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Photography pioneer dismisses claims development has spoiled Maldives “paradise” potential

Photographer Michael Friedel, one of the most prominent names associated with capturing images of the Maldives over the last forty years, has dismissed criticism that rapid national development has ultimately spoiled the destination’s “paradise” mystique.

German national Friedel has spent forty years photographing the changing societal and architectural landscape of the Maldives since the inception of its tourism industry back in the 1970s.

Speaking to Minivan News at the opening of a special exhibition in Male’ this week dedicated to his photography, Friedel conceded that the impact of his work had attracted criticism due to some “bad developments” intense global publicity brought to the country.

“There are people who have said I spoiled paradise, but the country has always been involved in the global market. The country has to sell something to get something and rice doesn’t grow here,” he said yesterday (January 6).

Friedel, who first arrived in the Maldives in the 1970s, is described by exhibition organisers as a major pioneer in capturing images of the country for intentional media.

His photography has been published in international magazines and newspapers, as well as being found locally on postcards and five different stamps that have been sold in the country.

“Most of the bad developments in the beginning did come from the outside, but the country has got it under control now,” Friedel claimed. “In the early days, Italians would just shoot fish with spear guns just to show how many they had caught, not to eat and people were also hunting turtles just to sell the shells. But after two years, these things were banned.”

When Friedel first arrived in the Maldives in the early 1970s, he said the country was relatively unknown to rest of the world.  However, after pictures he had taken of the country were published in Germany’s Stern magazine, he said major press organisations around the world wanted copies.

“Most countries in the world were well known in the 70s, but Maldives was not. So when I first took these pictures, I was lucky to have so much interest from international publications,” he said.

Friedel argued that while the whole world had changed over the last 40 years, the scope of these developments was far more noticeable in the Maldives.

“This used to be a country where nobody came to and it was extremely isolated. The British had an agreement here, and they had one officer stationed on a little island. Most other countries were influenced by colonialism, but the Maldives were not,” he said.

“The whole world has changed in 40 years, but here it was more because the country was untouched.”

Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Ahmed Adheeb, who officially opened the exhibition at the National Art Gallery in Male’, praised Friedel as a “pioneer”. He added that his work helped introduce the Maldives to glossy international magazines and travel media, defining the image by which the destination is still sold to this day.

“Michael has been one of the key players to promote the Maldives and through his pictures he brought the country into the lime light,” Adheeb claimed. “This all started back in 70s and 80s when our tourism budget was zero. We appreciate everything he has done, through his pictures we see where we were then to where we are now.”

The exhibition at the National Art Gallery in Male’ showcases 58 of Friedel’s photographs taken in the Maldives from between 1973 to 1977 as part of celebrations marking 40 years of tourism in the country.

The exhibition will run from January 6 to January 13.

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MP Ali Waheed seeks temporary injunction after Criminal Court rejects appeal

Deputy Parliamentary Group Leader of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ali Waheed has today appealed a Criminal Court decision to reject procedural points raised during previous hearings of a case against him.

Lawyers representing the Thoddoo constituency MP argued during a High Court appeal hearing today that charges against him for obstructing police officers in their duty had previously been dismissed and, as a procedural point, could not therefore be legally resubmitted.

Ali Waheed is charged with obstruction of police duty during an anti-government protest he participated in while of member of the then opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP).  Waheed, who defected to then-ruling MDP in May 2011, was charged for breaching article 75 of Maldives Police Services Act.

Appeal

During today’s High Court appeal hearing, Waheed’s lawyer, former Attorney General Husnu al Suood, repeated his argument that the state could not resubmit the same criminal charges for a second time without any changes.

He contended that the decision of the prosecutor general (PG) to pursue the case contradicted article 223 of the constitution, which prescribes the powers of his office.

Responding to the argument, Assistant Public Prosecutor Hussain Nashid claimed that the charges had only been dropped “temporarily” in a bid to respect the “fairness” of criminal trials.

Nashid also argued that the prosecutor general had the discretionary power to decide on the procedures as to how criminal charges can be filed.

Meanwhile, Ali Waheed’s lawyer requested the High Court bench issue a temporary injunction to withhold the ongoing case at Criminal Court until the High Court decides on the matter.

In response to the request, chair of the sitting judges bench Judge Yoosuf Hussain said that the court would decide on whether to issue the requested injunction by the end of the day.

Discretion

Speaking to Minivan News today, prominent criminal lawyer Abdulla Haseen said he believed that the prosecutor general legally had the power to resubmit criminal cases after withdrawing them.  However, Haseen contended that any such decision should be “fair and just, without any political influences”.

