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V-P calls for effective govt

ABU DHABI — His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has said that reshuffle is order of life as he chaired a meeting of the newly-structured cabinet at the Presidential Palace here yesterday.

Shaikh Mohammed warned that he would effect yet another reshuffle should any minister fail in the discharge of his duties. He said that the cabinet will be accountable before the President and UAE people.

“Reshuffle is order of life. The former ministers discharged their duties very well,” he told the cabinet members as he welcomed the new ministers in the cabinet and thanked the outgoing ministers.

Deputy Prime Ministers Shaikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Shaikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan attended the cabinet meeting.

He told the new cabinet members that he would not take rest until comfort and good living get their way to “our people”, adding that “getting a ministerial job is not an aim in itself, but a means to achieve and produce”.

He urged the ministers to heed senior and junior officials to be part of planning, execution and decision-making in their ministries in order to develop team spirit and share national responsibilities efficiently.

Shaikh Mohammed noted that he was dissatisfied with the UAE nationals travelling abroad for education or treatment, adding that “we should all work to reverse that equation by attracting others to come to our country for treatment and education. This is attainable if we work harder and implement clauses of our recently launched strategy endorsed by the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.”

He called on ministers to find solutions through updating their ministries and not to bring their problems to the leadership, adding that the cabinet scored achievements over the last two years, notably, the ratification of the federal government strategy, through which 40,000 villas will be provided to the UAE nationals countrywide, increment of bursaries by 100 per cent of UAE students abroad, salary hike for employees, pensioners and beneficiaries of social security, as well as delegation of powers to the ministries and launching of young leadership preparation programmes.

Shaikh Mohammed underscored that “we should have strong productive government capable of producing creative ideas to develop the country and citizens, and achieve higher national objectives so as to be ranked No. 1 government in the world,” hinting that a minister will be held accountable for negligence with regard to the directives and implementation of the strategy.

• UAE