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Peace be upon you,

The words of HH Lieutenant General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Interior and Deputy Prime Minister and EIDA Vice-Chairman, during the ceremony of honoring the work team of Sheikh KhalifaAward for Government Excellence program, represented a harmonious, integrated and intellectual system on distinction and the distinguished, creativity and creators and the endless and limitless dreams and ambitions of our leaders.

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We should stop at these words…

When HH addressed the winners of the Minister of Interior Award for Excellence in its first round, he was addressing us all, we the sons and daughters of this dear country, much cherished to our hearts, this country that always gives us like a mother who is full of love, warmth, care and affection.

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HH’s words about excellence, his call for developing public service and his assertion that it is not a luxury but a national and moral duty, puts us in confrontation with ourselves, our responsibilities and our obligations towards our country that we love and cherish.

Creative work, as HH says, has become an integral part of the responsibility towards the people and nation distinguished by its leadership and people.

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What great values and noble meanings!

They are firm values and deep meanings, those that underline the words of HH about distinction and innovation, loyalty and gratitude, present and future generations, and most importantly the valuable trust we carry in our deep hearts towards our country, leadership, society and future of our generations!

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We are proud to belong to this leading school of thought, the school of HH from which we learn day after day more giving and devotion, more excellence and innovation and more loyalty and gratitude.

Let HH’s words be a roadmap for us all, we the team at EIDA where we belong. In order to achieve its vision and goals, we should exert our utmost effort. This nation, while we continue on our journey of giving, excellence and innovation, deserves a lot from all of us.

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Dear Brothers and Sisters

Let’s Renew our Commitment

To benefit from the pure wisdom of our unique leaders, and learn more from their honest guidelines, deep vision, noble goals and refined purposes.

I ask God to help us all do our job honestly and preserve the trust bestowed upon us by our leaders; to continue the journey of honest work in order to achieve their vision, and make their dreams and ambitions a reality…

No one agrees to error. This is a strict principle. However, this is not the end; disagreement alone does not represent the minimum level of protection. It is necessary then to pay attention in daily work to error, starting from the possibility of its occurrence not on purpose to errors committed on purpose to grave violations that may cause corruption.

Each individual and public employee has the primary role of being cautious and diligent as well as complying with regulations and mechanisms and be truly responsible through awareness and deliberateness rather than leaving matters to chance.

The institution also has its role in direction and organization then monitoring and following up and applying the necessary penalties. This is the way to identify errors before they are committed and before they multiply and take severer shapes.

Control starts by oneself and an institution is a group of individuals with relations set out in the regulations and organizational structures and according to the accurate job descriptions so that duties, positions and roles are well-defined and known. Thus, assessment is done based on this knowledge.

This awareness should be based on the notion that a small error is significant and that a small error may lead to a bigger one and corruption takes place through negligence and accruement of errors whose committers thought at the beginning that they are marginal and insignificant.

After all, fire starts if a spark is underestimated?

As life and work have become more complicated and a cause for worry and as more and more daily chores await us with tight deadlines, this does not allow us to provide sing performance that is carefully planned and done in a manner that achieves success. This might make us lose our enthusiasm for work, hence losing the ability to enjoy it and enjoy life in general. We have to ask ourselves:

What success are we aiming for?

What does success mean?

The answer might be hard and vague for some, especially that success is not ultimate. There are times when success is on our side and other times when failure is our companion.

Successful people do not give up. When they face failure, they get their act together and continue their journey towards success. To be successful in life, you have to set achievable goals, and then you can set goals that are fairly more difficult and work on achieving them and so on.

Because success is not the ultimate goal around which our life revolves, the actual goal is to continue in the path of the success you have achieved which in turns means to continue self-development and working to be always the best in what you do and seek to be the best in your field of work and the profession you chose. You have to seek also to be the best leader, best spouse, father, mother, friend, son, daughter, etc.

Our lives do not have to be vain, whether we are successful or not, as any kind of work has to be defined by an array of expectations before commencing it. We have to be aware of the criteria upon which we shall evaluate ourselves or be evaluated by others.

None of us is 100% successful in any type of work they do, but the goal is to exert our utmost effort, learn from past experiences and mistakes and fully grasp this information to be able to carry out the task assigned to us in a better way in the future. According to Jeffrey J. Mayer:

Everything in life depends upon your frame of reference. Where you are, where you came from, and where you want to go.

These are five things you’ll find every successful person has in common:

1. They have a dream.
2. They have a plan.
3. They have specific knowledge or training.
4. They’re willing to work hard.
5. They don’t take no for an answer.

Success starts with a state of mind. You must believe that you’ll be successful in order to become a success.

That’s why successful people have a dream; they always have well-defined purposes and definite goals. They have ambition; they always want to accomplish something; they are also focused and disciplined and are willing to work hard and go the extra mile as they have a burning desire to succeed. They are courageous enough to take responsibility for their actions and admit their mistakes.

