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US embassy donates library to Thinadhoo Primary School

The US embassy has donated a library of 750 English-language books to the Thinadoo Primary School in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll.

“The United States supports expanding educational opportunities around the world,” said Young Hwan Joo of the US embassy to the students at the school.

“We hope that one day all of you will take your first steps to not only become future exchange students in the United States, but also leaders of your community and your country.”

The books, with a total cost of cost of $10,000, range from early to more advanced stories to text books and teaching aids.  They will be used in classes, but also taken home for reading assignments and personal enjoyment, explained a US embassy press release today.

“Thank you very much for your support to our school,” said Principal Ajeeb Mohammed told embassy staff.  “Our students, teachers and staff are delighted with your visit and we all believe that it will be a great milestone for our school.”

This is the second in a series of twelve book drops planned for islands in the outer atolls. The first took place in March 2014 in Fuvamulah.

“These donations address critical educational needs in remote areas where the delivery of books has been difficult,” continued today’s press release.

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MDP holds street rally in front of Gasim’s residence

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has held a street rally in front of Gasim Ibrahim’s residence in order to show solidarity with the Jumhooree Party (JP) leader in defending the Constitution.

The rally themed ‘In Defense of the Constitution’ held last night was attended by senior members of the MDP, with Maamigili MP Gasim also coming out of Maafannu Villa for a brief period of time to meet with the crowd.

Speaking at the rally, MDP Chairperson Ali Waheed said the parties were having informal talks to create a platform to defend the Constitution, which will emerge as one of the friendliest and most cooperative the nation has seen.

“We are protesting near Maafannu Villa or near any other political figure to protect the Maldivian Constitution. We should not be concerned about following someone or leading someone, rather Maldivians must rally behind the national flag and defend the constitution”, said Waheed.

MDP Vice president Mohamed Shifaz who also addressed the rally last night announced that the party will hold a protest march on Friday (January 23), starting at the Raalhugandu area in Malé.

The party has also announced that it will be holding rallies on street corners to raise awareness regarding the “destruction of the Maldivian Constitution”.

Yesterday’s rally marks a continued rapprochement between the opposition and the JP – which was officially aligned with the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives until May last year, after having given crucial backing to Abdulla Yameen in the 2013 presidential race.

Yameen eventually beat MDP candidate Mohamed Nasheed in a much-delayed poll after the Supreme Court’s controversial annulment of the first round following complaints lodged by third-placed candidate Gasim.

A warming of relations

MDP Spokesman Imthiyaz Fahmy told Minivan News today that it is time to leave the rocky past behind and for “all political parties including Mr Gasim’s Jumhooree Party to stand together with the MDP to defend the Constitution”.

“Defending the Constitution is not only the MDP’s job but everyone else’s too. The MDP is fighting for a cause in which, if anybody or politician is subjected to injustice or unfairness, the MDP would defend them and the Constitution”, said Fahmy.

Meanwhile, JP Spokesperson Ahmed Sameer stated that if all parties reflect on the experiences of the past and work with “sincerity and good will”, the JP is confident that the party will be able to work with the MDP.

“I do not see why MDP and JP cannot travel on the same boat. If are able to do fruitful work for this cause, perhaps it will pave way for further cooperation in the future”, Sameer said.

The previous alliance between the MDP and the JP – as part of Nasheed’s coalition government in 2008 – lasted less than one month. Gasim subsequently joined the anti-government movement in 2011 before the controversial resignation of Nasheed in early 2012.

Movement between the two parties has been frequent, however, with a number of prominent politicians switching between the two – most notably former MDP President Dr Ibrahim Didi and Vice President Alhan Fahmy both leaving for the JP in 2012 before returning in 2013.

After returning to the MDP following the JP’s decision to back Yameen for the presidency in late 2013, Dr Didi said that the two parties were similar in their reformist ideology.

“To tell the truth, 80 percent of Honourable Gasim’s heart is still with the MDP. This is a very clear reality. Even if he had to make a decision under duress, he is a person who worked in the front ranks since 1984 to bring reform to the Maldives,” he said.

