Day: December 11, 2012

GMR welcomes “smooth” handover of airport

GMR has claimed that a transition agreed by GMR Male International Airport Limited (GMIAL) and the state-owned Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) has helped ensure a “smooth” management switch-over following a decision to nationalise Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA).

In a statement released yesterday, GMR said that it had worked to try and ensure no passenger or airline services were disrupted by the change of management to MACL.  The state-owned company has resumed management of INIA after the present government opted to void the Indian infrastructure giant’s concession agreement – the largest single foreign investment project in the Maldives’ history.

“Even though the legal position and stand of GMIAL remains unchanged, it was purely in recognition of the Court of Appeals, Singapore’s decision that a smooth take-over was facilitated. GMR and Malaysia Airports came to the Republic of Maldives to participate in the development of a modern and progressive Maldives and would not like to leave with the task being half done,” the India-based infrastructure group stated.

“So whilst the legal process for determination of compensation, etc is on and will take its own course; we remain committed and open to a dialogue with the Government of Maldives and in service to the people of Maldives.”

On Sunday (December 9), MACL told Minivan News that there had been no disruption to services at INIA after it resumed management of the site from GMR – a claim backed by several resort operators and airlines at the time.

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“Pathetic state of judiciary”, religious intolerance Maldives’ major human rights failures: Dr Shaheed

Former Foreign Minister and UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran Dr Ahmed Shaheed has welcomed the Maldives’ selection as a Vice President of the UN’s Human Rights Council for 2013, stating that the nomination can help strengthen society against domestic abuses.

Speaking to Minivan News by e-mail today, Dr Shaheed said significant human rights concerns remained in the Maldives, including the “pathetic state of the judiciary”, lack of an educational focus on rights, and little scope for “informed discussion” on religious freedom.

However, Dr Shaheed added that the Maldives’ election to the council reflected the strong reputation of its diplomats over the last six years in “championing” human rights causes, even despite developments such as February’s controversial transfer of power that saw a new government installed following a police and military mutiny.

“If you look at the Maldives’ voting record in Geneva and in the Third Committee in New York, it is as if there has been no change in the government in Male’. The Maldives still supports country-specific mandates, country-specific resolutions, and progressive positions in human rights debates, including on issues of defamation of religion,” he said.

“The Maldives will continue to get challenged in places like the Human Rights Committee but in the political councils of the world, the spokespersons for the Maldives continue to be professional diplomats, and they are doing a good job to limit the influence of radical Islamists on foreign policy.”

News of the Maldives’ election to the Human Rights Council was broken yesterday by the Reuters news agency, which noted that the country had the same day been criticised for its stance on banning religious freedom in a report compiled by the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) NGO.

The IHEU, which describes itself as an “umbrella organisation embracing Humanist, atheist, rationalist, secularist” organisations around the world, yesterday published its report, ‘Freedom of Thought 2012’ , which details international examples of discrimination against non-religious people.

The report, which was welcomed by UN Special Investigator on Freedom of Religion and Belief Heiner Bielefeldt, concluded that the Maldives did not prohibit discrimination on a religious basis, while also making practising Sunni Islam compulsory for Maldivian citizens wishing to vote or stand for office.

Pointing to prominent cases of discrimination, the IHEU highlighted the case of 37 year-old Mohamed Nazim, who in 2010 faced public calls for his execution after standing in front of a crowd of 11,000 people in Male’ and declaring himself “Maldivian and not a Muslim”.

After two days of religious counselling in police custody, Nazim repented before television cameras at an Islamic Ministry press conference and gave Shahada – the Muslim testimony of belief.

The report also highlighted the case of 25 year-old air traffic controller Ismail Mohamed Didi, who was found hanged from the control tower of Male’ International Airport in an apparent suicide.  He had previously sought asylum in the UK for fear of persecution over his stated lack of religious belief.

“Ismail Mohamed Didi faced the same choice as Mohamed Nazim: believe or die. He chose death,” the IHEU stated.

Speaking to Minivan News, IHEU Communications Officer Bob Churchill said the NGO did have some concerns over the Maldives’ election to the Human Rights Council considering its attitudes to non-Muslims and non religious peoples.

