Day: September 17, 2012

Government to help 1000 students with education fees

President Mohamed Waheed has stated that Maldivians could make no greater contribution to the country than to support the education system, during the launch of four government scholarship schemes.

Sun Online reported that Waheed had expressed his concerns that the level of Maldivians going int tertiary education was not too low given the Maldives’ recent promotion from Least Developed Country (LDC) status.

It was reported that the Ministry of Education announced scholarships for 440 students, provided by the Zakat fund.

State Education Minister Aminath Ali told Haveeru yesterday that it expected the four schemes would assist around 1000 students.

Waheed said that this plan to lighten the financial burden on parents was part of a World Bank scheme that he hoped would increase opportunities for jobs and tertiary study.

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Chair of UK parliamentary group visits President

President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan today met with the Chairman of the UK-Maldives All Parliamentary Group (APG) MP David Amess.

The President’s Office reported that the discussion involved the recent political history of the Maldives and the upholding of democratic values.

Amess’s visit to the President’s Office came as former President Mohamed Nasheed met with UK Foreign Secretary William Hague in the Maldives in London.

Nasheed is expected to lobby the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) regarding the recently released Commission of National Inquiry report during the trip.

He will also speak at the Royal Commonwealth Society on Wednesday evening.

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Marine biologist discovers turtle, shark slaughter in Maldives’ UNESCO biosphere reserve

A marine biologist working in the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve has reported the discovery of the remains of a baby shark and endangered sea turtle barbecue on the uninhabited island of Funadhoo, one of the country’s 14 priority nesting beaches legally protected under Maldivian law.

Marine biologist with local environmental consultancy Seamarc, Sylvia Jagerroos, was participating in a beach clean up on August 24 with local people when the group came across the scene.

“We had removed fishing lines, nets, and other marine debris and of course all the garbage from the beach. This consisted mainly of plastic bottles, and that day we found many red bull cans,” she said.

The group then discovered the slaughtered remains of a large, one metre adult nesting green turtle and 2-3 newborn lemon sharks, “still smoking on the barbecue”, surrounded by smashed eggshells.

“We found where the killing took place, there was a lot of blood in the sand, and maybe what was the trace of the turtle crawling to try and nest. I don´t know if she was killed before or after the nesting. I didn’t find any nest, so if there was one then probably all the eggs were eaten already,” Jagerroos said.

“I went snorkeling and found the remains of the turtle in the nearby waters, including the head. Some bones and flippers, were discarded a couple of meters from the barbecue. I also found the remains of baby lemon sharks on the barbecue. The lemon sharks was a newborn sized only around 50-60 cm, the meat had been removed and eaten. My theory is that they saw the green turtle nesting and killed her immediately, while slaughtering and throwing in the pieces in the ocean. The baby sharks were attracted to the smell and since they swim in very shallow waters it’s a piece of cake to catch them.”

Jagerroos noted that the Maldives had proclaimed itself the world’s second shark sanctuary in March 2009.

“For a marine biologist to find a juvenile sickle fin lemon shark on the grill when this creature is listed as “Vulnerable on the red list” with the World Conservation Union (IUCN), and is already extinct in many nearby countries, hurts,” she said.

The catching and consumption of turtles is banned across the Maldives, and turtles – together with many other species – are especially protected in the biosphere reserve.

However turtle eggs are considered a local delicacy and can fetch up to MVR 10 each – a single nest can contain between 100-200. The practice is generally not illegal, but is prohibited on the country’s nesting islands.

Marine biologists working on resorts in the atoll have also privately complained of boatloads of local poachers sneaking onto the islands at night without lights or noisy engines, after hearing of the discovery of a nest of eggs. In some instances, resorts have been forced to post security guards to protect the nests from poachers.

Baa Atoll was in June 2011 added to the UN body’s global list of biosphere reserves after five years of lobbying by the government, placing it in the company of world famous sites such as the Komodo in Indonesia, Uluru (Ayer’s Rock) in Australia and the Galapagos Islands.

The Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve was officially launched alongside with Baa Atoll Conservation Fund by President Mohamed Waheed in July 2012 at a ceremony in the atoll’s capital of Eydhafushi. At the ceremony, the UNDP presented a cheque for US$250,000 as a contribution to the fund, on behalf of the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

Jagerroos said the team had called the Environmental Protection Authority’s (EPA) ranger at Hanifaaru Bay – a world famous habitat for mantas and whale sharks – “and he said they’d look into it. But they’d have to patrol the whole area – it’s too big,” she acknowledged.

Director General of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) Ibrahim Naeem said he was not aware of the incident or that it had been reported to the Hanifaaru Bay ranger, and referred Minivan News to the Ministry of Fisheries which he said was responsible for sharks and turtles.

“It is not allowed to catch and eat turtles. There is no such ban for eggs. Even in the biosphere there are actions that are allowed,” Naeem said.

Minivan News is seeking comment from the Ministry of Fisheries.

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Attorney General asks for Supreme Court to decide jurisdiction on GMR

The Attorney General Azima Shukoor has said she will ask the Supreme Court to rule on whether the laws of the Maldives can be applied to the government’s agreement with GMR concerning the development of Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA), local media has reported.

Shukoor, who was not responding to calls at the time of press today, said a request was sent following the release of a Supreme Court statement yesterday.

“It is against the International laws and the United Nations Charter that any action that undermines any sovereign right of a sovereign state, it is clear that courts of a sovereign nation has the jurisdiction to look into any matter that takes place within the boundaries of that state as according to the constitution and laws of that state,” read the statement.

“Even though a contract has an arbitration clause giving right to arbitrate in a foreign court does not limit a local courts jurisdiction to look into the formed contract, and it is clear that such limitations are in violation of UN Charters principles of sovereign equality, principle of sovereign non intervention within domestic jurisdiction, principle of self determination rights,” read the statement.

Shukoor told Haveeru that if the case could be dealt with by the Maldivian courts, the process would become much easier.

However, she also expressed her confidence that government would be successful in the arbitration case regarding the Airport Development Charge, which was file by GMR in Singapore.

“We can win the case at the Singapore Arbitration even by biding our time. It is quite certain,” she told Haveeru.

The original agreement, argued Azima, was drafted under UK law although both sides agreed to settle any disputes through third party arbitration.

Arbitration

Third party arbitration is often used in order to gain impartial decisions from international experts whilst avoiding the uncertainties and potential limitations of local courts.

One of the world’s leading arbitration companies, the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) gives a number of examples of why Singapore is frequently chosen for international arbitration.

Number one in its list is the country’s strong reputation for neutrality, currently placed fifth in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, behind New Zealand, Denmark, Finland and Sweden

The Maldives is currently placed 134th in this list alongside Eritrea, Pakistan, and Sierra Leone.

The Maldives judicial system has also faced issues regarding its political independence since the adoption of the 2008 constitution.

A recent report by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) said that “different sections of the judiciary have failed to become fully independent and still lack adequate expertise.”

“According to testimonies from members of the judiciary met by the FIDH team in Male’, under the successive administrations, no political party has actually ever shown any willingness to establish an independent judiciary since each seems to benefit from the existing system,” said the report.

“Moreover, the judiciary is allegedly under the influence of the business sector. For instance, the member of the JSC appointed by the Majlis is also one of the main business tycoon of the country. His presence in the body overseeing the conduct of judges, as well as the general pressure imposed upon the business sector on the judiciary, has therefore been subjected to controversy,” it concluded.

Both civil society groups as well as the current government have acknowledged the need for stronger independent institutions in the country.

President of the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) Hassan Luthfee told local media yesterday that one of its three cases regarding the GMR deal was nearing completion.

Luthfee, who has recently questioned the ability of the ACC to fulfil its mandate, told Minivan News last week that a high profile case such as this was not easy for the institution to finish which was likely to result in delays.