In short: A person can be successful if he/she thinks success lies in willpower and belief that success can be achieved. Success means the achievement of several positive results that eventually make us happy, comfortable and satisfied.

The extended festivities of the National Day this year gave way to opportunities and lessons excluding the conventional preaching. Festivities were mainly celebrating forty years of work and giving, hence, its lessons were inspired by reality and visual ideology in practice and application.

Then What?

The union spirit that we have dearly and sincerely embraced in all aspects and in our hearts and minds should now be transformed into programs and projects. Before a citizen contributes to the success of national projects through teamwork, the citizen should transform into a project. Each individual citizen should consider the future and always question himself every morning and every night about his duties and whether they are satisfied with what they have accomplished for that day. Each individual must be the judges for their performance regardingtheir family, society and nation.

The most important lesson to learn from the 40^thNational Day is the love flowing throughout the nation. Citizens have expressed their belonging to the nation with high transparency, spontaneity and sincerity. After the National Day, this buoyant spirit should continue to flourish into an ideology.

It is noteworthy that UAE citizens and residents after the 40^th National Day are not the same as before it. It is totally convenient to spread this awareness in the coming days, months and years, especially in schools, universities and youth circles as they represent the future of this country.

Yes, we have been nostalgic about the past on the occasion of the 40^th National Day but this glorious anniversary definitely leads to the future and the future is the responsibility of everyone.

Amid happiness, smiles and festivities for the 40^th national day

Everyone is in full preparation to celebrate

Al Rashidiya was no exception

It is Al Rashidiya’s identity center

Its festive events are magnificent

Its participation has completed the celebration

Flags outside are flying

And inside tunes of loyalty are playing

Young and old, all are singing in love of their nation

Wearing their best costumes and smiles

We are showered with questions and answers

Children singing the UAE national anthem

We applaud

Al Rashidiyaidentity center:

Today, you deserve to represent

Your event was a success

We say:

Congratulations for spectacular success and fruitful celebration from a persistent director

To hardworking supervisors to distinguished employees, we say:

God bless you and lead you to all the success you deserve …

Responsibility isone of the main words associated with the national day. This word is brimming with implications consisting of a wonderful mix of magic and reality. Islam tells us that, “Everyone of you is a guardian and is responsible for his subjects”.

It starts from family to society to nation to country. Responsibility is distributed among everyone to reach a more prosperous present and better future. If responsibility is a beautiful and expressive word, it is, in our age, in dire need of definition and outlining so that it becomes action and not merely words. True responsibility reflects on the future of the people and the country.

We can attain prosperity based on deep awareness and understanding of the concept of responsibility.

Responsibility has requirements and terms. It is awareness and a history of dealing with one’s self and others. Responsibility is to appreciate the value of time and collectively and individually to seek to improve performance and achieve production.

Responsibility is to attempt to be responsible every single day from early morning to late night. We should be responsible before ourselves first; hence, we develop the idea of self-criticism with transparency and clarity without self-reproach or rebuking others.

Responsibility is to fully absorb the meaning of being Emiratis.

It is to belong to the United Arab Emirates and be willing to bear responsibility from the smallest task to sacrificing life.

This is the responsibility of the national day; national days. The Emirati year has 365 national days.

While the 40^th national day approaches, ideas are put on paper and flow like the seasons of life. It is writing derived from the ink of the nation and its alphabet.

Today, we compare between the weeks of celebrating the national day and other regular weeks, before and after 2 December. Institutions today are racing and competing to excel in their celebrations. Everyone wants to have the most creative and distinguished festivities. Everyone wants their celebration days to be the best and the most beautiful as if these few days summarize the last forty years, or the last four decades of our lives, which are really our life.

Our cities, villages and streets, especially the coastal ones, witnessed spectacular events of festivities. The celebration is an embodiment of the glory and role of the march. The last forty years are the march of a people and a nation. After the festivities and paradesare over, we should remember that the main march will continueand will persist onlyby the support, participation and contribution of everyone. Each person participating in the festivities is invited to take an effective, profound and insightful participation in the Grand National march.

How?

Each in their position indeed, it is not meant for this article to turn into a piece of composition that is taught at schools, But the words here are well-planned and elaborate. Words here are derived from the heart and mind. The role of people participating in the parades and celebrations is important and recognized, but your role still goes on after the national day so that all our days become national days deserving celebration.

Whether you are a participant or a spectator, there is no compromise in the national march. Merely watching and passiveness are not acceptable or tolerated.

You are not a separate part of the scene; you are rather at the center of it. You are the person and the tools used. You are your future and the future of others.

Since 2008, we have been talking about national identity. We have been occupied throughout these years with defining and dissecting national identity. Whenever national identity is mentioned, words like language, religion, customs, traditions, heritage, food, drink and others pop up, but we always forget that the value of work and productivity is one of the components of our national identity. It is a cherished and genuine value that we inherited from our fathers.