However,  Churchill added that the Maldives was not the first country to hold such a position in the UN council while also having questions over its own work on human rights abuses.

The IHEU added that the report has been put together in order to stand as a reference for alleged abuses of non-religious peoples on countries all over the world.

Churchill suggested that the high-profile focus may help “shine a light” on wider abuses occurring in the country and allowing for some form of redress.

However, in the case of the Maldives, where the country’s religious ideals are enshrined in its constitution, Churchill accepted that effecting any sort of change would be much harder.

“However, just because an issue is a sovereign matter and has a vocal majority it does not mean that people are not suffering,” he said. “People at present are having to hide their beliefs for fear of oppression.”

“Good reputation”

Despite the concerns of the IHEU, Dr Shaheed said he was optimistic about the Maldives’ new role on the council.

“The Maldives [UN] delegation still enjoys a good reputation in Geneva and is still playing a very constructive role. I believe the position would militate in favour of improving the domestic human rights situation,” he said. “I would like to congratulate Ambassador Iruthisham [Adam] and her team for this fine achievement.”

Addressing the issue of freedom of religion in the Maldives, which he stressed was a fundamental human right, Dr Shaheed said that any nation choosing to impose any particular faith on its people or discriminate along the same lines would face “stiff international opposition”.

“A number of NGOs have been raising the issue of religious intolerance in the Maldives, and the notion of sovereignty does not trump human rights obligations. There is indeed scope for informed discussion in the Maldives on religious freedom,” he said.

“Perhaps a good place to start would be to lift the ban on the book co-authored by Dr Hassan Saeed – the current Special Advisor to President Waheed – which argues that there is no apostasy in Islam. This is a position that is upheld by a growing number of reputable scholars in the Islamic world and elsewhere.”

“Biggest breakthroughs”

Beyond the issue of religion, Dr Shaheed claimed that the Maldives had over the last decade pressed ahead with a number of significant developments in bringing the country in line with human rights regulations.

“The biggest breakthroughs, in my view, were the ratification of the core international human rights treaties, and the establishment of an independent human rights commission, as well as freedom of the press, and the separation of powers,” he said, but emphasised that there remained room for improvement.

“The major failures include the pathetic state of the judiciary, which is not only corrupt, but also coming under the influence of radical Islam, even to the extent of violating codified laws of the Maldives and clear international obligations,” Dr Shaheed added.

“Disregard for rule of law has also meant that a culture of impunity is deeply entrenched, rendering many of the human rights of the people meaningless. It is also very disappointing that respect for human rights has not been made mainstream in our education system, because human rights safeguards are not only about litigation and legislation, but also about ideas and values, which are formed and transmitted through the education system.”

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MDP announce resolution for “revolution” to overthrow government

Former President Mohamed Nasheed has today called for a “revolution” to overthrow the administration of President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan, claiming it is the only way to have a government that is “by the people”.

The Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) National council passed the motion at Kulhudhuhfushi in Haa Dhaal Atoll, announcing that a five-member “revolution committee” is to now be appointed.

Speaking at the MDP’s National council meeting, Nasheed said: “By taking the initiative to get a people’s government as in the constitution, to have a government that is by the people, the only way is to now bring a revolution. The MDP think like that and I also believe that.”

A statement released by the MDP reveals that the party decided to end the government by “bringing a revolution” after hearing the concerns of the people during the party’s pledge trip.

According to the statement, concerns were raised by Maldivians that Nasheed could be prosecuted for “political reasons” in order to terminate his candidacy, and that the current government may try to sustain their government by using “force” without going to an election.

“This country belongs to its people, and when in Article 4 of the constitution, it says that the power starts from the people. The power rests on the people. And when the coup government does not accept the current government, we MDP agree to end the government by bringing a revolution and forming a government by the people,” the statement reads.

When asked whether he was wary of risking arrested in calling for a “revolution”, Nasheed told Minivan News: “It is very difficult to visualise in the context of a constitution when the transfer of power has been so illegitimate and the consolidation of the coup is also unconstitutional.

