AS PRIME MINISTER, MBR SIGNALS NEW HANDS-ON APPROACH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DUBAI 000992

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/21/2016
TAGS: TC PGOV SOCI
SUBJECT: AS PRIME MINISTER, MBR SIGNALS NEW HANDS-ON APPROACH


CLASSIFIED BY: Jason L. Davis, Consul General, Dubai, UAE.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)



1.(U) With the 40-day mourning period for his late brother
Maktoum now concluded, Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al
Maktoum (MbR),the new Prime Minister of the UAE, has undertaken
a number of high-visibility actions to demonstrate that he takes
his new national-level responsibilities seriously, including
trips to the northern emirates of Fujairah, Sharjah and Ajman to
inspect public facilities and social welfare institutions. MbR
also called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, praising its
role and asking for innovative approaches to boost its
performance. During the course of this informal outreach
program -- widely covered in local press and television -- MbR
has emphasized that he intends to both empower individual
ministers, and hold them accountable for their actions.

Fujairah: Improve the Schools and Healthcare
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2.(U) On February 18 MbR visited Fujairah schools and a hospital
and met with citizens. The Arabic language daily al-Ittihad
reported that after touring several schools to evaluate their
condition, he directed the new Education Minister, Dr. Hanif
Hassan Ali, to adopt measures to improve the learning
environment there. MbR then went to the Fujairah Central
Hospital and called for the Minister of Public Works -- Sheikh
Hamdan bin Mubarak al-Nahyan, a holdover from the last cabinet
-- to acquire advanced medical equipment to improve its quality
of care. He also met with a number of Fujairah citizens who had
housing complaints and ordered maintenance work to be done on
the homes of low-income citizens, according to Emirates Today
newspaper.

Sharjah and Ajman: Help the Poor and Elderly
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3.(U) MbR continued his outreach the next day in Sharjah and
Ajman, where his visit was said to be aimed at "assessing the
needs of the underprivileged." He visited the Sharjah
Comprehensive Unit for Social Care and the Center for Social
Affairs to be briefed on the services they provide and the needs
of both facilities, according to Al Khaleej newspaper. He did
the same at the Ajman Center for People with Special Needs and
Center for Elderly People. MbR called on the Minister of Social
Affairs -- a newly established cabinet position held by the
UAE's second female minister Mariam Mohammad Khalfan Al Roumi --
to meet any requirements these institutions have, according to
the Arabic language daily Al Bayan. Photographs of MbR sitting
on the floor with lower income UAE nationals and laying his hand
on the heads of elderly subjects were featured prominently in
the local print media.

MFA: Embrace Its "Sacred National Responsibility"
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4.(C) MbR visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abu Dhabi
on February 21, where he met with several cabinet members,
including the Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al
Nahyan. Sheikh Abdullah reportedly welcomed the visit,
describing it as an opportunity for ministry officials to listen
to the directives of MbR, according to Gulf News newspaper. MbR
praised the role of the MFA, stressing its "sacred national
responsibility" to represent the UAE, and urging innovative
approaches to boost productivity. Mohammad Hussain Al Sha'ali,
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, was also present, and
told the Ambassador the following day it was the first
"high-level" visit to the MFA since Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al
Nahyan stopped in many years ago.

5.(U) In a February 21 announcement covered in all the major
English and Arabic newspapers, MBR said that ministries would be
given "full administrative and financial independence" to
improve their services and performance. "Complicated
restrictions and procedures will be scrapped to give them a free
hand in discharging their duties," he continued.

Comment
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6.(C) A number of prominent Dubayyans have told us, with obvious
approval, that MbR intends to follow the example of his father,
the late Sheikh Rashid, who is remembered as an active and
forceful PM prior to succumbing to a lengthy and debilitating
illness. (The late Sheikh Maktoum, MbR's older brother, is
remembered fondly, but he made not even a pretence of guiding or
managing the UAE cabinet of ministers, and indeed spent most of
his time in London.) While Dubai notables are clearly pleased

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(and in the case of the "let's grow slower" faction, relieved)
that MBR and his top "Dubai, Inc" deputy Mohammed Al Gergawi
(newly appointed as Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs) will
now be dedicating much of their time to federal affairs, there
remains great curiosity as to who will end up managing Dubai's
affairs on a day-to-day basis. Despite MbR's visits to
Fujairah, Sharjah and Ajman, it is unlikely that he will make
similar trips to public institutions in Abu Dhabi, demurring to
the ruling Al Nahyan family's role.
DAVIS