Speaking at a rally in the capital Malé last weekend, former President Nasheed said that, despite their political differences, he would not allow President Yameen to destroy the JP leader Gasim.

“Gasim’s property cannot be looted. Gasim’s character and body cannot be harmed,” he told supporters. “We shall rally in his defense”.


Related to this story

“I am not trembling” says Gasim after reports of imminent police raid on his home

Nasheed pledges to defend Gasim from government attacks

We must once again rise up to defend the Constitition, says Nasheed

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India-Maldives Film Festival launched

The India-Maldives Film Festival was launched last night at Malé’s Olympus theatre as part of the ‘Love for Bollywood Festival’ being held to celebrate the Golden Jubilee anniversary of diplomatic relations.

The award winning comedy-drama ‘3 Idiots’ was shown yesterday after a cultural segment from the Indian Cultural Centre, while additional Indian and Dhivehi films will be show over the next two evenings. Entry is free.

Minister of Youth and Sports Mohamed Maleeh Jamal attended yesterday’s event, thanking the Indian government for its continued support, while the Indian High Commission announced that a grant of US$1000 has been provided to the Maldives Film Association to support this year’s activities.

The ‘Love for Bollywood’ festival also includes a Bollywood quiz, a cultural evening at the Alimas Carnival area on January 24, and a South Asian art exhibition between January 26 and 31.

The events are sponsored by the State Trading Organization, telecom provider Ooredoo, the State Bank of India, and Indian infrastructure giant Tata Housing.

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Hulhumeedhoo Health Centre first to offer chemotherapy outside of Malé

Hulhumeedhoo Health Centre in Addu City has become the first place in the Maldives outside of Malé to offer chemotherapy.

Health centre officials told Sun Online that the service was launched on Sunday, and the first patient treated yesterday with medication brought with him from India.

The government has said that the introduction of chemotherapy facilities – unavailable in the country before last year – was crucial, with Maldivians with cancer having previously been forced to live abroad.

Source: Vnews, Sun Online

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Hajj corporation inaugurated, Shaheem pledges to reduce cost of pilgrimage

President Abdulla Yameen last night officially inaugurated the Maldives Hajj Corporation, with Islamic minister Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed pledging to reduce the cost of the pilgrimage.

Shaheem told those in attendance at the ceremony held at Hotel Jen yesterday evening that MVR110 million (US$7.1 million) had been deposited with the corporation so far, noting that government had become more involved in the Hajj trips after the activities of some unscrupulous companies.

The state-owned Hajj Corporation was established during the presidency of Dr Mohamed Waheed in 2013, after legal wrangling over whether the Islamic Ministry should be forced to reevaluate several unsuccessful bids by private Hajj groups.

Of the 1,000 pilgrim quota afforded to the Maldives by Saudi Arabia last year, 500 were reserved by the Hajj Corporation while the rest were divided amongst Hajj groups chosen after a bidding process.

Sun Online has reported that the corporation’s quota is now filled until 2017.

Source: Haveeru, Sun Online

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Dangerous weapons found in Nazim’s house during raid, say Police

Police have revealed that dangerous weapons were found at the house of former defence minister Colonel (retired) Mohamed Nazim on Sunday morning (January 18).

“We found dangerous weapons at his house,” said Spokesman for Commissioner of Police Ahmed Shifan at a press conference held this afternoon. “Nazim and some of his family members were questioned regarding the weapons but they failed to adequately respond to the questions.”

The details of the raid – previously withheld – came just hours after Nazim’s dismissal and subsequent replacement by Major General (retired) Moosa Ali Jaleel.

Following President Abdulla Yameen’s decision to remove him from the cabinet, Nazim said the raid showed that no Maldivian could be considered safe or secure based on recent events.

“This gives an alarming signal that entering any house, at any time and to do anything is possible. The defence minister is the most senior official standing beside the president,” he said during a press conference held at the studios of DhiTV.

Nazim went on to say that he intended to cooperate fully with police and had already provided statements, fingerprints, and DNA samples.

Superintendent Shifan told the media that the police had obtained a warrant from the Criminal Court after receiving reports that dangerous weapons were being kept in a Malé home.