“Even an international organization such as the International Finance Corporation (IFC) had provided expertise in this case. So when such an allegation of a major criminal offence has been made we must probe the matter quite extensively. This is by far the most high profile and sensitive case. So we must be certain,” he told Haveeru yesterday.

The IFC was forced to defend itself this week after being described by senior cabinet figures as “irresponsible and negligent” during the INIA bidding process.

Shukoor had said last week that as long as the agreement between GMR and the government is not invalidated, the agreement would be “legally binding” despite a “majority of the people” who wish to “terminate the agreement immediately”.

She also expressed the government’s concern about the effect on investor confidence that may result if the agreement was terminated.

Independent MP Mohamed Nasheed today told local media that, despite indicating its willingness to do so, the Majlis had not at present become a party to the 1958 New York Arbitration Convention which deals with the recognition and enforcement of arbitration awards.

Nasheed argued that the Maldivian constitution requires citizens to act in accordance with international conventions which have been backed by domestic legislation.

He added, however, that the Maldives’ Arbitration Act was still in the committee stage.

Nasheed was not responding to calls at the time of press.

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Inflation hits 15 percent: Department of Planning

The inflation rate in Male’ for August 2012 reached 15.04 percent, according to statistics from the Department of National Planning.

According to the department, tobacco prices increased 71 percent, fish products 68 percent, and restaurant and cafes by 32 percent. The rises were attributed to changes in the dollar, which is currently pegged to the rufiya within a 20 percent of MVR 12.85. In real terms, the rate has remained fixed at the maximum limit of MVR 15.42 and remains nonexchangeable, forcing importers to rely on inconsistent black market dollar exchanges of up to MVR 17-18.

Meanwhile, local business tycoon, media owner, MP, Jumhoree Party (JP) leader and member of the Judicial Services Commission (JSC), Gasim Ibrahim, has warned that the dollar exchange rate of the Maldivian rufiya may rise to MVR 20 by the end of the year – a 25 percent increase.

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MPL accused of creating fake ports worker union to dismiss employment rights violations

The Maldives Port Workers Union (MPWU) have accused Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) of forming a “paper union” to shove aside the alleged violation of employee rights by the state corporation.

Sacked MPL employee and President of MPWU, Ibrahim Khaleel, told Minivan News that his former employer was trying to “fabricate the truth” about the violations of rights of their employees.

The ‘Maldives National Port Workers Union’ was formed just five days after MPL received a letter from the Asia Pacific Regional Office of International Transport workers Federation (ITF), which had raised concerns over the alleged employment rights violations.

“[ITF] sent a letter raising concerns of the employment violations in MPL to its management. So what they did was instead of addressing the issues and concern, they formed a paper union, legally recognised it and made the Maldives Port Workers Union illegal,” Khaleel explained.

He further claimed that MPL had labeled the union – which is registered with the ITF and International Labour Organisation (ILO) – as a “political gang” working against the current government of President Mohamed Waheed Hassan.

“They are attempting to destroy the union by sacking its leaders, including myself, and suspending or taking action against those who raise their voice. This is unconstitutional,” Khaleel challenged. “The constitution ensures us the right to freedom of assembly, right to strike, and freedom of expression. They terminate our employment contract because we practised our constitutional rights.”

MPL Media Coordinator Ibrahim Rilwan did not respond at time of press.

Exchange of letters

In a document received by Minvan News, MPL Chairman Abdul Matheen Ahmed allegedly responded to ITF’s Asia Pacific Regional Office, stating that MPL was “extremely surprised” by the statements in ITF’s letter.

The letter addressed to ITF official Mahendra Sharma further stated that the MPL as “a corporate entity” exercises its “right to take disciplinary action against staff when they are in breach of their employment contract”, and said it had been the practice since the formation of the company.

MPL, in the letter, further claimed that it did not “deviate from any Maldivian government regulation” during the course of its action and “will not do so in the future”.

