Emiratis share memories of a wise and giving leader

ABU DHABI // On the anniversary of Sheikh Zayed’s death, Emiratis shared their memories of the country’s Founding Father.

At a talk organised by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, three prominent Emiratis spoke of Sheikh Zayed’s generosity and wisdom.

“I like to talk about him as a father,” said Mohammed Al Fahim who said he grew up living in the yard of Sheikh Zayed’s palace.

“We were kids – Sheikh Khalifa and I – and he used to treat us with kindness and often took us out.”

On one outing, Sheikh Zayed took the two boys to Maqtaa Bridge to teach them to swim.

“There was a strong current and he told us to swim against it,” ­recalled the businessman and investor of a trip in 1959, when he was eight years old.

Back then, the population in the capital was about 1,800 people, while about 800 lived in Al Ain.

Sheikh Zayed was a keen sportsman, said Mr Al Fahim, who is known for his memoir Rags to Riches: A Story of Abu Dhabi.

“He liked volleyball, walking and horse riding.”

It was his humility and long-term vision that distinguished him from other leaders, said Mr Al Fahim.

“I remember we were once in his majlis and he was stressed and preoccupied,” he said.

A Bedouin man entered and ­began demanding that the Government resolve some of his problems.

“The man, however, was unaware of the protocol that he should have accepted a cup of coffee before making his complaints, so Sheikh Zayed asked him to leave.”

Sheikh Zayed, however, had a change of heart and apologised to the Bedouin.

Mr Al Fahim said: “Sheikh Zayed said ‘Excuse me for not listening to you or giving you your right. You are welcome to sit and speak to us’.”

Mr Al Fahim went on to study in the United Kingdom but said he learnt more from Sheikh Zayed than he did in school.

“When we sat at the dinner table, we spent two hours because he used to ask about everyone in turn,” he said.

“He was a teacher but he did not have a degree.

“Many people don’t know that Sheikh Zayed did not go to school, he only read the Quran.

“He relied in his characteristics, behaviour and thoughts on the Quran because it was the only book he read.”

Nasser Al Nowais, who served as director of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), chairman of Abu Dhabi National Hotels and undersecretary at the Ministry of Finance, said Sheikh Zayed was a keen supporter of local businesses.

He said he was a “brave and firm decision maker” who “had a unique expectation of the future, even for projects that no one else believed in”.

He gave the example of Sheikh Zayed’s insistence on starting a milk production plant in Al Ain.

At first the cows were not ­producing enough milk “so we thought ‘we’ll bring cows from Australia, because the climate there is a bit similar’,” said Mr Al Nowais, who is chairman of ­Rotana Hotel Management Corporation.

The project to import 200 cows was estimated to cost Dh8 million and so the Executive Council was cautious about funding it.

Sheikh Khalifa, however, decided to fund it himself because it had been ordered by Sheikh Zayed.

“He was the one who believed it would work,” said Mr Al Nowais. “We ended up with 7,000 cows and it turned out to be one of the best projects.”

Mohammed Al Suwaidi, director general of ADFD, said the fact that Sheikh Zayed established the fund in 1971, even before the UAE was founded, proved that he was always keen to help other nations.

“He started with the neighbours, it started with Arab countries and then it expanded,” said Mr Al Suwaidi.

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Remembering Sheikh Zayed:

› Tributes pour in for Founding Father as UAE marks Zayed Humanitarian Day

› NMC chief to build Abu Dhabi's first medical university in honour of Sheikh Zayed

› 'This is all because of Zayed': Disabled not forgotten in Founding Father's plan

› Opinion: Inspiration of Sheikh Zayed remains alive