DUBAI // Ministers who are not exceptional have no place in government, the deputy prime minister has said.
Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, who is also Minister of Interior, delivered a speech on leadership, talent and technology on the opening day of the second annual Government Summit in Dubai.
“I will tell all the ministers and government heads, if you can’t be an exceptional minister you won’t have a future in this government,” he said.
“So I ask you all now, do you accept being less than exceptional? Keep your answer to yourself and think about it.
“To every father and mother I say you have to be exceptional if you are to raise exceptional children. To teachers I say you have to be exceptional to educate an exceptional generation.”
Gauging the opinion and voice of the people was critical for the leadership to meet their needs, said Sheikh Saif.
“Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid hold a weekly open majlis with Emiratis,” he said.
In response to a comment by an Emirati that ambulances in parts of the country were taking too long to arrive, Sheikh Saif said the President had requested an investigation and a study on ambulance response times, with a global comparison.
“We have now constructed 20 new ambulance points in the northern emirates and two helicopters that will begin operations by the end of this month,” he said.
“We have an agreement with Harvard University to train Emirati emergency medics. In the next two years your Emirati brothers and sisters will helm these emergency response points.”
Sheikh Saif also spoke about how the UAE had weathered the economic crisis. “From 2008 to now the world has passed through economic crises, political crises and security crises.
"But the UAE had a clear strategy. We launched three satellites, had Formula 1, got the International Renewable Energy Agency and Expo 2020, and when all the airlines of the world were closing down there were two that were buying new planes."
Professor Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, told the summit that leadership could be defined by four factors: brains, soul, heart and nerves.
“A leader must be intelligent and know what he is doing and why. He must believe in what he is trying to accomplish. He must have passion for what he does and compassion for the people he is doing it for. And he must be able to cope with the setbacks in disappointments when things don’t work out,” he said.
“There are a handful of leaders in the world who fulfil these key features, and I’m sure I can find some here.”
More than 3,600 delegates and 60 speakers on government, business, transport and education are attending the three-day summit at Madinat Jumeirah.
malkhan@thenational.ae
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Scotland 59 (Tries: Hastings (2), G Horne (3), Turner, Seymour, Barclay, Kinghorn, McInally; Cons: Hastings 8)
Russia 0
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Where to buy art books in the UAE
There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.
In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show.
In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.
In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Motori Profile
Date started: March 2020
Co-founder/CEO: Ahmed Eissa
Based: UAE, Abu Dhabi
Sector: Insurance Sector
Size: 50 full-time employees (Inside and Outside UAE)
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Safe City Group
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