“Hence we are quite surprised on this issue you are talking about. Please make this clearer to us. As to the events you have stated in the letter, we are sure it has not taken place in our company and nor is our human resource department aware of any such issues,” read the letter.

The letter also goes on to describe the MPWU as an “unfounded, illegal association”, attempting to defame the MPL.

“Moreover let us bring to your notice, given the present political situation in Maldives’, many such unfounded, unauthorised illegal so-called associations and unions could be sending you such letters, to try and defame the government internationally.”

“It would be our humble request for your organisation not to get entangled in such unfounded allegations brought forward by politically’ motivated groups and gangs,” Abdul Matheen Ahmed wrote.

MPL requested the ITF communicate instead with the “Maldives National Port Workers Union (MNPWU)” -the ‘paper union’ Khaleel has alleged was created by the ports authority itself.

The MNPWU meanwhile dismissed all claims of the MPWU and said that no employment rights violations were taking place.

ITF General Secretary responds

Meanwhile, another letter received by Minivan News, which was sent by the General Secretary of ITF David Cockroft to President Waheed, described MPL’s actions as “an anti-union campaign” and raised concerns over “the systematic targeting” of the leaders of MPWU and its members by MPL.

The letter strongly rebutted the assertions made by the MPL Chairman that the ITF had not fully examined the facts surrounding the situation, and said it takes “serious cognisance” in situations where workers were “denied trade union rights, threatened and victimised” for conducting legitimate trade union activities.

“May I also draw your attention to the fact that the ILO warranted the MPWU complaint legitimate enough to write to the Maldives government concerning the issues which have been raised with it,” read the letter.

The letter also contested the MPL’s claim over the legitimacy of MPWU, where it stated: “The Maldives Port Workers Union is an officially registered trade union, having received its registration certificate from the Ministry of Home Affairs on 29th May 2011. It was also a member of the Maldives delegation to the ILO’s International Labour Conference held in June 2011,”

“On 29th August, the ITF Regional Secretary for Asia Pacific received a written response from Abdul Matheen Ahmed, the Chairman of Maldives Port Limited which incorrectly referred to a different union and which denies that the termination of employment of the MPWU’s President, an MPWU Executive Member and 6 MPWU members, the suspension of a further 49 MPWU members, and the reassignment of many other MPWU members to other ports has taken place,” read the letter.

The letter also raised doubts over the alleged ‘paper union’, the MNPWU, stating that it “appears to have been registered at the Ministry of Home Affairs five days after our Regional Secretary sent his correspondence to the Chairman raising the serious trade union rights violations within Maldives Port Limited”.

Cockroft, in the letter, further urged President Waheed to ensure that the Maldivian constitution and employment laws were fully respected and upheld by the MPL.

“I request that you use your office as President of the Republic of Maldives to instruct the Chairman and management of Maldives Port Limited to respect the country’s constitution and employment laws and immediately halt their anti-union campaign against members of the MPWU, and to enter into a real dialogue and conciliation process with MPWU which will result in a negotiated settlement which addresses the legitimate grievances of members of the MPWU.”

‘Maldives National Port Workers Union’

Speaking to Minivan News, a founding member of the new Maldives National Port Workers Union, Ibrahim Rasheed, said the union was registered last month and it was “very difficult” for him to comment on it because they were still working on the inaugural meeting and the elections of the union.

“Yes, we registered the union last month. But we still have to hold the inaugural meeting and the elections so it is very difficult to comment on the union or what we plan to do,” he said.

Asked why another union was formed when MPWU already existed, or if the union was formed because MPWU had failed to do its job, Rasheed simply said that it was not because MPWU was not upholding the rights of the employees but because “anybody can form a union.”

“It is not like that. You see, even in some islands there are more than one association, so like that what is wrong with having two or even five unions? That is why we thought of making another union,” he said.

Rasheed assured Minivan News that the MNPWU would provide more details about itself, and assured the publication it would be invited to cover the inaugural meeting.

However, Rasheed later called Minivan News back, referring it to another individual, stating that this person “would give more information” about the union.