“So it has not been very easy to comprehend the actions and omissions in terms of the existing text.”

In response to the MDP’s announcement, President’s Office Spokesperson Masood Imad – speaking in his own personal capacity – labelled the party as “wacko”.

Masood claimed yesterday that Nasheed’s previous comments concerning the MDP’s aim to try and topple the Waheed administration from the streets had been merely an attempt to garner media attention rather than credibly challenge the government.

“Seriously, I don’t think it’s a matter of concern, I would rather not comment on the matter,” he told Minivan News at the time. “This guy is going around saying these things trying to get media attention.”

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HRCM Deputy Tholal expresses shock at attitudes towards gender discrimination

Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) Vice President Ahmed Tholal has spoken on the challenges presently facing women in Maldivian society, expressing shock at the attitudes of some – including senior policy makers – to gender discrimination.

Tholal’s comments were made as the Gender Advocacy Working Group on Monday (December 10) held a special event to celebrate the conclusion of 16 days of activities promoting calls for an end of violence against women.

The HRCM Deputy pledged during his speech that the commission would resolve to work ceaselessly in trying to bring an end to gender-based violence across the country.

“At HRCM, we often hold related workshops. We often have activities to assess perceptions of gender roles by the participants. The perspectives on women held by some senior policy making level individuals are often views that leave us, as men, completely ashamed,” he said.

“Being a man myself, I myself am shocked and ashamed by the justifications these people present as reasons why men and women cannot work at the same levels, or hold equal posts. This is why we need to keep on working on this cause.”

Tholal further continued, “Some would say that the constitution and supporting laws do not differentiate based on gender. My question is, is this honestly the case when it comes to actual practices?”

He added that as long as these prejudices were common, and women were subjected to discrimination and violence, he was reluctant to accept that Maldivians lived in a “modern and civilised society”.

16 day focus

As part of  calls for an end to violence against women, the Gender Advocacy Working Group this year carried out awareness activities from the November 25 to December 10 – a date chosen to coincide with International Human Rights Day.  These awareness activities were held with the cooperation of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), as well as a number of other local NGOs, government offices and youth volunteers.

The objective of the campaign was to call for an end of violence against women in the country, while also pressuring the government to expedite arrangements for providing services to the victims of domestic violence.

The advocacy group pointed to records showing an estimated one in three women in the Maldives have been victims of domestic violence during their lives, calling on government to ensure that the Family Protection Authority was provided with a sufficient budget to implement the Act Against Domestic Violence and complete the actions detailed in it.

“One of the main steps that need to be taken to end violence against women is to accept that such acts do occur in our society and to honestly want to bring an end to it, it is therefore necessary for the community to share the same viewpoint on such matters if inhuman acts like these are to be eradicated,” the Gender Advocacy Working Group claimed in a statement.

The group organised a number of activities in Male’, Hulhumale’ and Villimale’ to raise awareness of the issue over the 16 days. These included the relatively new concept of forum theatre performances on the street, which encouraged onlookers to join in and be a part of the act.

In addition to these performances, 16 ambassadors of the campaign were honoured. A theatre performance by youth volunteers showed a number of related problems that were faced in the local society, and prompted suggestions for solutions from the audience.

The campaign has also pledged to help victims of domestic violence by planning to set up safe houses, provide free legal counsel and establish a helpline for support.

The group has also called for the inclusion of issues of gender-based violence and gender equality in the school curriculum and to increase participation of women in the law implementation bodies of the state.

Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) Vice President Ahmed Tholal has spoken on the many challenges presently facing women in Maldivian society, expressing shock at the attitudes of some- including senior policy makers – in regards to gender discrimination.
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‘Sun Travel’ Shiyam elected interim leader of Maldives Development Alliance

Independent MP for Dhaalu Meedhoo, Ahmed ‘Sun Travel’ Shiyam, was elected interim leader of the newly-formed Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) at an inaugural convention held in Male’ last night.

According to Shiyam’s Sun Online, 362 members attended the meeting at Traders Hotel, which was authorised to proceed by the Elections Commission (EC) after it had verified the attendance registry.