“I do not believe that the constitution limits the power of PG to resubmit criminal cases again. But it should be done in a fair and just way without any political influences,” he said

Even though Haseen declined to comment on the ongoing court case, he stressed that the PG should ensure cases being sent to trial were done so in a way that was fair and just, especially when focusing on political figures.  Haseen stressed such a decision was vital in order to maintain the credibility and impartiality of prosecutions.

“We don’t usually see the PG resubmitting cases like this but it does not mean he cannot. However exercise of his discretion should always be impartial. When Ali Waheed’s case was withdrawn, it reflected political motives as much as it did when he decided to resubmit the case. PG is an independent constitutional body and should not be subject to political influence,” he explained.

The Prosecutor General’s Office was not responding to calls at time of press.

Case history

The case was first sent to the PG’s Office after an investigation by the police in March 2010.

By November that year, state prosecutors had dropped the charges against Ali Waheed on the grounds of a “lack of fairness”, stating that police had failed to submit a case relating to MDP activists entering the Civil Services Commission (CSC) office and harassing its staff.

The case against Ali Waheed was once filed again by the PG last year following the controversial transfer of power that brought President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik’s government into office.

Following the decision, Ali Waheed’s defence lawyer Suood argued during a Criminal Court hearing that the state cannot file the same criminal charges once they had been dropped on an earlier occasion.

Ali Waheed’s procedural points were dismissed by the sitting criminal court judge Abdulla Didi, stating that the PG could re-file a case.

During previous Criminal Court hearings, Waheed stated that he was unclear about the charges pressed against him. He added that he was not someone who would ever confront police with arms and questioned whether it was only him and Mahloof that were there during the protests.

State prosecutors responded that they had decided to prosecute Ali Waheed and fellow MP Ahmed Mahloof because they had been able to obtain sufficient evidence to support charges against the two politicians.

Along with MP Ali Waheed, former DRP MP Ahmed Mahloof is also facing the same charges.

Both Waheed and Mahloof were elected to parliament under the ticket of DRP. However, following the split of the DRP into two factions, both Waheed and Mahloof chose to leave their former party and head in two different directions.

Mahloof joined the newly formed Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), the party formed by the DRP members who supported former President Gayoom as opposed to the party’s current leader, MP Ahmed Thasmeen Ali. Ali Waheed meanwhile joined the MDP.

During the first hearing of the trail against him, Mahloof requested that the judge carry out the trial separately stating that although he and Waheed were once in the same party, times had changed and the pair now followed different political beliefs and parties.

The request was dismissed at the time by the presiding Judge Abdulla Didi, who stated that the state had levied one charge against both him and his parliamentary colleague. Judge Didi said differing political beliefs was immaterial to the case that was being heard.

Concerns

Following the filing of the case against Waheed for the second time, the MDP at the time raised concerns stating that the case had lost its meaning because of the delay in prosecution.

In a statement, the MDP claimed that “without considering the legal principle ‘justice delayed is justice denied’,  we would like to bring to notice that the state is prosecuting meaningless cases while more important cases remain unprosecuted, while others have already been dismissed,” read the statement.

It further described the prosecution of its members at the time as a “series of attempts to hurt” the party after the fall of the previous MDP-led government.  The MDP contends that former President Mohamed Nasheed was removed from office under “duress” following a mutiny by sections of the police and military on February 7, 2012.

Waheed, previously speaking to local media after the hearing, stated that he would not be threatened by such cases that the current government was pressing against him, and said he would “face the charges with courage”. He also asked the PG to prosecute him for even “slightest” wrong he had committed.

“This prosecution is not just a prosecution levied against me, this is a prosecution that is levied against the 50,000 members of MDP and the majority of the citizens of Thoddu constituency,” he said.

Ali Waheed told the press at the time that such unpleasant inducements by the government to pressure him to join them would not work and claimed that he would not leave the MDP to support an illegitimate government.

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Container ship “stuck” in Male’ waters, MNDF confirms

A Liberian container ship called the ‘Auguste Schulte’ has this evening become stuck within waters surrounding Male’, Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Spokesperson Colonel Abdul Raheem has confirmed.

According to Colonel Raheem, the carrier ship, situated directly off the coast of the Raalhugandu area in Male’, was being assisted by MNDF coastguard vessels in order to get the boat moving.

Raheem stated that he is yet to receive any information on how the ship became stuck.