“You should also call the number I gave. He is more active. You know, even if a couple forms a company, it would usually be the husband who would get more involved, so like that he is more involved in it than I am,” Rasheed said.

The phone number Rasheed provided was switched off when Minivan News called it.

Political motive

In April 2012 seven staffs at MPL were suspended from their jobs at the state company for participating in protests held by ousted Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s anti government protests.

MPL Media Coordinator Ibrahim Rilwan at the time confirmed the suspensions, but said he did not know the specifics regarding the case. The code of conduct does not prohibit participation in political activities, but staff can be disciplined if they transgress good behavioral norms, he added.

However some staff at MPL alleged that the senior officials of the state corporation had warned employees to not to participate in protests, and that action would be taken by those who do.

An employee who wished to remain anonymous said, at the time, that he too had been warned by his directors not to attend MDP protests. Furthermore, he added that he had not yet seen the company’s code of conduct.

“They do not share the code of conduct when they recruit you. I have not seen this, I don’t think anyone has. I don’t even know what it says,” he said.

“A lot of MPL staff are MDP supporters. So the senior staff send people to MDP protests to monitor and take pictures of who attends. The whole point of this is intimidation,” he alleged.

Last July, MPWU accused the MPL of violating employee rights, alleging the state-owned company had unfairly dismissed four employees due to their political activism.

In a letter sent on July 12 to MPL CEO Mahdi Imad, MPWU President Khaleel said: “Although the constitution guarantees freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, it is now common within MPL to stop employees from expressing certain political views, and violate the employment act by unfairly dismissing employees and transferring employees to different departments without prior warning or explanation of any offense committed.”

Following the concerns of MPWU, The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) expressed concern over the allegation claiming “infringement of trade union rights and freedoms,” and called upon President Waheed to immediately terminate its “attack” on members and the leadership of the MPWU.

Meanwhile, last month a leaked audio of former Deputy CEO of MPL Ahmed Faiz discussing the hiring of individuals to loudly promote President Waheed in local cafes.

In the 15 minute audio, Faiz spoke in detail about his intention to hire his audience as government supporters, President Waheed’s reluctance to maintain ties with the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), an intention to “wipe [former President] Maumoon out of the political picture”, other problems arising in the current ‘unity’ government, his own influence within the State Trading Organisation (STO), and large amounts of money being illicitly obtained.

“What I’m saying is, this government is now appointing people to different posts and it’s getting structured in the manner we want. Now there are a lot of things that I can do. Material benefits can be gained, and lots of other things. Credit from STO (State Trading Organisation) worth millions of rufiya, that’s absolutely welcome,” he says in the alleged audio clip.

Faiz also stated his intention to gain wealth and money in the audio clip, saying no means would be spared.

“I will only be able to acquire money when the condition to getting more money is put in place. We’ll be able to get more money now than we have ever managed to get from this country all our lives. This is what I want. I want money too,”

Faiz is a member of President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s Gaumee Itthihaad Party (GIP), and was previously appointed by him as the Managing Director of the Maldives National Broadcasting Corporation (MNBC).

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Police signed housing scheme MoU without legal advice from AG office

The Attorney General’s Office stated Monday that the Maldives Police Service had not obtained legal advice from them before signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) regarding the police housing scheme.

The AG office told local media that they had commented on the draft MoU submitted by the MPS, informing them that some necessary information was missing. They had not heard back from the police on the matter. The AG office said it learned about the signing of the MoU only through media reports following the event.

However, Police Media Official Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef told Minivan News today that they had discussed with all relevant entities before signing the MoU.

When asked if the police had received or responded to the comments on the MoU sent by the AG office, Haneef said, “We have no further comments to make on whatever the AG office has to say. That’s up to them. Our official response is that we have sought legal advice from those we have to consult, as per the constitution.”

Maldives Police Services signed this MoU with the Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) and the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) on 13th September 2012, according to media reports. The MoU was an agreement to build 300 flats in Hulhumale’ for the use of police officers.

