Mohammed bin Rashid is a pioneer extraordinaire

In an editorial published yesterday morning, an English-language daily has said that His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, is a pioneer extraordinaire who doesn't just make promises, but he acts on his goals too.

"He has many distinguished achievements to his credit. He is the man behind building iconic landmarks such as the Burj Al Arab and the world's tallest building, Burj Khalifa. He introduced the revolutionary driverless Dubai Metro. He is the proponent of annual fiestas for Dubai residents and tourists alike such as the Dubai Shopping Festival and Dubai Summer Surprises. He launched fun icy entertainment spots in the middle of hot desert terrain such as Ski Dubai. He has also been stoking, from time to time, intellectual debates at conferences graced by some of the world's leading politicians, thinkers and motivational speakers," said the Sharjah-based newspaper, The Gulf Today.

The one purpose for this, explained the editorial, is to make Dubai a stellar and ground-breaking city on the global map.

"His Highness Sheikh Mohammed steered Dubai towards making it not just an economic and industrial hub in the Middle East, but also helped make it an oasis of stability, peace and security. His guidance morphed the landscape of the desert, with high-rises made of glass and chrome, along with other fascinating traits.

"Under his stewardship, Dubai has enhanced the leisure and lifestyle quotient for not just Westerners but other expatriates too. Even Hollywood has made a beeline for this glitzy cosmopolis, finding it an ideal location to shoot its movies and for its stars to relax in ultra-modern luxury," it said.

The editorial noted that perhaps nowhere is Dubai's spectacular progress more evident than in the field of aviation.

"Dubai International Airport was the world's busiest for international passenger traffic last year, stealing the thunder from London's Heathrow Airport.

"Full-year passenger numbers for the Dubai International totalled 70.4 million," it said.

The editorial added, "Terminal 3 airport is as swanky as swanky can get, with its state-of-the-art trappings and self-check-in counters."

It went on to say that these developments were further highlighted following the recent announcement by Sheikh Mohammed that Dubai is going to build the largest airport in the world.

"The Ruler of Dubai tweeted on Friday that Dubai was going to affect the biggest deal in history by buying planes worth US$100 billion.

"When officials briefed him on plans to enlarge Dubai airport, he told them he did not want an airport for Dubai but wanted Dubai to be the airport of the world," said the paper, before adding that "The Cassandras may be dismissive of the logic behind this humongous figure, but Sheikh Mohammed's followers have immense faith in him."

The theme, "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future" for Expo 2020 Dubai appropriately fits the rapid developments of Dubai World Central (DWC) in elevating the emirate's standing as an aviation and logistics hub and a centre of commerce, added the editorial.

"The aerotropolis provides a critical backdrop to Dubai's bid for the World Expo 2020, and around 30 million travellers are estimated to pass through the passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport by 2023," it said.

In April, while honouring Sheikh Mohammed on his selection as the Cultural Personality of the Year for the 9th edition of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, the paper quoted President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the occasion as saying, "Honouring of Sheikh Mohammed is an honour for the founding fathers of the country, since he is the best person who carried on their legacy and completed their march wisely."

In conclusion the editorial said that the word ‘impossible' does not exist in the dictionary of Sheikh Mohammed's life. As President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa remarked on the leader, "He also led the march of progress and development with ambition, hope and determination with the will that does not know what is impossible."

It added, "When it comes to success and vision, Sheikh Mohammed is truly a trailblazer."