Under the regulations governing political parties, at least 300 members are required to attend an inaugural convention of a newly-formed political parties, while 3,000 signatures are needed to form the party.

The tourism magnate was elected interim leader with 335 votes out of 362 ballots cast.

Independent MP for Dhaalu Kudahuvadhoo Ahmed Amir was elected as one of three interim deputy leaders, along with Ali Mauroof and Aishath Rafiyya.

In addition to the senior officials, 18 members were elected to the party’s interim council.

While orange was approved as the official colour of the party, members also passed the party’s logo, seal, manifesto and charter.

MDA becomes the 16th political party to be registered in the Maldives since 2005.

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Police send names of two suspects in Afrasheem murder case to PG’s Office

The Maldives Police Service has this week sent the case of two suspects arrested over the murder of Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) MP and Religious Scholar Dr Afrasheem Ali to the Prosecutor General’s (PG’s) Office.

According to Police Commissioner Abdulla Riyaz’s twitter feed, files on the two suspects were sent to the PG’s Office yesterday.

The two suspects were later identified by the police as Hussain Humam Ahmed of Henveiru Lobby and Ali Shan of Henveiru Hicost.

Just last week, a Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) officer was also reported to have been arrested in connection with the Afrasheem investigation.  However, the police and MNDF have yet to officially confirm the reports.

The Maldives Police Service has said that current policy when providing information regarding the investigation of Dr Afrasheem was to withhold all details from media until  official press conferences on the case were held.

At the last conference held on December 4, Commissioner Riyaz said that the murder of  Dr Afrasheem was well-planned, insisting the attack was politically motivated and funded.

Riyaz alleged that assassins were thought to have been offered MVR 4 million (US$260,000) for the attack.

In a presentation at the time, the police commissioner claimed that 11 suspects had been arrested in connection to the case so far – although three were later released.

He said that 200 items had been collected by police for use as forensic and digital evidence.

“Over 500 hours of CCTV footage have been analysed, more than 100 people have been interviewed and about 13,000 phone call recordings have been analysed out of which 12,000 were from one single tower,” Riyaz claimed at the time.

Afrasheem was killed on October 1. His wife discovered his body lying on the staircase of their home.

Dr Afrasheem was elected to parliament in 2009 as a member of the then-opposition Dhivehi Rayithunge Party (DRP). Following a split within the former opposition party, Afrasheem sided with the Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM), which was established by former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

Widely considered in the country an Islamic moderate, Dr Afrasheem took outspoken and controversial positions on issues such as the permissibility of playing music, and praying next to the deceased.

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Male’ City Council clashes with STELCO over permit issue

The State Electric Company (STELCO) has claimed it is facing difficulties in providing its services to certain parts of Male’ following the city council’s decision not to issue it with permits to carry out work, according to local media.

In a press conference held yesterday, STELCO Deputy Managing Director Mohamed Latheef said it had been informed by Male’ City Council (MCC) that the company was to temporarily cease providing services such as digging up roads in the capital as of December 5, Haveeru reported (Dhivehi).

Latheef said the company had since been facing difficulties in providing electricity services to parts of Male’ as a result of the MCC’s stance.

Disputes between STELCO and the MCC started after the state electricity provider began providing electricity to several locations in Male’ without the permission of the city council.

According to Latheef, the properties affected had been previously taken from the city council by the Housing Ministry.

“As the nature of the services provided by this company are such that we require the assistance and cooperation of the municipal service provider of the state, and because Male’ City Council has currently ceased providing its services, the subsequent result is that the company is now unable to provide certain public services,” he said.  “Some of the services that require the permission of the city council include digging street sides, laying cables and certain tasks that require the roads to be closed off.”

STELCO Engineer Ibrahim Naashid said during the same press conference said that the state-owned company was receiving about 15 requests per day to connect electricity, but was unable to do so as a result of the city council’s decision earlier this month.

