of a nation," as Sheikh Zayed terms the new generation, now has access to opportunities that their fathers, and Sheikh Zayed himself, lacked.

The Role of Women

"Women have the right to work everywhere," Sheikh Zayed believes. "Islam", he adds, "gives women their rightful status, and encourages them to work in all sectors as long as they are afforded the appropriate respect. The basic role of women is the upbringing of children, but, over and above that, we have to support a woman who chooses to perform other functions."

In commerce and banking, in education and health, the UAE's women are now playing increasingly important roles in the society in which they are, after all, equal partners.

During the 1990-1991 Kuwait crisis, Sheikh Zayed, with the active encouragement of the First Lady, Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, approved volunteer military training for women; a number of whom now form the nucleus of the country's first women's military unit.
Through the UAE Women's Federation, presided over by the First Lady, Sheikh Zayed and Sheikha Fatima have sought to promote adult female literacy, health education, and the preservation and stimulation of traditional crafts: all designed to help women play their full part in the development of the state.

Maintaining Progress

Since his early administrative days in Al Ain, Sheikh Zayed has dreamed of making a green and pleasant land in his desert country.

That dream is now coming true. The whole process of development has benefited substantially from the energy and devoted leadership offered by Sheikh Zayed, now heading towards completion of fifty years in the governance of his Emirate and his people.

His style of leadership has involved maintaining close links with his people, regularly visiting them in cities and villages throughout the UAE, inspiring them to take full advantage of the opportunities with which they are provided, and always ready to listen to their concerns and comments.

He has also taken pains to ensure that his own children have shouldered responsibilities themselves as they grow up.

His eldest son, Sheikh Khalifa, is Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Force and the second, Sheikh Sultan, is Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Public Works Department and UAE Deputy Prime Minister. The President's other sons, too, have been brought up in their father's tradition of service to the community and the state, several holding key posts in Government.

Regional Cooperation

Consultation and mediation are the stuff of Bedouin life, and Sheikh Zayed has been a skilled practitioner of both since early manhood. Now the skills honed in Al Ain are being put to good use far beyond the borders of the UAE.

Deeply committed to the long-term objective of Arab unity, Sheikh Zayed has spared no effort to build co-operation between his fellow Arabs. He was a prime mover in the establishment in 1981 of the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (AGCC), grouping UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman, and which he saw, not without reason, as a logical outgrowth of the successful experiment in cooperation represented by the UAE itself.

Commitment to the AGCC, and to the principles of international law and brotherhood enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, saw Sheikh Zayed and the UAE first offer support to fellow AGCC member Kuwait after it suffered invasion by Iraq in 1990. It then committed UAE troops to UNOSOM TWO, the force created to restore peace and order to strife-ridden Somalia.

Sheikh Zayed has also worked consistently, though quietly, to encourage the development of closer ties between the Arab states as a whole.

"The current Arab situation requires that the Arabs should intensify their efforts to overcome the unjustifiable separation now prevailing," he told his fellow leader King Hassan of Morocco in late September of 1995. "Sincere intentions that seek to achieve reconciliation in the Arab world should be translated into action," he noted, adding that "the UAE spares no effort to clear the atmosphere between the Arab states, and it continues to try and to help restore Arab solidarity in such a way as to permit the Arab states to unify their ranks, and to end their marginal differences."

Helping those in Need

Not just an Arab nationalist, but also a devout Muslim, Sheikh Zayed has also ensured that the UAE adopts a policy of support for the poor and down-trodden. Peoples throughout the developing world have benefited from a steady flow of development assistance. Well over five billion dollars have been provided in aid to over forty countries in three continents.

In a further expression of his commitment to help the poor and needy, Sheikh Zayed also ordered the creation of a special multi-million dollar Welfare Fund to offer humanitarian assistance overseas.

Naturally, however, his main pre-occupation has always been with his own people. Over the course of the last couple of decades, as wealth spread through the state, many citizens adopted the practice of having lavish weddings, with expensive celebrations and exorbitant dowries.
Recognizing the heavy economic burden these placed upon those who were less well-off, Sheikh Zayed called for them to cease, noting that they were making it increasingly difficult for local young men to marry fellow citizens. If they did, he added, they would be burdened by debt, with the result that many now preferred to marry young women from abroad, leaving young UAE ladies unmarried, thus affecting the country's culture and heritage.

To counter this phenomenon, Sheikh Zayed ordered the creation of a special Marriage Fund that has now disbursed several hundred million dirhams to young UAE citizens to encourage them to marry their fellow citizens.

Reinforcing Work Ethic

He has also moved in other ways to tackle the adverse impact of wealth on society, in particular the phenomenon of the scions of richer families choosing not to work, and, thus, not to contribute to the development of their society. In a series of major speeches early in 1995, Sheikh Zayed spelt out the importance of work, and its role in the development both of the individual and of society.

Welcoming the achievements of those citizens in the country's handicapped centres who had risen to the challenges facing them, he instructed the Minister of Interior to establish a programme to identify, and to offer employment to, the country's young unemployed.

Over 10,000 job-seekers promptly registered for work. "It is of paramount importance," he said, "that the UAE's unemployed youth be oriented towards work, so that they can be made aware of their physical and mental ability to earn their own living."

In a clear warning to those he described as "idle and jobless", who refused to take up employment unless high salaries were on offer, Sheikh Zayed went on to note "A person's character, honour and dignity are not measured by the size of his or her salary, but by their deeds and the earning of their salaries in a righteous and honourable way.

Salaries are offered in accordance with experience and professional skills. It is illogical and unacceptable that one should demand a highly paid job from the start without fulfilling these terms and conditions. A soldier is not offered the salary of an officer when he joins the army or police. His salary rises through promotion," Sheikh Zayed added. "I cannot understand," he said, "how a physically fit young man can sit idle and accept the humiliation of depending on others for his livelihood".