“A police tactical team was sent to the house at around 3.15am on January 18, whereupon they went up to the eighth floor and searched 2 apartments.”

Media speculation as to the specific weapons found in the apartment have varied considerably, with no such details revealed by police officials today.

Shifan once again assured the press that officers had been unaware that the apartment belonged to the defence minister until they had forcefully entered the property, adding that best practices were maintained throughout the search.

“The team did not know Nazim was present at or living at that apartment until after they arrived on the scene,” said Shifan.

“We would like to reiterate the fact that the police would not hesitate to search any house under a court warrant in order to ensure the safety of the general public.”

Former President Mohamed Nasheed has earlier this week suggested that the raid had been conducted to retrieve documents which might incriminate tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb, though Adeeb had rejected these claims.

Commenting on Nazim’s dismissal via twitter today, Adeeb said it was a “sad day” when former colleagues “changed their direction”.


Nazim also suggested this afternoon that such a raid could not have happened without the president’s knowledge, although President’s Office Spokesman Ibrahim Muaz told Minivan News earlier that presidential approval was not required to investigate a cabinet minister.


Related to this story

Nazim dismissed as defence minister, replaced by Moosa Ali Jaleel

Police raid Defence Minister Nazim’s home in early hours

Opposition condemns Defense Minister Nazim’s apartment raid

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Faris Maumoon appointed PPM Media Coordinator

Minister of State for Economic Development Faris Maumoon has been appointed as media coordinator for the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).

Faris – son of former President and PPM leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom – was nominated for the role at a party meeting held yesterday evening (January 19), reports media.

The position is said to have been vacant up to now, but is mandated within the party’s regulations.

It was also reported that the party agreed to hold a meeting of its national council next year.

Source: Sun Online, Raajje.mv

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Nazim dismissed as defence minister, replaced by Moosa Ali Jaleel

Minister of Defence and acting health minister Colonel (retired) Mohamed Nazim has been dismissed.

Spokesman Ibrahim Muaz tweeted that Nazim has been “expelled from his post due to an ongoing investigation”.

Moments later, Muaz announced that Major General (retired) Moosa Ali Jaleel had been appointed as the new minister of defence and national security.

Nazim’s removal comes just days after his home was searched by special operations officers, who reportedly removed documents after a 3am raid on January 18.

Speaking to the media this afternoon, Nazim said that recent events had shown that no Maldivian was assured of safety and security.

“This gives an alarming signal that entering any house, at any time and to do anything is possible. The defence minister is the most senior official standing beside the president,” he said during a press conference held at the studios of DhiTV.

“It is how things are in all parts of the world. If the situation is so that the minister’s house can be raided at any time, no Maldivian citizen will have safety and security”.

Both Nazim and the President’s Office had played down the incident earlier this week, with Nazim reporting that he was “unfazed”, while the President’s Office expressed continuing confidence in the minister.

“The government and the president has not taken steps against any cabinet minister,” Muaz told Haveeru on Sunday.

However, this afternoon, Nazim expressed his belief that President Abdulla Yameen had been complicit in the investigation.

“I do not believe that such a thing could have been carried out without the head of the state, the president, knowing about it,” said Nazim. “His excellency the president told me that he did know that police entered my home when it happened.”

Muaz told Minivan News today that the president had made the decision as a result of the investigation, but that his approval was not needed in order for police to initiate proceedings against cabinet members.

Investigations into tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb were reported to have been behind the president’s decision to curtail the powers of home minister Umar Naseer in August last year, removing the minister’s ability to issue direct orders to police.

Revealing few details of the raid, police told media on Sunday that they had been unaware the house searched was Nazim’s when obtaining the warrant. Media reports yesterday said that President Yameen had paid a surprise personal visit to Police Commissioner Hussein Waheed at police headquarters.

Nazim told the press that he had complied with all the police’s requests – providing statements, fingerprints, and DNA – and that he would continue to do so.

He is also facing a contest for his position as the president’s appointee to the Local Government Association as fellow board members approved a no-confidence motion against him last week.

