Month: December 2012

My Country My Identity … We carry inside us values of belonging to a dignified nation, the land of our ancestors; my identity lies in the true meaning of union between the leader and people, between time and place.

We have been living for forty one years under the umbrella of the union, writing history with pride and dignity and writing solidarity and beautiful values, doing the impossible for a nation that has been giving us with nonstop generosity. We cannot find enough words to describe its pride.

My identity means my loyalty to a leader, father and a country with a mission among other nations reflecting creativity whenever it is represented and carrying welfare for everyone living on its land. My identity means my belief in God, loving people, leadership carrying welfare and love for everyone and a country filled with security, peace, tolerance and love.

Forty one years marking the anniversary of living under the union and leadership of our father and our pride of Sheikh Zayed, may he rest in peace and our founding fathers. It is an anniversary that is vivid among us every year to renew love, loyalty and sense of belonging.

Sheikh Zayed once said, “The true wealth is sincere and serious work that benefits the human being and his society. Work is eternal; it is what defines the value of a human being and a country”.

The most beautiful models of wisdom and decisions upon which the country of the union was built namely care for the human being in this cherished nation resulted in achievement of the ambitions and hopes of our leader. The nation’s focus on the citizen and eliminating all obstacles and enabling decisions for his/her interest were the main priorities of the union yielding a nation we are proud of, a nation that stands high among all other nations.

Our identity belongs to us and is the source of our pride and dignity. We maintain it as long as we are breathing and support the spirit of the union as we fully believe it is the best among all other nations. We have one heart beating, one flag and one land. We, at Emirates Identity Authority, know that identity is the pillar of this nation and its pride and worked hard to represent the role of identity in the national unity and instil values of solidarity by defining citizens and expatriates under one umbrella representing the latest developments in this field.

We endeavoured to achieve important strategic goals that pave the way for technological potential and collect demographic records to serve as reference for government departments and demographic studies upon which all options and strategic decisions are built in order to achieve welfare and prosperity of this dear nation.

Finally, we congratulate His Highness the UAE President and our wise leadership on the 41^st National Day celebrating the establishment of the union wishing them a long and prosperous life and the continuity of progress and prosperity of our dear Emirates.

 

Our celebration of the 41^stNational Day of the UAE is that of a great process of achievements, building and challenge that was initiated by the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, God rest his soul, and his fellow Rulers of the Emirates,may Allah have mercy on them, on December 2^nd1971, who faced challenges and difficulties to build this great nation of justice and truthfulness.

The process of building and development began all over the UAE in in all fields, starting from education, which was paid utmost attention and made free and compulsory from kindergartens to university stages, through to health care, infrastructure, social services, housing and defense and police bodies, enabling security and safety to prevail throughout this nation, which opened its arms to everyone as seen through the diversity of the nationalities living in the country without any discrimination.

Thisanniversary is an opportunity for us to derive lessons from the biography of the leader father Sheikh Zayed, may Allah have mercy upon him, who,thanks tohis expertise, wisdom,piercing vision, and above all firm faith in Allah Almighty, couldlay down the foundations of this lofty building and reinforce its constants, which we are still using to illuminate our present and guide us in our future in our ongoing questfor what would add to the glory of our country and the well-being and dignity of its citizens.

Today, we walk hand in hand under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh KhalifaBin Zayed Al Nahyan, may Allah protect him, and his brethrenthe Rulers of the Emirates to be among the advanced countries of the world and maintain our top position as determined by our prudent government.

I am proud of being a UAE citizen who lived during the reign of Zayed, our father and founder of our state, may Allah have mercy upon him. I am also proud of working for the Emirates Identity Authority, whose top priorities include contributing to enhancing national security through promotingthe personal and nationalidentity, keepinga safe population register, being the main reference for personal identity in the UAE and providing demographic data in it.

These days, the UAE enjoys the celebration on the occasion of the 41 National Day. The UAE Citizens are patriots -to the bone- in their love to their country and in the ways they express that love.  It is rare that we hear a UAE citizen complaining about the situations in his country, but if you thought of the opportunities (on all levels) available to the UAE citizen, you would realize that there are no reasons to complain.

I am often impressed by the spontaneous relation between key society figures and people in the UAE. The UAE official, whether a Sheikh a Minister or a businessman, is known for his modesty and closeness to people around him. The Emirati young man achieves the “Dreams of His life”, including a career, a house and a family, at young age. Public and private intuitions supporting the youth’s projects and motivates them to be creative and innovative.

The level of services in the country has reached a number that is difficult to compete with, even when comparing UAE to international countries that have had a head-start of decades over the UAE.

I have been living in the UAE for 8 years, like thousands of youth from the region, and I wonder, what has tempted me to come to live and work in the UAE?

The answer is that “Opportunity” that I have found in the UAE and nowhere else. I know Arabs who have migrated from their new countries, USA, Canada and Europe, and decided to come and live in the UAE.

The UAE citizen invests in a patriot and intelligent way in this atmosphere that attracts ideas and creativity, and he is proud that his country has established an environment that is opened-minded to others, which attracted more capitals, minds and creative ideas.

And when Sheikh “Abdulla Bin Zayed” adopted the “Flag on our house” initiative, residents of the UAE, citizens and expats alike, raced to raise the UAE flag over their houses, in a response that represents a minor fraction of the people’s love to a country that has given them opportunities of a lifetime to achieve ambition and peaceful living.