Returning to the same theme in a speech to local tribesmen in the Falaj al Mu'alla area of Umm al Qaiwain, the President continued "Youth unemployment is unacceptable. Our young people should work, and earn through their sweat, so that they become an example for their sons and brothers. A healthy person who does not work commits a crime both against himself and against his country. How does such a person live? Where is he headed?" Sheikh Zayed asked.
"He will resort to stealing, robbery and crime. This kind of person should learn", he added, "from the example set by those handicapped people who are following a working and productive life."

Success Built on Hard Work

The campaign to encourage the UAE's youth to take up gainful employment, regardless of financial need, is a reflection of his own belief that the progress achieved by the UAE has only been possible because of the sincerity of those who have worked for that progress.

He commened in an interview that "The Federation has embodied the hopes and aspirations of the UAE people for a good life, and represents the start of a great leap forward that will permit us to catch up with civilisation in the rest of the world."

"The federation," he added, "was established on the basis of a sincere and concrete collaboration between the Rulers of its constituent emirates, as well as on the collective efforts of its people, who have contributed to its building from the beginning."

Fundamental Changes

Looking back over the past three decades since he became Ruler of Abu Dhabi and then President of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed has no difficulty in singling out what he believes to have been the most fundamental change in the life of the people.

"The first fundamental change, and the most important," he told a recent interviewer, "is the availability of drinking water. In the past, we had no drinking water here in Abu Dhabi, and we had to bring brackish water by tanker. The bringing of water was the most important. I remember telling my brother (then Ruler) that had we not got water, we would all of us have had to have moved somewhere, and to look for a place with sweet water. After that," Sheikh Zayed added, "everything started changing. Housing became available when there was none before, then the infrastructure and everything else."

"Our policy," he added, "was first to concentrate all our efforts to develop this country, and to develop its citizens. When I look around at what has been achieved, I realise I could not have imagined before that it could all have happened. It is like a dream. I had dreams, but would never have believed that it would all have been possible in such a short space of time."

A Guiding Faith

Sheikh Zayed still has aspirations. "We have undoubtedly achieved a great deal: a fulfilment of our aspirations and dreams. If we look into the future, we can see that, provided we continue to enjoy stability and security, there is a great deal that can still be done, in order further to develop the country, and to contribute to the international community. With stability and security, we can achieve even more in the future."

Throughout the fifty years in which he has worked to contribute to the development of his people, Sheikh Zayed has been inspired and guided by his devout faith in Islam, which is, he stressed, far removed from the hostile image of the religion so commonly, but falsely, held in many countries. In particular, he stands uncompromisingly against the extremist tendencies now affecting the Muslim world.

Extremism, as shown, for example, by the killing of foreign tourists, has no place in Islam, Sheikh Zayed believes. Instead, he stresses, "Islam is a civilising religion that gives mankind dignity . . . [and] is not basically inconsistent with progress." He notes that "Islamic principles call for building progress, prosperity and raising the standard of living of society. We in our country are bound by those principles. We do not deviate by one iota from them, and nor do we abandon our heritage, customs and traditions."

"All men are equal, and social justice cannot play its [proper] role without this concept," he adds. "It is Islamic social justice which has asked every Muslim to respect the other. To treat every person, no matter what his creed or race, as a special soul, is a mark of Islam. It is just that point, embodied in the humanitarian tenets of Islam, that make us so proud of it."

The faith and tolerance implicit in Sheikh Zayed's stand against extremism is well summed up in a statement explaining the essential basis of his own belief. "My religion is based neither on hope nor on fear," he says. "I worship my God because I love Him."

Fighting Injustice

While, naturally, it is on the domestic scene that Sheikh Zayed has had his greatest impact, he has also emerged as a vocal defender of the rights of the individual and of the oppressed and downtrodden overseas. During the course of the last year, not surprisingly, he has devoted considerable attention to the tragic conflict in Bosnia, acting as a vocal, and often angry, critic of an international community that, in his view, has stood by and has permitted the Moslem civilians of that country to be slaughtered in a process that resembles genocide.

"The atrocities committed against the Bosnian people, and other similar tragedies around the world, should take a top priority among the responsibilities of the major powers, who always boast that they protect human rights and justice," Sheikh Zayed said in the summer of 1995, during the launching of a special national fund-raising campaign for Bosnia.

"These countries are capable of moving forcefully to deter aggression and to bring an end to this tragedy," he said, "God's laws demand that the strong should stand by the weak, should defend the oppressed, and should stop injustice, if necessary by force," Sheikh Zayed said. "The power of a state should not be used for the purposes of oppression and aggression, but rather should support righteousness and justice." "If you do not support justice," he warned the major powers, "the day will come when your strength too will fade and you will disappear as other once powerful civilisations disappeared."

"The negative positions adopted by the major powers towards what is happening in Bosnia make us suspicious," he added. "The turning of a blind eye and a deaf ear and keeping silent at the destruction of the Bosnian Muslims to such an extent must surely hide obscure motives," he continued. "If the major powers, who are capable of supporting the victim, do not take action, it is the duty of the rest of the world to defend the oppressed, and to stop the aggressor by all possible means."

"Man is obliged to take action against injustice," he said. "Injustice against humanity is unacceptable. Even injustice against animals is rejected, let alone against human beings."

Silence over the injustices in Bosnia could lead to the spreading of injustice elsewhere in the world, he warned. In nearly thirty years as a Ruler, and 24 years as a President, Sheikh Zayed has shown a vision, wisdom and understanding that has not only served him and his country well abroad, but has also deservedly won him the loyalty and affection of his people.

 

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