The newly appointed defence minister Major General Moosa Ali Jaleel was formerly the chief of defence forces. Jaleel signed for the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives one year ago, saying that he believed the current government’s policies would ensure development and “save the country”.

After 32 years of service, Jaleel retired from the military in the wake of the controversial transfer of presidential power in February 2012.

In January 2013, Jaleel told parliament’s government oversight committee that he believed former President Mohamed Nasheed had “resigned under duress”.

Jaleel is among the senior military officers facing charges over the detention of Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed in the weeks prior to Nasheed’s resignation.

Nazim had been minister of defence since the transfer of power – one of the first appointments made by Dr Mohamed Waheed who assumed the position following the unrest of February 7.

Video footage on that day showed Nazim addressing mutinous police and military units gathered in Republican Square, saying he had delivered an ultimatum on their behalf demanding Nasheed’s unconditional resignation.


Related to this story

Police raid Defence Minister Nazim’s home in early hours

Former defence chief and two MPs among high-profile switches to pro-government parties

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Justice Ali Hameed appointed to the Judicial Service Commission

Supreme Court Justice Ali Hameed has been appointed to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) by President Abdulla Yameen.

A media official from the judicial watchdog confirmed that Hameed would replace JSC President Justice Adam Mohamed, who resigned on Sunday (January 18) citing personal reasons.

Last year, the JSC cleared Hameed of misconduct charges, citing lack of evidence to support his alleged appearance in three sex tapes involving three different foreign women, which went viral in mid-2013.

Former JSC member and outspoken proponent of judicial reform Aishath Velezinee said Hameed’s “appointment to the JSC by the consensus of Supreme Court judges shows how low the courts have fallen”.

The commission voted against suspending Hameed last year, citing a lack of evidence, while the Maldives Police Service – which launched its own investigation – told the press that they been unable to determine if the man seen fornicating with the women was Hameed.

In its ruling last year, the JSC noted that the police had closed its own investigation into the case, and that the tape may constitute an act of espionage as it appeared to have been filmed by an unauthorised body, noting that it is against the Constitution to obtain evidence by unlawful means.

Corruption charges filed against the Supreme Court judge were also stalled last year after key documents were said to have been destroyed by a coffee spill at the Criminal Court.

Velezinee today described Ali Hameed as a puppet to the current regime saying: “Any judge who doesn’t deliver as directed will be subjected to action by the JSC. Ali Hameed has got a noose on his own neck – the sex tapes. The government can pull any time.”

“This compromises the independence of the judiciary as the old system would now prevail,” added Velezinee, stating that the current government would now be able to control the decisions of the courts.

The ten member JSC includes representatives from High Court, the trial courts, the People’s Majlis, the public (appointed by the Majlis), the attorney general, the chair of the Civil Service Commission, the Majlis speaker, a presidential appointee, a practising lawyer, and a Supreme Court judge nominated by his peers.

The appointment comes less than a month after the JSC found Hameed’s fellow judges on the Supreme Court – Chief Justice Ahmed Faiz and Justice Muthasim Adnan – unfit to continue to serve on the bench in a ruling made available to neither the public nor MPs.

The secrecy of the decision did not prevent the Majlis voting to remove the pair three days later (December 14), in a move described as having “severely jeopardised” the country’s judicial independence by Commonwealth groups.

The Civil Court and several prominent lawyers also condemned the JSC’s recommendation to remove the judges, saying that the People’s Majlis had “forced” the JSC to deem Faiz and Adnan unfit for the bench without due process, through an “unconstitutional” amendment to the Judicature Act.

United Nations Special Rapporteur on Independence of Judges and lawyers Gabriela Knaul also expressed serious concern over the decision, saying that it would “have a chilling effect on the work of the judiciary at all levels”.

In a 2013 report, Knaul noted that political polarisation in the Maldives had meant that the “commission has allegedly been subjected to all sorts of external influence and has consequently been unable to function properly”.


Related to this story

JSC President Justice Adam Mohamed Abdulla resigns

Supreme Court Judge Ali Hameed cleared of misconduct in sex tape scandal

Two more sex videos of Supreme Court judge leaked

Police suspend investigations into Supreme Court judge’s sex scandal

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