Attempted robbery at Miladhoo Magistrate’s court

The Magistrate’s court of Miladhoo was broken into Saturday night (August 18), according to local media.

The court has been operating out of a house on the island since the official premises were damaged in an arson attack last year.

Thieves appeared to have attempted to break into the safe at the property, which at the time was said to have contained MVR125 (US$8), but were unsuccessful, Sun Online has reported.

The court was also targeted by thieves in April this year, who were said to have stolen MVR7000 (US$454). The island in Noonu Atoll has also seen three robbery-related arsons this year, local media has reported.

A police team is said to have arrived on the island as of today.

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People’s Alliance confirms “attempts” under way to reconvene Majlis next week

Senior representatives from the government-aligned People’s Alliance (PA) party have said attempts are under way to reconvene the People’s Majlis by next week.  Parliament was indefinitely suspended late last month by Speaker Abdulla Shahid over concerns about maintaining order in the Majlis chamber.

PA MP Moosa Zameer told Minivan News today that Majlis Deputy Speaker and fellow PA MP Ahmed Nazim had confirmed that the speaker was committed to restarting parliament by next week – despite no agenda yet being set.  Both Nazim and Speaker Shahid were not responding to calls from Minivan News at time of press.

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) meanwhile said it had been aware of the speculation over reconvening parliament next week, but added that it was “impossible to say” ahead of an MDP National Executive Committee meeting today whether an agreement could be reached on the matter.

Just last week, informal parliament-initiated talks – running parallel to the formal All-Party talks – were deemed to have stalled after participants failed to reach a consensus on resolving wider ongoing political deadlock and the suspension of the Majlis.

Following last week’s meeting, resort tycoon and leader of the government-aligned Jumhoree Party (JP), Gasim Ibrahim, called for the resignation of the speaker after he did not appear at the high-level talks.

Shahid said he had decided to suspend Parliament indefinitely pending a resolution to the ongoing political turmoil.

Parliament temporarily reconvened for a one-off emergency session in early August as government-aligned and opposition MPs agreed to extend the General Regulations Act until April 2013.  The Majlis has not held a session since the vote was passed.

However, MP Zameer claimed today that ahead of a Majlis recess scheduled for next month, it was important to reopen discussions between elected MPs through parliamentary channels.  Zameer claimed reconvening parliament remained the most viable path to ensure a potential political breakthrough.

“I think we need to go back to the Majlis, once we have dialogue there, we can begin to discuss key issues,” he claimed. “We need to get back to the Majlis to see what can be done and at least talk about finding a solution.”

Quoting MDP MP Ali Waheed, who represented the opposition party at last week’s informal talks, Zameer said that it had been agreed that it was down to Speaker Shahid to decide on reconvening the Majlis.  He claimed therefore that the MDP was not taking responsibility for the suspension.

The MDP has itself been criticised in local media by the government-aligned Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) for its conduct and perceived role in having parliament suspended, which was claimed to be an “infringement” of democratic rights in the country.

DQP Vice President and Vilufushi MP Riyaz Rasheed was at the time quoted by local newspaper Haveeru in calling for parliament to press ahead with its work to amend and enact national legislation such as through restarting various parliamentary committees.

However, despite the ongoing political stalemate, Zameer contended that it has been possible, despite the current highly partisan environment, to reach compromises in parliament; such as with the recent reconstitution of the Majlis’ committees.

“During the events of the last two months we have discussed and agreed to a compromise that I proposed for the MDP to have more members on the Government Oversight Committee,” he said.

The PA – led by Deputy Speaker Nazim – last month gave up its seat on the Government Oversight Committee to the former ruling party in exchange for one of the MDP’s four seats in the Finance Committee.

Zameer claimed that although there was still concerns amongst government-aligned parties about the MDP’s commitments to ceasing street protests, he believed the Majlis remained the only institution at present where an agreement had the potential to succeed.

“It is certainly a lot better than sitting at home doing nothing,” he said.

Should parliament reconvene next week as speculated by the PA, Zameer added that there were “a lot” of pending issues needing to be addressed, including a number of reports compiled by parliamentary committees that needed to be returned to the floor for debate.

“Had the Majlis convened one week earlier [than currently anticipated] you’d have seen a lot of work being done by MPs,” he claimed.  “There are issues lying there right now that have a wide consensus to be enacted ,” Zameer added, not providing specifics.