“On an average, we were unable to provide electricity service to 15 parties in the last three to four days. However, not all premises require the digging of roads to provide electricity cables, so we have provided electricity to some premises through our distribution box that have been previously installed. But if digging the road is required to provide the service, it is impossible to give the service now,” Naashid said.

Nashid explained that the company was required to obtain a permit from the city council to lay cable even in an emergency power outage, resulting in huge difficulties for the company in the present situation.

“Earlier, it is possible for us not to immediately get a permit from the city council in an odd time like midnight hours, but we do inform their supervisors and those responsible in maintaining the roads. If it’s a difficult time like midnight hours, we carry out the work and inform them the next day,” he explained.

However, Naashid affirmed that the company would still carry out its work in providing their service to the people in case of emergencies regardless of the views that the city council may hold.

Latheef claimed the company had held several discussions with the MCC, the most recent of which took place Sunday (December 9).  However, the MCC was said to have remained unwilling to reverse their decision.

Latheef added that the company was in discussion with relevant government authorities and would be considering legal action against the MCC if deemed necessary.

Male’ City Council responds

In a response to STELCO’s claims, the MCC in a letter seen by local media, warned the state-owned electricity provider that it would take “harsh” action if any service was provided to the “people” without its permission.

The city council said STELCO was failing to abide by laws and regulations, as well ignoring two different letters sent to the company advising it to comply with such requests.  The MCC stated that it had not received any response to its letters.

The letter signed by Deputy Mayor Shamah Rasheed and addressed to Managing Director of STELCO Dr Mohamed Zaid stated that it was the responsibility of the MCC to enter into agreements with parties and carry out business transactions.  The MCC said such transactions were to be carried out in accordance with policies set by government authorities that outline the provision of basic services such as water, electricity and sewerage services to the people as stipulated under the Decentralization Act.

Deputy Mayor Shamah, MCC councillor Mohamed Abdul Kareem and STELCO’s Managing Director Dr Zaid were not responding to calls from Minivan News at time of press.

Fallout with Housing Ministry

The MCC is also involved in an ongoing dispute with the Housing Ministry over the ownership of several areas in Male’, which have now been taken over by Housing Ministry.

In an announcement, the Housing Ministry has said that the city council’s opening of bidding for development projects of several areas of Male was against state regulations. The announcement was made after the city council open requests for bids to develop Male’ southern harbour and a part at Alimas Ufaa Carnival.

The Housing Ministry has contended that the MCC did not have any legal authority to open bidding process of the areas and that it would not be responsible for pecuniary or any other damage suffered by groups who submit bids for the development of the regions.

Despite the remarks made by the Home Ministry, MCC member Ibrahim Shujau told local media outlet Sun Online that the council believed that the Alimas Ufaa area was legally under the council’s jurisdiction.  He contended that efforts to develop a park in the area would go ahead.

The MCC on Sunday (December 9) took the matter to the parliament, where it had requested for assistance in resolving the matter.

Speaking to local media, Shujau said that the council had filed the issue with parliament after seeing that it could not carry out its work with Housing Minister Dr Mohamed Muizz in the position. He added that the case had been filed with Parliament’s Government Oversight Committee.

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Finance Ministry instructs offices to implement cost-cutting measures

The Ministry of Finance and Treasury last week issued a circular to all government offices and state institutions with instructions to implement cost-cutting measures during the final month of the year.

The circular (Dhivehi) signed by Finance Minister Abdulla Jihad ordered offices to cancel all overseas trips, such as for study tours and training, and to seek approval from the ministry for all official trips that were not completely funded by foreign parties; cancel all repair work for the rest of December; and cancel purchases of capital items that were not included in the public sector investment programme (PSIP).

Finance Minister Jihad and Economic Development Minister Ahmed Mohamed were not responding to calls from Minivan News at the time of press.

In the circular, the Finance Ministry noted that 15 percent had previously been deducted from office budgets to reduce the fiscal deficit “as a result of income being lower than estimated in the 2012 budget passed by parliament.”

However, since government spending necessary to provide essential services to the public could not be reduced, “the state’s expenditure has to be further controlled as additional measures are needed to reduce the state’s budget deficit,” the circular stated.

