Truth never fails. And of that universal conviction are born men of honour, who hitch their destinies to truth, in return for a life of ethical fulfilment and prosperity. And Dr Abdullah Omran Taryam was a great example of that.  

 He left us in winter. It was chilly, but a lot of us were seething with pain because he had rendered a lot of us rudderless. He left his family without its most popular face and his country without one of its famous sons.       

His friends feel they will get friends but never an unfailing guide like Dr Abdullah Taryam. His guidelines were almost free of pitfalls, his friends still admit, because he had weathered a million storms before constructing, brick by brick, his castle of success, whose door was flung open to every troubled visitor and whose only scanner was the human heart.

Dr Abdullah Taryam led from the front. He was not a passive spectator to life’s problems but an active participant. He never spoke from the comfort of his chair, but moved in to tackle crises.

He ensured that we never felt small in his huge presence. Dr Abdullah Taryam time and again went out of his way to see his employees out of their troubles with regard to health and other issues.

He would often be seen helping the disadvantaged by calling them home for food, old-timers narrated to us.

He lived his life in its entirety till the last day because he had never ever lived it the wrong way. His footsteps were absolutely firm till he left us because he had never taken the wrong path.

Dr Abdullah Taryam and his lovely family — Mr Khalid Taryam, Ms Amira Taryam, Mr Omran Taryam, Ms Aysha Taryam and their graceful mother — were recovering from the shock of losing Dr Abdullah Taryam’s mother (2013) when grief made an unrelenting re-entry (January 30, 2014). The summer of 2013 was the darkest season in Dr Abdullah Taryam’s life when he lost his mother. The subsequent winter carried him away — unfair to all and totally unfair to the family.

Dr Abdullah Taryam captured the hearts and minds of those who went on to create the United Arab Emirates, with his interest in the development of the nation, of which he was so proud. The UAE was born in 1971.

As a minister he is credited with playing the game by the rules rooted in high ethical moorings. It is recalled by everyone — who knew him or knew of him — that he never ever compromised on principles.

I had the extraordinary pleasure of knowing Dr Abdullah Taryam for nearly twenty years. And I can say with conviction that he nurtured values as if they were his heartbeat.

May his soul rest in peace.