We are determined to achieve Vision 2021: Mohammed

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, yesterday presided over the opening of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development Centre in Umm Al Quwain.

The meeting, attended by Sheikh Mohammed, ministers and top officials, reviewed a number of issues related to achieving balanced development in sectors such as education, health, economy, infrastructure and housing as well as requirements for a decent life for nationals in every part of the country.

Sheikh Mohammed reiterated his determination to reach the target he had drawn for UAE Vision 2021, which is represented in making "our dear state one of the world's best. The achievement of this national goal is a commitment by the government to the President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and to the dear people of the UAE. We are determined to honour this commitment."

Sheikh Mohammed said: "The era of Sheikh Zayed and the founding fathers was one of cutting down on time and soaring in the skies of the Arab region.

"We today, in the era of my brother His Highness Sheikh Khalifa, are performing our mission with trust and a strong will to shorten time and soar in the skies of the most advanced and stable states of the world.

"Despite our potential to achieve this goal, we realise that this needs from us all precise implementation and good management of our plans in the light of the changes and developments. Also, we need to end the shortages and fill the gaps no matter their size and wherever they exist. But thank God, those shortages are limited and small, and they can be overcome.

"For all this I want ministries and local departments to work as beehives. You know how the community of bees works and how bees cooperate among themselves. Each community or hive has a queen called the mother of bees, and bees have a precise system of life and work; they split roles in a specific and integrated manner, and the bees' responsibility is to care for the queen."

His Highness likened the UAE to the beehive, and everybody should serve it, protect and develop its achievements all the time, and in all federal and local areas, he said.

"We should be organised, and our work should be integrated and we should dedicate ourselves to perform our duties exactly like bees which do not stop going to and fro to build their hives, protect them, make honey and serve the queen mother."

Sheikh Mohammed stressed the need to be "clear when we deal with all the matters of concern to the country and citizens, since the target we seek to achieve in the union golden jubilee in 2021 is a big and great goal which deserves all our efforts and capabilities."

He said: "What we need is to consolidate integration in all other fields especially in strategic planning. We have Sheikh Khalifa's vision, which is the national action programme for the UAE, and the government is executing the programme through its plans and projects and the UAE Vision 2021. And for implementation to be in the best manner, we need the highest degrees of co-ordination between our federal institutions and their local counterparts as well as integration in plans and projects.

"We have made a road plan for the government work and have established the sound bases and foundations, and ministers and officials have to execute the plan in a proper manner and to work with the team spirit without ego to be able to reach our national goals, and for the citizens to reap the fruit of what we have sown."

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