UAE VICE-PRESIDENT AND PRIME MINISTER UNVEILS NEW

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 000635 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP STATE FOR DRL STATE FOR USTR DBELL AND AROSENBERG E.O. 12958: DECLASSIFY ON 04/16/2017 TAGS: PGOV ELAB ECON PREL PHUM EINV SCUL AE SUBJECT: UAE VICE-PRESIDENT AND PRIME MINISTER UNVEILS NEW GOVERNMENT STRATEGY CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR MICHELE J. SISON FOR REASONS 1.4(b & d). ¶1. (C) Summary: On April 17, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (MbR),Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, presented a new government strategy to UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The plan, developed by the UAE Cabinet, covered six areas: 1) social development, 2) economic development, 3) government sector development, 4) justice and safety, 5) infrastructure, and 6) rural development. MbR highlighted key areas of the strategic plan at a presentation attended by an audience of over a thousand, including UAE senior government officials, police and military, and the diplomatic corps. During his presentation, MbR pointedly criticized the UAE Labor and Justice ministers, environmental officials, and the poor state of education standards in the UAE, leading some members of the audience to speculate that the Labor and Justice ministers might be "on their way out." (Note: This is the first time the UAE Vice-President and Prime Minister has publicly briefed President Khalifa in front of an audience that included non-UAEG officials. End note.) End Summary. ¶2. (U) On April 17, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (MbR), Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, presented a new, six-pillar government strategy to President Khalifa. The social development pillar focuses on improving the educational system, upgrading healthcare services, rectifying the population imbalance between UAE nationals and foreigners and increasing social welfare and community development programs. The economic development pillar lays out a plan to stimulate economic growth and strengthen the competitiveness of the UAE economy. The government sector development pillar aims to improve government services based on internationally recognized "best practices." The Justice and Safety pillar seeks to modernize the judicial system and formulate a National Emergency System. The Infrastructure pillar lays out a plan to improve roads and housing and ensure adequate electricity and water services. The Rural Area Development pillar focuses on improving the quality of basic services and living conditions in less-developed areas of the UAE and providing training and funding for new businesses in those areas. ¶3. (SBU) During his presentation, MbR sharply criticized two ministers: Minister of Labor Dr. Ali Al Ka'abi and Minister of Justice Mohammad Al-Daheri. MbR noted that there are over 300,000 illegal workers in the UAE in "non-productive" jobs and also criticized the Labor Ministry for failing to rectify the "population imbalance," which appeared to be a reference to the presence of foreign workers in the UAE and a lack of progress in the government's "Emiratization" program. MbR continued by saying, "The Labor Ministry's focus throughout the past eighteen months was erroneous", criticizing the requirement for UAE companies to hire Emirati Public Relations Officers, when the Emirati human capital did not yet exist to fill these jobs. MbR also sharply criticized the Minister of Justice, Mohammad Al-Daheri, stating that "the Ministry of Justice was twenty years behind." MbR added that he had seen photos snapped by "secret cellphone cameras" of large stacks of files piled up on chairs and desks within the courts, referring to the significant backlog of cases in the courts. ¶4. (SBU) MbR also expressed his dismay with a lack of progress for the environmental sector. His criticisms of the education sector were mainly focused on the UAE's public school system's substandard curriculum and teaching methods, rather than education sector officials. MbR denied that the problem was insufficient funding, noting that allocations for public education have significantly increased in each of the past several years. ¶5. (C) Comment: MbR's public criticisms were unusual for the UAE, a culture which puts a strong premium on not subjecting individuals to public fingerpointing; MbR's remarks caused quite a buzz in the large audience. After the official presentation, Ambassador attended lunch with several UAEG officials and UAE businessleaders. Obaid Al Tayer, President of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Ambassador he believed the Ministers of Labor and Justice could well tender their resignations as a result of MbR's remarks. End comment. SISON