MP Ali Waheed, who represented the MDP during last week’s informal parliament-initiated talks designed, was not responding to calls from Minivan News at the time of press.

However, MDP Spokesperson and MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor said that the issue of resuming parliament would be discussed at a meeting of the MDP National Executive Committee today. Ghafoor claimed no agreement had yet been reached on setting a date for parliament to resume.

“My understanding is that we will give our cooperation to the Majlis for it to conduct meetings once we have seen how talks are progressing,” he claimed.

Ghafoor claimed that, with the MDP continuing to question the legitimacy of the government of President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan, the party was waiting for progress in securing early elections through ongoing road-map talks before returning to the Majlis.

“It is impossible to say if an agreement will be reached on resuming parliament. I have been made aware of such suggestions, but there has been no public announcement on this matter,” he said. “Right now this talk [of reconvening the Majlis] is just speculation. There is no room for speculation in the current climate.”

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Over 100 police bicycles unassembled in warehouse: audit

Over 100 bicycles purchased for police use in 2009 were left unassembled in a warehouse, according to the audit report of the Ministry of Home Affairs for 2010 made public last week. The report flagged several cases of illegal and wasteful expenditure by the Maldives Police Service (MPS).

The audit found that 500 bicycles were procured in 2009 for MVR1.4 million (US$90,791) and paid for in 2010, while the required funds were not allocated for the vehicles in either the 2009 or 2010 police budgets approved by parliament.

“Of the purchased bicycles, 300 were sent to police stations in the atolls,” the report stated. “When [the Auditor General’s Office] checked on 5 September, 2011 to see if the 200 bicycles that should be in Male’ were there, it was discovered that 111 bicycles were kept in boxes in various warehouses while 89 assembled bicycles were left unused in warehouses.”

It added that six of 10 bicycles sent to Haa Dhaal Kulhudhufushi were also left unassembled.

Since the bicycles were left unused in warehouses, the audit concluded that “it could not be considered that these 500 bicycles were bought for police use,” adding that the expenditure was “wasteful” as the funds could have been used for other purposes.

The Auditor General therefore recommended putting the bicycles to use and holding those responsible for the procurement accountable under articles 47 and 48 of the Public Finance Act for violation of the law.

On March 30, 2010, police unveiled a new fleet of bicycles to be used for patrols as part of the previous administration’s plans to achieve carbon neutrality.

Following the publication of the audit report last week, a police spokesperson told local media that the bicycles would be used in the future.

The police media official noted that bicycles were used for patrols during November’s SAARC summit in Addu City.

Violations of public finance law

Among other cases highlighted in the report, the audit found that a private company was hired to construct a nine-storey building at the police Iskandharu Koshi compound for MVR67.2 million (US$4.4 million) on July 19, 2006 – without a publicly announced bidding process through the tender board.

The contract was awarded under the administration of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

The audit found that the company was paid MVR92.7 million (US$6 million) for the work, 37.87 percent in excess of the agreed upon sum.

The report noted that that the payment was in violation of public finance regulations, which stipulates that additional payments should not exceed 10 percent of the contracted amount.

Moreover, while the contracted period for the construction work was 18 months, the audit found that the Maldives Police Service approved an extension of a further 35 months.

The audit concluded that the extension was dubious and that police were culpable for the long delay.

The Auditor General therefore recommended that the responsible officials be held accountable and that the case should be further investigated by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Moreover, also in 2008, a private company was contracted to build the police tow yard for MVR995,103 (US$64,533) without a public bidding process, which is required for government contracts exceeding MVR25,000 (US$1,621).

The audit also discovered that MVR1.6 million (US$103,761) was paid to contractors in violation of public finance regulations requiring approval from the President’s Office.

In August 2010, the audit found, police paid MVR80,000 (US$5,188) to a chief inspector as compensation for his damaged motorcycle, which was set on fire on August 2. The police executive board approved the payment as the price of the damaged motorcycle.

However, auditors found that the documents submitted by the chief inspector in seeking compensation were fraudulent, as the police report of the incident and photos showed that the damage was not extensive.

Moreover, auditors discovered that annual fees for the damaged cycle continued to be paid after the arson incident.

The Auditor General therefore recommended that the case should be investigated by the ACC.

The report further noted that MVR180,400 (US$11,699) was spent out of the budget in 2009 and 2010 for the police sports club while such expenses are explicitly prohibited by section 4.03(b) of the public finance regulations.