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Man sentenced to 24 years imprisonment for molesting his daughters

A 50 year-old man man from Maalhendhoo in Noonu Atoll has been sentenced to 24 years in prison after being found guilty by Kendhikolhudhoo island court of molesting his two teenage daughters, police have said.

According to authorities, the two girls would have been aged 13 and 17 in August last year when complaints were first submitted to Manadhoo Police Station in Noonu Atoll over the abuse.

News of the sentencing comes as authorities this week announced two people had been arrested over separate cases of child abuse alleged have occurred since the beginning of the year.

As part of its investigations, the police said they had arrested a 49 year-old male on January 2 on suspicion of molesting a 6 year-old girl on the island of Nilandhoo in Faafu Atoll.

Officers on the island, also based in Faafu Atoll, were called to attend a scene where a man was allegedly molesting the minor. Police said that officers had arrived at the scene in time to catch the suspect committing the crime.

According to police, the 49 year-old suspect was now being held under pretrial detention. His detention has been extended by Nilandhoo Court for 15 days.

Police this week also arrested a 54 year-old man over allegations he had sexually molested a 10 year-old girl on the island of Gahdhoo in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll.

Police said the man was arrested yesterday [6 January 2013] at about 10:30pm.

Local newspapers have reported that the suspect was believed to be a relative of the victim.

December cases

Another three suspected cases of sexual abuse involving children or young women were reported to police last week.

On December 31, a 13 year-old living on Gahdhoo in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll was reported to have sexually assaulted in an abandoned home on the island after being drugged and abducted, police have said.  Three suspects were arrested in connection to the assault.

The same day, a suspect wanted for questioning in connection to the sexual abuse of a 13 year-old girl in Male’ on December 30 handed himself  into police after authorities publicised his picture in the media.

Police also said they had arrested a 33 year-old male in connection with the rape of a girl below 16 years of age in Vili-Male’ on December 29, 2012.

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MNDF military hospital to provide medical services to immigration department

The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) military hospital is to begin to provide medical services to employees of the Department of Immigration and Emigration.

Defence Minister Colonel Mohamed Nazim was quoted in local media as saying that all services of the military hospital are now available under Aasandha to the employees of the immigration department.

“Employees of Immigration Department and their families can obtain medical treatment under Aasandha from the military hospital. This includes their husbands and wives. We are trying to provide the best medical services to our employees,” he told Sun Online.

The Department of Immigration and Emigration was recently transferred from the under the Ministry of Home Affairs to the Ministry of Defence.

According to the President’s Office, the decision to transfer the department was taken to make administration of the country’s immigration system more efficient.

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) last week questioned the legality of the decision to transfer control of the Department of Immigration and Emigration to the Defence Ministry.

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Parliament Speaker Abdulla Shahid on official visit to Angola

Parliamentary Speaker Abdulla Shahid has commenced a three day visit Angola today in order to reinforce inter-parliamentary cooperative ties between the two countries, an African news service has said.

During his stay in the country, Shahid will meet with his Angolan counterpart, Fernando Da Piedade Dias dos Santos as well as heads of parliamentary groups of the national assembly.

According to a press note from the Angolan national assembly, the agenda includes official talks between the parliamentary delegations of Angola and Maldives, and an official dinner offered by the Angolan speaker of the national assembly.

The press note reads that Shahid will also visit the new city of Kilamba in Luanda, in order to learn about the national housing boosting programme.

Shahid is to return on January 9, according to the African news source.

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Club Faru resort to be closed within two months: Tourism Minister

Tourism Minister Ahmed Adheeb has revealed that the Club Faru resort is to be closed down within two months after the government took over the property this weekend.

On Saturday (January 5), the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture said it had assumed control of Club Faru after the resort’s operators were said to have failed to hand over the property following the expiry of their lease agreement.

Adheeb told Minivan News that the resort would be closed as part of the government’s plans to begin the second phase of “reclaiming” Hulhumale’ this year.

“The resort is to be operated by a government company for two months and it will then be closed down and reclaimed,” he said.  “It was a seven year lease that expired on November 15. Now the government has decided to reclaim that part of Hulhumale’,” he said today.

The proposed closure has been described as “interesting” by the former secretary general of the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI), who expressed hope that the government would treat all resort operators equally going forward.

Adheeb today maintained that his ministry would not favour certain resort operators over others in terms of their treatment.

According to the tourism minister, the government offered other companies the chance to temporarily manage Club Faru after the first phase of reclaiming Hulhumale’ was completed.