In July, the Finance Ministry instructed all government offices to reduce their budgets by 15 percent, with only 14 of 35 offices complying by the given deadline.

“Some offices will face difficulties. But we don’t have a choice,” Jihad told local media at the time.

However, in the same month the Finance Ministry decided to reimburse civil servants for the amount deducted from their salaries in 2010 as part of the previous government’s austerity measures.

The deducted amounts, totalling MVR 443.7 million (US$28.8 million), were to be paid back in monthly instalments starting in July.

T-bills

Explaining how finances were raised for the government this year, Jihad told parliament’s budget committee last week that a large number of treasury bills (T-bills) were sold to Champa Brothers when the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) commenced sales to private parties in August this year.

Sun Online reported that Champa Brothers purchased T-bills worth US$11 million.

MMA T-bills with maturity dates of 28 days are sold at 7.73 percent interest, 91 days at 7.70 percent interest, 182 days at 7.55 percent interest, and 364 days at 7.70 percent interest.

The MMA made an announcement yesterday (December 10) seeking investors for “private placements” of treasury bills and bonds denominated in both US Dollars and Dhivehi Rufiyaa (MVR).

Meanwhile, according to the weekly financial statement as of December 6, total government expenditure stands at MVR 11.7 billion (US$758.7 million), outstripping total revenues in 2012 of MVR 9 billion (US$583.6 million).

The government spending includes MVR 8.7 billion (US$564 million) in recurrent expenditure, MVR 1.3 billion (US$84 million) in capital expenditure and MVR 1.7 billion (US$110 million) for loan repayments, resulting in a deficit of MVR 2.7 billion (US$175 million) so far.

Of the recurrent expenditure, MVR4.48 billion (US$290 million) was spent on salaries and allowances for employees and MVR 4.2 billion (US$272 million) on office administrative costs.

In November, a mission from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) urged the government to implement a raft of measures to reduce spending and raise revenue with higher taxes and revised import duties.

The mission advised the government that taming the ballooning fiscal deficit was “the most pressing macroeconomic priority for the Maldives.”

“The fiscal deficit is expected to rise in 2012 to 16 percent of GDP [Gross Domestic Product] in cash terms, and likely even higher if one accounts for the government’s unpaid bills, accumulated in an increasingly challenging environment for financing,” the IMF mission stated.

In April 2012, the head of a previous IMF mission to the Maldives told Minivan News that the country’s fiscal deficit was “substantially understated” at less than 10 percent of GDP as projected in the 2012 budget, predicting a figure closer to 17.5 percent of GDP or higher.

“The large deficit has implied a rise in the public debt ratio, which now stands at over 80 percent of GDP, and has also helped to boost national imports, thus worsening dollar shortages in the economy and putting pressure on MMA [Maldives Monetary Authority] reserves,” the most recent IMF mission said in its statement.

Debt and deficit

In his budget speech to parliament last month, Finance Minister Jihad said total spending in 2012 was expected to be MVR 16.5 billion (US$1 billion) while revenues would reach MVR9.4 billion (US$609 million).

The revenue forecast in the 2012 budget was however MVR 11 billion (US$713 million).

“At the end of 2012, the state’s budget deficit is estimated to be at MVR 4.3 billion (US$278 million). That is 12.6 percent of GDP,” Jihad revealed.

According to the Finance Ministry, government spending on loan repayment and interest payments was expected to reach MVR 3.1 billion (US$201 million) in 2012.

Including an estimated MVR 13 billion (US$843 million) in domestic debt, the total public debt is expected to reach MVR 27 billion (US$1.7 billion) in 2012 and MVR 31 billion (US$2 billion) in 2013 – 82 percent of GDP.

As a result of financing budget deficits with loans for the past six years, ‘total external public and public guaranteed debt’ was estimated to reach MVR 13.7 billion (US$888 million) in 2012.

Moreover, the government spent more than MVR 1 billion (US$64.8 million) in 2011 and MVR 1.1 billion (US$71.3 million) in 2012 to service foreign debts as interest and repayments.

The figure was forecast to remain the same in 2013.

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