Scrutinising expenses out of the police welfare budget, the audit found that cash and tickets were provided for police officers to seek medical treatment overseas without the requisite doctor’s letter and recommendation form by the police medical service.

A senior police official was given US$1,200 out of the welfare budget for accommodation and food for medical treatment overseas, the report noted.

The report criticised the police regulations that allows senior officials to claim over US$1,000 for treatment overseas while lower-ranking officers were provided smaller amounts.

Meanwhile, as a result of delayed payment of utility bills, the audit found that police incurred MVR43,803 (US$2,840) as fines in 2010.

Lastly, the report noted that according to the Finance Ministry’s ledger, the Maldives Police Service spent MVR73 million (US$4.7 million) in excess of the approved budget of MVR627.7 million (US$40.7 million) for 2010.

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Kinbidhoo without power for 24 hours, council claims

The Vice President of Kinbidhoo Council has informed local media that the island’s residents have been without electricity for over 24 hours.

“People are facing a lot of difficulties due to the power cut. It’s not possible to live without electricity anymore, so people are really suffering,” Hassan Mohamed told Sun Online.

It has been reported that technicians arrived yesterday evening to repair issues with the island’s two generators, which had stopped working at 8:00am that morning.

South Central Utilities Ltd is the electricity provider for the 1,200 people of the island in Thaa Atoll.

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Comment: Waiting for the CNI report 

The ‘long wait’ seems to be nearly over for Maldivian politicians, the government and friends of the Indian Ocean archipelago. The expanded Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) has since reiterated its decision to come out with the findings on the circumstances leading to the resignation of President Mohammed Nasheed on February 7, by the extended deadline of August-end.

Whatever the finding, its presentation can expected to be followed by high drama, straining the infant democracy all over again, if the stakeholders refuse to the acknowledge their contribution and accept the CNI Report in word and spirit.

For his part, President Nasheed has since led a delegation of his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) to the Indian capital of New Delhi and the Sri Lankan capital. The party seems to be coming round to the view that the two neighbours would matter the most in forming the international opinion on the CNI Report, nearer home, too, than the western nations, many of whom had backed him openly when he resigned but have not moved forward since as the MDP might have expected.

In Male’, after the Delhi visit, President Nasheed outlined the party’s options and propositions on the CNI findings. The MDP would want him reinstated if the report endorsed its conspiracy theory, early presidential polls in case of an unclear verdict, and elections when due by November 2012, if the CNI found no substance in the party’s argument.

The toughest decision for the MDP, or any other party in the country, would be to decide on an unclear verdict as the possibilities are many and varied.

The most comprehensive of an ‘unclear verdict’ could mean that the CNI finds no substance in the MDP argument about a plot, but still finds evidence of indiscipline in sections of the Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDF) and the Maldivian Police Service, punishable through the due processes.

However, all assumptions of every kind are based on the premise that the CNI could come up with a unanimous finding, or a majority verdict. Given the complexity of the situation, then and now, it is not unlikely that individual CNI members could come up with varied findings, based on their perceptions and understanding of the facts collated and evidence recorded.

Such a course could mean opening the Pandora’s Box of competing and at times conflicting arguments all over again. The question would then be raised if the CNI report would be taken up to the Supreme Court and, if its constitutionality too would be challenged at that late hour. There is also nothing in the Constitution that could force incumbent President Waheed Hassan to resign from office, if the CNI report endorsed the ‘plot’ theory but does not find any role for him, as suggested by some MDP leaders early on.

Even if the CNI report were to find President Waheed, or any other on the political side of the government, guilty of conspiring to overthrow his predecessor, there is nothing in the law to reverse the politico-constitutional reality of his incumbency and possible continuity until the time elections became otherwise due. It is in this context, the MDP’s neighbourhood visit assumes significance. The idea seems to bring moral pressure on President Waheed and political parties extending political and parliamentary support to him since his assuming office.

Among the parties in the Government comprising in turn a collective majority in the 77-member Parliament, only the Dhivehi Rayyathunge Party (DRP), founded by former President Maumoon Gayoom and now led by his one-time running-mate, Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, is committed to early polls in case of a positive finding on the conspiracy theory. The breakaway Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), also founded by President Gayoom, has other ideas on the subject.

Talking to newsmen after speaking before the CNI panel a fortnight back, President Gayoom said that the party would not accept the CNI findings if it backed the conspiracy theory. More recently, Defence Minister Nazim, identified with the PPM in a way, has declared that the government would take no action against personnel of the armed forces if the CNI found any of them guilty of indiscipline. There is already the possibility of such conflicting notions leading to contradictions and confrontation when the CNI report is out.