However, Adheeb claimed that after the expiry of a seven-year lease on November 15, 2012, the resort’s operators had gone to court on two separate occasions to try and extend their lease.  He added that the operators had been unsuccessful on both attempts to obtain an injunction against the government.

Despite the lease termination deadline expiring last year and the subsequent takeover on Saturday, Club Faru’s website – when accessed at the time of press – displayed a pop-up sign dismissing rumours that the resort will be closed or temporarily shut down for renovation between November 1 to April 31.

“Attention!!! Against different phrased rumours that seem to circulate in the internet and in certain travel agencies: Fihalhohi and/or Club Faru will neither be closed nor will there be any renovation from November 1 to April 31 that could lead to disturbance. This info is valid for Fihalhohi and Club Faru. Both Islands continue as is,” the pop-up statement reads.

Management at Club Faru resort were not responding to calls from Minivan News at time of press.

Speaking to local media, Adheeb claimed that the handover had gone “smoothly” when he visited the resort yesterday (January 5).

“Everything went quite smoothly. The Finance Ministry’s financial controller, tourism’s permanent secretary, and legal officials of the ministry along with me came to the resort and took over,” he said.

“We will oversee the operations of the island as the [tourism] ministry has reclaimed ownership of this resort,” Adheeb told local newspaper Haveeru.

Local media reports have claimed that the government had assumed ownership of the island property while tourists were still holidaying at the resort.

According to Adheeb, an Italian company called Club Med had originally invested in the resort. However, after Club Faru was designated part of the Hulhumale’ reclamation plan seven years ago, Club Med was given another island as compensation.

Local media reported that the government leased the island for a period of five years on November 16 1995, after a delay in the second phase of reclaiming Hulhumale’. Following the expiry of the five year lease, it was then extended on an annual basis.

All resort operators treated the same: Adheeb

When contacted today, Former Secretary General of MATI ‘Sim’ Mohamed Ibrahim described the Club Faru handover as “interesting”, adding that no operators should be favoured when it comes to breaching legal contracts.

“While it is important that legal contracts are kept to and enforced, it is also important that individual resort operators are treated the same and not differently.  It appears that Club Faru has taken precedence over others, especially as Hulhumale’ is earmarked for development,” Sim told Minivan News.

Responding to the comments, Adheeb said that the tourism ministry did not favour any resort operator over another.

While there are no other resorts in the Maldives where an operating licence has been cancelled, Adheeb claimed that when dealing with rent payments, each resort will always have to pay or face a termination notice.

The tourism minister claimed that when he first took up his position following February’s controversial transfer of power, there were 12 resorts found to be not paying rent at the time. However, through flexibility on the interest rates, he maintained there were now “no resorts not paying rent”.

“We are not tolerating resorts who do not pay rent, any operating resort has to pay. Those who are not paying already have the termination notice. This culture has to go, by the end of this year all resorts will be paying and it will become a more stable industry,” Adheeb said.

At a press conference held on December 31, 2012, Adheeb said that resort operator Yacht Tours had been sent termination notices for both Alidhoo and Kudarah resorts, with a seven day period for handover.

He added that while the ministry had come to a payment system agreement with a number of other companies, Yacht Tours had sent no official written communication in regard to the payment of outstanding rents.

Following the termination notice, Yacht Tours, a company owned by opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Abdulla Jabir, said it will take the government to court over the dispute.  The company has alleged that the Tourism Ministry had failed to responded to correspondence it had sent on the matter of rent payments.

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MDA interim leader promises pre-school construction during party membership drive

Maldivian Development Alliance (MDA) interim Leader and tourism magnate MP Ahmed ‘Sun Travel’ Shiyam has pledged during a campaign to boost his party’s membership that he will build pre-schools on the islands of Landhoo and Fodhdhoo in Noonu Atoll.

Shiyam’s Sun Online news service reported today that he had promised that the foundations for at least one of the pre-school buildings was expected to be laid during the year.

Addressing the pledge today, a senior MDA member told Minivan News that all funding for the proposed school buildings would be provided by Shiyam himself in a “personal capacity”, adding that the decision was not politically motivated, but rather a service to the public.

Shiyam’s campaigning for the recently formed MDA follows the passing of a new bill in parliament requiring political parties in the country to have a minimum of 10,000 registered members.

Should the bill be signed into law, parties without the sufficient number of members would be given three months to meet the target or face being dissolved.

During campaigning yesterday, Shiyam said that despite Fodhdhoo being small in terms of population, all islands – regardless of their size – were entitled to fundamental rights.

“You are like any other people. You as well deserve the fundamental rights that the rest of the people enjoy. I will do whatever I can to ensure that fact stays that way,” he was reported as saying.

