Dubai Ruler calls on public to thank Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid launched the online campaign to mark the 12th anniversary of his accession day

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid thanked Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, ahead of the anniversary of the Vice President and Ruler of DuShow more

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid has said he does not want any formal celebrations to be held on January 4 — the 12th anniversary of the day of his accession — but has called on the public to instead thank an individual who had a profound impact on the country and its development.

On Tuesday, the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai launched a campaign to thank someone who had "an impact on our lives and achievements in the service of our homeland".

"Today we call upon our people to thank those who gave their days to their homeland."

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid went on to thank Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, tweeting an image of a letter he sent the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces at the beginning of the new year.

"I do not thank him in my name, but in the name of my people," the Ruler of Dubai said on Twitter. "I do not thank him for something personal, but for a nation he is building for future generations,".

But a thank-you letter does not do Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed justice, said Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, referring to the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi as "Bu Khaled".

"We call on our people to thank him by means of a sincere speech .. or with a picture that is expressive .. or with a good gesture," Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid said, adding that "Bu Khaled" has all our thanks, love and appreciation.

With that he shared a video montage of the two leaders together.

Several hours later, hundreds of Twitter users responded to the call by sharing quotes, videos and pictures using the Arabic hashtag the Dubai Ruler accompanied his tweets with which translates to #Thank_you_Mohammed_bin_Zayed. The hashtag quickly climbed to the top trending topic on the social media site.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, was among those who posted and shared an image of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed.

Last year, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid launched the  UAE Food Bank a day before the anniversary of his accession.

Following the announcement, Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum, wife of Sheikh Mohammed, called the day "precious" and recalled her husband's oft-quoted words that his aspiration was for his nation to be number one and that becoming number one is not impossible, because "the word impossible doesn't exist in our dictionary".