Speaking at the ceremony, Commissioner of Police Abdulla Riyaz has said they hoped to complete the 300 flats within a span of two years.

Minister of Home Affairs Mohamed Jameel Ahmed has said that this was in accordance with President Waheed’s pledge upon assuming office of providing housing for police officers.

HDFC has also introduced a loan scheme for police officers in August, where officers can obtain loans to build houses owned by them.

Attorney General Azima Shukoor was not responding to calls at the time of press.

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Not much support from political parties to back one candidate in 2013 elections: ‘Madhanee Ihthihaadh’

‘Madhanee Ihthihaadh’, a coalition of NGOs, met with four of the smaller active political parties on Sunday to hold discussions regarding preparations for the 2013 presidential elections.

The smaller parties which attended this meeting were the Islamic Democratic Party (IDP), Maldives National Congress (MNC), Maldives social Democratic Party (MSDP) and People’s Party (PP).

According to the latest figures on the elections commission website, IDP has 3484 members, MNC has 1474, MSDP has 1897 and PP has 1730 members.

At a press conference held after the meeting, President of the NGO Coalition, Mohamed Didi, who is also the current Minister of State for Islamic Affairs, said that this was only the beginning of a series of meetings to come. He said that the meetings were centred around discussions in preparation for the 2013 presidential election.

“What we have been able to agree on so far is that we will continue having more meetings like this and that we can come up with more solutions on how to work together,” Didi said.

The NGO Coalition said today that there wasn’t much support from any political party for the idea of backing one single candidate in the 2013 elections. Didi also stated that they intended to continue discussing the idea with the larger political parties.

Vice President of the NGO Coalition and Minister of State for Home Affairs Abdulla Mohamed said that he believed larger parties were reluctant to back a common presidential candidate because each party had plans to have their own candidate run in the elections.

“We tried as hard as we could to get all the larger parties to back a common candidate, but we are not getting as much cooperation from this government’s coalition as we had initially assumed,” Mohamed said.

Mohamed however said that this decision by the parties was acceptable in a democratic society, and that the parties may be acting in line with the wishes of its’ members.

Former president Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom has previously said that there is a possibility that President Waheed could be PPM’s presidential candidate for 2013.

The current unity government has members from the President Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik’s Gaumee Ihthihaadh Party (GIP), Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), People’s Alliance (PA), Jumhooree Party (JP), Adhaalath Party (AP), Qaumee Party (QP) and the NGO Coalition.

PPM, JP and DRP have been previously reported in local media expressing interest to bring out separate candidates for the 2013 presidential elections.

IDP, MNC and PP offices were not responding to call at the time of press. The contact number of MSDP listed in the Elections Commission website is disconnected.

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MFDA warns of contaminated IVs imported from India

The Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) has issued a statement warning all pharmacies and healthcare centres to stop usage and trade of certain Intravenous (IV) bags imported from India because of potential contamination.

MFDA issued an pharmaceutical alert informing that MFDA officials have discovered some black matter inside the IV bags manufactured by an Indian company named ‘Baxter ‘. The MFDA said that the black matter was discovered inside two batches of IV bags imported from the company.

The batch numbers of the two batches that foreign matters discovered were also given by the MFDA. The batch numbers were 10101192 and 10101199 of ‘Ringer lactate’ IV bags.

Maldives Food and Drug Authority said that IV bags have to be packed under certain safety conditions and the discovery of such foreign matters inside the IV bags imported from Baxter laboratories makes the quality of the product questionable.

The MFDA has not identified the matter discovered inside the IV bags.

According to MFDA, healthcare centres and pharmacies have now started removing the IV bags from sale and also warned that the use of contaminated intravenous bags could cause serious health problems.

Director General of Maldives Food and Drug Authority, Shareef Adam today told Minivan News that the authority had now informed all of the health centres, hospitals and pharmacies to remove the IV bags and not to use it.

Shareefa said that the MFDA had not received any information that anyone had used them.

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