by Andre Sanchez

The late Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, was a leader who was loved by his people and shared their dreams of a country that would make its mark on the world.  He ruled from November 1990 until January, 2006, and left behind him a legacy of a vibrant country with a capital that is the fastest growing in the world.   

Born in 1943 in the Shindagha area of Dubai, near the mouth of Dubai Creek where it flows into the Gulf, he was privately educated in Islamic studies and Arabic and English, in preparation for a future that would involve him ruling a country in the most important era of its history.   

During the reign of his father, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, father and son worked tirelessly to bring their ambitions for the emirate to reality, and were instrumental in the building of what was to be just the first of many prestige hotels in Dubai.  They also oversaw the construction of Dubai Airport that allowed easy access for the influx of foreigners who would play their part in the development of their country 

He attended Cambridge University in England in the 1960s where he made friends with other scholars who would later become influential in the world of politics, and he regularly attended meetings of the Trucial States Council, that would later come to form the United Arab Emirates.  When Britain announced its intention of withdrawing from the Gulf, Sheikh Rashid gave his son the responsibility of entering into consultation with Sheikh Zaved of Abu Dhabi with a view to forming a union between the two sheikdoms.   

This was finally achieved in February 1968 after only six weeks of talks between the two, and on December 2^nd, 1971 the United Arab Emirates was finally established.  Much of the success of this was due to the diplomacy of Sheikh Maktoum who finally showed his abilities as a future leader of his country and first Prime Minister of the UAE.  

He became well known as a world figure during the 1980s when he and his two brothers effectively managed the running of Dubai due to the illness of their father.  Sheikh Maktoum  was especially interested in the development of law and order and education, and he did much to fund the building of schools throughout the UAE.   

He became outright ruler of Dubai in 1990 when his father, Sheik Rashid, died.  His leadership saw the beginnings of the massive residential building projects which are continuing to this day, and the development of transportation systems that facilitated the modernization of Dubai City as an international cosmopolitan city. He had a great interest in sports, specifically horse racing, and was very successful in European horse racing as well as running the Godolphin stables in Dubai with the help of his brothers.    

The success of Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum in developing his country was truly remarkable when the scant resources of the country are taken into consideration.  Although surrounded by large oil producing nations, Dubai’s own oil production is very small and rapidly growing smaller.  He successfully introduced the doctrine that commerce and politics should not mix, and that has remained so to this day.   

He had a vision and the energy to follow it through, and built Dubai into a nation whose wealth is independent of oil, and that will be able to flourish well after the oil is gone.  His death on 4^th January, 2006 from a heart attack was mourned by people the world over who paid tribute to a man who did much to transform Dubai into the progressive country that it is today. 

Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum was originally published at http://www.globallifenow.com