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Shaikh Rashid, the father of modern Dubai
Great leader was renowned for his generosity, philanthropy and helping the
needy
Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the father of modern Dubai, was renowned
for his generosity, philanthropy and helping the needy.
Shaikh Rashid (1912-1990), was Ruler of Dubai from 1958 till his death on
October 7, 1990. He was also the Vice-President and Prime Minister of the
UAE from 1971 to 1990.
Azza Bin Sulaiman, member of the Federal National Council from Dubai, said
Shaikh Rashid’s generosity is mirrored in his siblings’ charitable and
humanitarian work around the globe. “Almost every year, the Mohammad Bin
Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives contribute to a specific cause,
including a campaign to provide over 16 million children and young people in
45 developing countries with access to quality education, a campaign to
clothe one million children around the world in 2013, the Suqia drive to
bring water to five million people in 2014 and the Reading Nation campaign
to distribute five million books to children in refugee camps, schools and
libraries around the world last year,” Bin Sulaiman said.
Shaikh Rashid looking out from the Hyatt Regency hotel in Dubai when it was
under construction on January 1, 1978. The building’s architecture has stood
the test of time and it is still one of Dubai’s major landmarks. Photo: Gulf
News Archive
Bin Sulaiman added she shared the people’s saying that His Highness Shaikh
Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE
and Ruler of Dubai, inherited his father Shaikh Rashid’s vision of dreaming
large and achieving big and of his charitable and humanitarian work.
The UAE Pioneers Award 2017 will fete 46 Emirati selfless philanthropists in
a ceremony to be held on Tuesday (November 28), to reflect the UAE’s
humanitarian approach since its establishment.
The award will mark the 46th National Day and the Year of Giving.
Shaikh Rashid, the eighth ruler from the Al Maktoum family, was loved and
greatly respected by the residents of Dubai, as he ruled the emirate with
compassion and with a clear vision of what was required to transform Dubai
into a modern city. Driven by this vision, Shaikh Rashid accomplished what
many believed to be impossible.
Bin Sulaiman said thanks to the founding fathers, the UAE is widely
recognised today as a successful modern state that, starting from scratch
just four decades ago, has managed to establish the foundations of a
prosperous and advanced society.
Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum (1912-1990), was Ruler of Dubai from 1958
till his death on October 7, 1990. He was also the Vice-President and Prime
Minister of the UAE from 1971 to 1990.
In the early 1970s, Shaikh Rashid envisaged a town, seaport and airport
focused on developing an industrial region in the emirate.
Bin Sulaiman said the spectacular achievements of the founding fathers —
Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum —
have allowed the country to assume a position of pre-eminence regionally and
internationally; to play effective and responsible political and economic
roles and to contribute to the stability and security of the region.
“Projects viewed as impossible by many members of society, including
foreigners, were seen as challenges by Shaikh Rashid,” Bin Sulaiman said.
Shining examples of these projects are Al Maktoum Hospital, the first modern
hospital in what was then the Trucial States; Al Maktoum Bridge, which
spanned the creek, joining Bur Dubai with Deira and eliminating the long
trip around the head of the creek; and establishment of Dubai airport.
These projects showed clearly that Dubai’s infrastructure planning was
hardly ever just a response to the immediate needs of the community: it was
clearly linked to the ambitious ideas about the future development of Dubai.
Shaikh Rashid also saw an industrial port as essential part of that concept
and a key to Dubai’s development and industrialisation.
He personally chose Jebel Ali as the location for his new supersized port
and even conceived an outline concept before involving his advisers in the
planning, financing and construction of what was to become one of the
world’s major ports.
Shaikh Rashid retained a personal interest in Jebel Ali Port long after it
was completed and even after he became ill. He continued to visit Jebel Ali
Port until he was no longer able to do so.
In 1985, Jebel Ali Free Zone opened as the UAE’s and the region’s first free
zone and, over the years, this would become the template which competitor
free zones would follow, establishing the backbone of UAE’s lucrative
logistics sector. But, initially, Jebel Ali Free Zone was not the economic
success story that it is today, establishing the UAE as a global logistics
power broker.
As a child Shaikh Rashid received the finest education available in the
region. Attending Al Ahmadiyyah School, Shaikh Rashid’s subjects included
Islamic studies, Arabic, and arithmetic.
Shaikh Rashid’s hands-on approach called for a disciplined daily schedule.
Twice daily he would tour Dubai to see for himself how the projects were
progressing. Shaikh Rashid was never satisfied with a simple explanation;
instead he wanted to have a detailed understanding of every project
undertaken in Dubai. Furthermore, these inspections provided him with the
opportunity to meet the man on the street.
After returning home in the evening, it was time to take on more official
business in the traditional evening majlis, an occasion when the Ruler gives
his people the opportunity to meet him and share problems or grievances.
This duty was one which Shaikh Rashid took very seriously.
Shaikh Rashid was famed and admired for his patience on these occasions; he
thoughtfully considered each man’s complaint or opinion, ensuring that
proper assistance was given to each individual.
The majlis, a mix of citizens, also provided a vibrant stage for debate.
Surrounded by men whose opinions he valued, projects were dissected, moulded,
and often implemented by members of the majlis. Determined in his
unfaltering belief that a modernised Dubai could be achieved, Shaikh Rashid
initiated numerous remarkable developments in his city-state.
On October 7, 1990, Shaikh Rashid died but left behind a legacy visible in
the town planning of Dubai.
November 26, 2017 |
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Courtesy Gulf News
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