Maldives cannot afford political instability, which has consequences for the nation in more ways than one. The immediate concern would be on tourism-driven economy front, but continued instability could act and react in ways that the government and political party leaders of the country cannot perceive now, or if and when they begin unfolding.

It may be a good idea for the government parties to formulate their strategy early on, and come up with a joint commitment like the MDP. That could throw some clarity about the emerging situation, but not much by way of resolving the continuing political deadlock which has greater consequences for the nation than a presidential poll — conducted now or a year later.

All comment pieces are the sole view of the author and do not reflect the editorial policy of Minivan News. If you would like to write an opinion piece, please send proposals to [email protected]

The author is a Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation.

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“DhiTV’s leaked audio clip is a fake”: Office of former President Mohamed Nasheed

Former President Mohamed Nasheed’s office has today released a press statement dismissing a leaked audio clip attributed to him by private broadcaster DhiTV as a fabrication.

“The audio clip broadcasted by DhiTV on August 19, claiming to be President Nasheed is an edited audio clip,” the statement read.

In the recording, Nasheed is alleged to have said that three Commonwealth foreign ministers sent to investigate the controversial power transfer had determined that the events on February 7 did not amount to a “coup”, as alleged by the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

“I asked them, if they decide that that’s what happened, what will I do next? The entire opposition of this country will go to prison,” Nasheed appears to claim in the clip, reported to be an excerpt from a thirty minute-long recording.

Speaking to Minivan News yesterday, MDP spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor had raised doubts on the authenticity of the audio clip claiming that it was “fabrication”.

“It’s difficult to believe that Nasheed would talk about it publicly. I feel it is a fabrication,” said Ghafoor.

Speaking to local TV Station Raajje TV, former President’s Office Undersecretary Ibrahim ‘Hoara’ Rasheed echoed similar remarks to those of Ghafoor concerning the audio clip.

“President Nasheed actually said that if CMAG [Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group] decides it is a coup that would mean the entire opposition would have to go to prison. Nasheed referred opposition to those who were in opposition during his time in government. They just made a simple edit of where he says ‘isn’t this a coup’ to sound like it ‘isn’t a coup’,” he said.

A photo of an audio analysis of the clip in Facebook by MDP-aligned group Kula-Yellow, suggested that it was edited on the 11th second of the 45 second long clip.

After sending its investigative team, CMAG announced in February that it had not been possible to determine the constitutionality of the transfer of power.

The group therefore recommended that an independent investigation, with international representation, be conducted.

The Maldives, which since 2009 had been a member of CMAG – the Commonwealth’s eight nation watchdog group – was subsequently suspended from the body after being placed on its formal agenda.

Continued pressure for inter-party dialogue and early elections from the Commonwealth led to strong criticism of the organisation from local politicians earlier this year, before resulting in the eventual reconstitution of the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI).

The CNI is scheduled to publicly publish its findings on August 30.

Nasheed’s formerly ruling MDP has suggested that he and his ministers be reinstated should the investigation find evidence that a “coup” had taken place.

The party also promised its acquiescence in the event that the CNI find no evidence of illegal activity whatsoever, a likelihood Nasheed does not anticipate.

Meanwhile, the government, which has steadfastly denied it came to power in a “coup d’etat”, has officially refused to speculate on the possible fallout from the CNI report.

Leaders from the minority leadership party in the Majlis, the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), have said that they would challenge at the Supreme Court any results which disputed the legitimacy of the President Waheed’s unity government.

Local newspaper Haveeru today publicly apologized for reporting the leaked audio, stating that the story was published without verifying its authenticity, while DhiTV claimed that it had not tampered with the audio clip’s content.

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Piece of Kiswah presented to President Waheed by King Abdullah

Visitors to the president’s official residence of Muleeaage during Sunday’s Eid celebrations were also able to see a piece of the Kiswah given to the Maldives by King Abdullah bin Abdul Azeez, according to local media.

The Kiswah is the cloth used to cover the Kaaba in Mecca. It is an annual tradition for the 658 metre squared silk cloth, embroidered with gold thread, to be cut into pieces and distributed to Muslim organisations and visiting dignitaries.

The Saudi Arabian royal gave the item to President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan during his recent visit to the country for the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit, Sun Online has reported.

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