Dubai Sunday probably wasn’t the best day for Dubai government workers to be a tad late reporting for work.
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Sheikh Mohammed ordered the retirement on Monday of nine members of Dubai Municipality’s executive management, including directors and assistant director-generals in departments such as legal affairs and planning, the United Arab Emirates’ state news agency WAM reported.
A spot inspection of civil service offices by Dubai’s ruler resulted in embarrassing footage of Sheikh Mohammed standing awkwardly by empty desks which should have been occupied by high-ranking officials.
A video showing Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum walking into the sparsely populated offices of the Land Department and Department of Economic Development at the start of the workday was widely shared on Twitter.
It’s the end of the school holidays, you’ve packed the kids off on the school bus for the first time in weeks, and you think, “I’ll rest at home for an hour or two – no one at work will miss me”.
In a video tweeted by Dubai Media Office, Shaikh Mohammad was the only person seen in offices of a workplace which had his framed portrait hanging on the wall behind a glass-topped desk.
The response to the empty chairs? “He certainly wanted to send a message”, Mona Al-Marri, director-general of the government of Dubai’s Media Office told Bloomberg.
Dubai’s ruler was known for his surprise visits in the early days of transforming the city from a desert town into a thriving business center.
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During the tour, Sheikh Mohammed also reviewed the services provided at Dubai International Airport.