During a rally held later the same day on Landhoo Island, Shiyam said that the development of the nation required educated young people to come forth, adding that the country had fallen into a grave state due to a lack of honest political leaders.

“Those who come to power need to have a very strong understanding of the public sentiments and should have the quality to respect the views of the people. Leaders who lie and deceive should never come in front of the people,” he claimed.

“Immense Support”

Speaking to Minivan News today, MDA Deputy Leader Ali Mauroof claimed that the party was “receiving immense support” from Noonu Atoll and expressed confidence in reaching the 10,000 member limit as stipulated in the newly passed political parties bill.

“Noonu Atoll is the native Atoll of both me and our leader [Shiyam], so we are receiving immense support from the islands. You would know about this support if you see our Sun Online [news service]. We believe we could get 90 percent of the entire population of the Atoll,” he said.

Asked about the immediate aims of the MDA, Mauroof said that the party’s first target was to attain 10,000 members.  He claimed the MDA’s longer-term strategy was to become the “largest political party” in the country.

Mauroof also criticised the recently passed political parties’ bill, dismissing it as an attempt to “destroy” smaller political parties.

“The reality is that in a democracy, you would not see bills made to destroy smaller political parties. There are democracies which allow hundreds of political parties. That is what democracy is,” he said.

Mauroof also claimed that Shiyam’s pledge to build two pre-schools in Noonu Atoll had been made in a “personal capacity” rather than directly through the MDA.

“Our leader was the one who advocated for providing pre-schooling facilities in the islands. It was his proposed bill on pre-schools that were passed into legislation by the parliament and currently being enforced. This is not something new too. Our leader has built pre-schools in Dhaalu Atoll as well,” he explained.

He added that Shiyam was building pre-schools not as a “political motive” but as a social responsibility to “contribute to society”.

“We did not condition anyone to join the party. We did not give any reward or pay anybody to join the party. People are joining us willingly and voluntarily. Even the pre-schools are not built under the name of MDA,” he added.

“Not a cult-party”: MDA

Deputy Leader Mauroof also claimed that the MDA would display the “best internal democracy within the party” by adhering to democratic and transparent principles and best practices, adding that there would be no grounds to call them a “cult party”.

“We have our own party charter. Everything will be done in accordance with the party charter. This party will host the best internal democracy within the party. We would not have spiritual leaders,” he said.

Mauroof added that all decisions by the MDA were expected to be made by the party’s council, which he claimed would ultimately decide on its future political alignment.

“We are not enemies of any political party. We can work with any party for interests of the country. However, the decision to field or support a candidate in the upcoming presidential elections and making coalitions would be decided by the party’s council at the most appropriate time,” he added.

Mauroof added that their policies would reflect the needs of the people and their betterment.

“We will be a party that will work on strengthening democracy, bringing development and prosperity to the country,” he added.

Formation

MDA was officially given the permission to establish itself as a political party on June last year by the elections commission. The party officially held its inaugural convention on December 10, 2012.  It was at this convention where the party elected Shiyam as its interim leader along with appointing other key leadership positions.

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

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

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

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

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80 years to save country should Adhaalath Party be dissolved: Sheikh Imran

Adhaalath Party Leader Sheikh Imran Abdulla has warned it could take “80 years” to save the country should the religious conservative party be dissolved under new regulations passed by the Majlis.

If signed into law, the Political Parties Bill passed last month would require a party in the Maldives to have a minimum of 10,000 registered members.

Speaking at a rally held at Ghiyasuddin School Thursday (January 3), local media quoted Sheikh Imran as saying it was compulsory for all citizens to ensure Adhaalath Party was not dissolved.

“It would not be wrong to say that it will take 80 years to save the country and for it to revert to the present situation if Adhaalath Party is dissolved in the current political circumstances.

“Thus it is compulsory upon you to ensure that Adhaalath Party isn’t dissolved. It is compulsory upon all citizens,” he said.

Sheikh Imran claimed that efforts to limit the number of political parties in the Maldives indicated attempts to return the country to an autocratic regime.

“Social values have been torn apart. Conflicts, assault and arguments within parties have become commonplace. Things have gone so far that and mothers and children don’t speak to each other, and mothers ask children to leave their homes. So what I have to say is that a solution has to be sought to the problem of political parties,” Imran was quoted as saying in Sun Online.

Imran encouraged educated people from all over the country to join the party, adding that he would lead the campaign to dissolve political parties if people fail to establish a system by which they can coexist.

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