Identity is not merely an arc placed on the facade building. Identity is “us”; it is our coherent social and cultural texture; it is a civilizational activity and old yet renewed conduct, based on the principle that work comes first and last. It is thus important to abide by identity as a work and a value of work.

These thoughts are arising now while we are celebrating the 40^th national day: how do we celebrate this day at schools and can these meanings be transformed into lessons in addition to saluting the flag and singing the national anthem?

To a strategic extent, these concepts should be incorporated in curriculums and in the short run, we shouldparticipate in the celebrations and lessons and lectures should be designed to shape a new student public opinion. Many Emiratis, some of whom are students, graduates and employees, are detached from their history and culture. We should use this great occasion to the fullest so that everyone’s knowledge about their history and culture may increase beyond the horizons.

National identity is all the important and beautiful words and concepts that we have been focusing on since 2008. It is the value of work as well as productivity, and the value of work and productivity in particular. It is the culture of taking the initiative and participation, the culture of knowledge and presence. The culture of absence definitely does not express our national identity. The message is directed to society as a whole and to our children at schools in particular.

The United Arab Emirates is celebrating three special occasions these days. The first occasion is the seventh anniversary of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan’saccession to ruling Abu Dhabi and being elected as President of the United Arab Emirates by the Supreme Council members and the rulers of the emirates, who showed their continued support and trust by reelectingHis Highness as UAE President in 2009.

This festive occasion takes place amid celebrations throughout the whole nation marking forty years since founding this dear nation under the leadership of our sheikhs, men and women, young and old who had the strong will and took up the challenges making them a unique model to follow in building nations.

This special anniversary takes place while we are preparing to celebrate Eid al-Adha or the Greater Eid which carries meanings of sacrifice, patience and selflessness, the values on which the sons and daughters of this country relied in building their nation throughout the last four decades. They built a nation which we are extremely proud to be part of. The march of building this nation was based on strong principles established by the founding leader Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and his brethren, the founding rulers. This march witnessed milestones of development and progress and revolutionized the concept of nation building. It resulted in the wealth and prosperity of the citizens and progress and welfare of the nation.Political development was also a significant outcome of thismarch. The political participation of citizens was reinforced last September as membership of the electoral colleges was expanded in an unprecedented way.

The citizen in this country is blessed with tasting the beauty of the achievements and initiatives taken for the welfare and prosperity of one generation after another. The United Arab Emirates ranked the top Arab country in the 2011 Human Development Index (HDI). This ranking is achieved by the vision of a leader who exerted sincere efforts for this nation and its citizens, and in turnthese citizens are ready to sacrifice everything dear to them for their nation.

The era of Sheikh Khalifa also focused on national identity but without isolation, rather with the purpose of building bridges of friendship and partnerships with the world’s cultures by spreading the spirit of tolerance and love and making the UAE an oasis of love and peace.

On this national occasion, as festivities and prayers are everywhere reflecting a sense of pride in the leader of achievements, everyone is racing to express the purest meanings of loyalty to our Khalifa, asking God to keep our UAE safe, secure and dignified continuing in its march of progress and prosperity under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE President.

“Fossils of a giant crocodile that lived more than eight million years ago were found on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. Chairman of the Geological Research Authority in Dubai, Adnan Al Hamid, indicated that the discovery of these fossils was the outcome of continuous efforts that lasted for weeks. It is proof that life existed in the region in the past”. (IPUL)

Of course, you will not read this piece of news except in this column not because I have the scoop but because I made up the entire story. However, try to re-post this news on BlackBerry or a forum and a few days later it will bounce back as a real story that cannot be denied. You can tell them that the Palm Jumeirah was created only a few years ago and no one will listen to you. You can scream at the top of your voice that there is no department in Dubai called the Geological Research Authority and your voice will echo back in vain. You can point out that Adnan Al Hamid is the voice over of “Hanafi and Um Sayed” in a cartoon show and that “IPUL” is not a news agency but rather “I Pulled Your Leg”. But you will always find someone who will say the news is “everywhere”!

The motto of the new social media is “write whatever you want and there is always an audience”. A few days ago, I received an email about the danger of Indomie noodles made of “dead animal bones” and a warning from an anonymous doctor about the e641 substance that it contains along with a long listof the harms, which are not even caused by the Japan’s Fukushima reactor. Despite that, our young kids eat a lot of Indomie noodles and are still in the best of health.

We are facing a dangerous media dilemma. Many people like forwarding or re-posting news without bothering to do a simple research about the source or the truth and accuracy of the story. In most cases, it is usually a rumor, false compliant or fabricated news. This phenomenon has largely spread along with this media propaganda until I was really scared after the “Um Rashed” case in which my colleague Hassan Yacoub paid the price on behalf of us all.

The other point is that most forwarders or re-posters wish to appear as being concerned for the safety and health of the nation, hence, everything became the cause of cancer from cups and car seats to fast food meals, asthma sprays, shaving tools, apples, gum and snickers and of course Botox injections.