Author: Leah Malone

Elections commission disbursing politcial party funds

Political parties will receive funds disbursed by the Elections Commission (EC) this week, according to local media.

Secretary General of EC Asim Abdul Sattar told Sun Online that the Finance Ministry was facing “difficulties” because of the high number of vouchers received at the beginning of the year, which is why funds had not previously been distributed.

According to EC Member Ali Mohamed Manik, seven political parties have had funds withheld because they have not held any political activities or submitted “up-to-standard” audit reports.

The Maldives presently has 16 registered political parties, however only eight meet the requirements for actively holding political events and having at least 3,000 registered members, states local media.

Party funding:

  • Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP): MVR 3.6 million (US$233,280);
  • Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) MVR 1.98 million (US$128,304);
  • Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MVR 1.9 million (US$123,120);
  • Jumhooree Party (JP) MVR 1.2 million (US$77,760);
  • Adhaalath Party (AP) MVR 794,000 (US$51,451);
  • Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) MVR 624,000 (US$40,435);
  • Gaumee Itthihad MVR 608,000 (US$39,398);
  • Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) MVR 529,000 (US$34,279); and
  • Maldives National Congress (MNC) MVR 478,000 (US$ 30,974).
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Italian tourist dies in propeller accident while snorkeling

A 51 year-old Italian tourist died in a boat propeller accident while snorkeling on Thursday afternoon (January 31) near Elaa Island in Thaa Atoll.

Minivan News spoke to Veymandoo Regional Hospital Manager Abdulla Mauroof about the incident, who confirmed that the woman was pronounced dead on arrival.

According to Mauroof, the woman suffered a “major injury to her skull”.

“Her body is still being held under police charge at the hospital and a police forensics team has been dispatched,” Mauroof added.

The snorkeling accident was reported at 14:50. The dive boat operator has not been confirmed at this time.

Veymandoo police are currently investigating the incident.

Snorkeling deaths

During 2012, tourist deaths – usually while snorkelling – were disproportionately higher among Chinese tourists, who now account for a majority of Maldives tourist arrivals compared to the country’s traditional European markets.

In October 2012, a 26 year-old male from China staying at Alif Dhaal Atoll Vakafaru resort was suspected to have died in a snorkelling accident at the property.

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Two men arrested playing football during President’s visit to Kan’ditheemu

Two men were arrested while playing football on Kan’ditheemu island in Shaviyani Atoll during President Dr Waheed Hassan Manik’s visit on January 26, one of whom remains in police custody.

Police Spokesperson Hassan Haneef confirmed to Minivan News that “one person from Kan’ditheemu island in Shaviyani Atoll has been arrested for obstructing police duty and is being held [in the regional capital] Funadhoo for 10 days.”

A source with knowledge of the police investigation confirmed two men had initially been taken into police custody, however one was released without charge.

“The police are responsible for security issues and made a decision based on the rule of law,” Kan’ditheemu Island Council President Nasrullah told Minivan News.

Multiple witnesses from Kan’ditheemu claim that Ahmed “Aabe” Agil was “forcefully” arrested, despite not breaking any laws or causing any disturbance.

Hussain Naushaad, a 19 year-old football player, was also arrested and held in police custody for two hours on Kan’ditheemu. He was released upon Waheed’s departure.

Approximately 30 minutes prior to Agil’s arrest, around 25 youth primarily consisting of students were “warming up” for the daily afternoon football match, on the pitch across the road from Shaviyani Atoll School. The footballers were passing balls back and forth on the main road of Bodu Magu, sources stated.

At the same time, Waheed was headed towards the school, but had not yet arrived.

Naushaad claimed he accidentally kicked the football into the school wall twice.

“A police officer from Funadhoo came and said ‘don’t hit the wall again’. The officer waited some time and then left, so we kept practicing.

“I passed the ball again and it hit the wall, which is when the police officer came and arrested me,” Naushaad explained.

A witness told Minivan News that when Naushaad was arrested many of the players commented to police that “this is not good” and “this is not the way you have to act”.

During the football match that took place immediately following Naushaad’s arrest, two footballs were inadvertently kicked over the fence and into the road. The police then confiscated these balls, according to witnesses.

“If play is prohibited then you must say that before we start. The police came and took two balls that went on the road but never said to stop playing,” sources explained.

According to one witness, Agil told the police “even if you take those balls, we can still keep playing.”

“The police don’t have a legitimate answer [for why he was arrested]. The real problem is that he talked back to the police,” the witness added.

“Most of those playing were students and everyone was shouting ‘baghee’ [traitor], but not directly to any officers in particular,” a witness said.

According to another witness, police believed Agil was “purposefully causing a disturbance and they suddenly ran onto the field and arrested him.”

“He was not resisting arrest or speaking, but the police still took him forcefully. There was no need for that,” another witness said.

“They took him because they are [Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party] bagees and they wanted to arrest him,” yet another witness remarked.

The sentiment was echoed by a further witness: “this is baghee nonsense,” he said.

Agil was arrested in his football practice gear and was not permitted to take a change of clothes, nor did the police inform his wife as to why he was being arrested or how long he would be in police custody, according to a source close to Agil’s wife.

The source added that Agil was being held on Funadhoo and has been permitted to call his wife once a day under strict supervision. He was periodically being taken to the court on a nearby island, because there is no magistrate present to preside over the Funadhoo court.

Agil was initially being held for five days, however this was later extended to 10 days.

Police provoking political polarisation

“This is a sad issue. Aabe is a very, very important youth member of our community. I do not want or like to see anyone arrested,” said the Island Council President, Nasrullah.

A source on Kan’ditheemu alleged the island council keeps a list of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) activists for police, Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), and DRP members to “concentrate on”.

The same source claimed that DRP and PPM members are threatening MDP supporters living on Kan’ditheemu, particularly those not originally from the island.

“They are making problems and saying that if those people are supporting the MDP, they will come against them. The day after Waheed’s visit, MDP members had their property destroyed. Motorcycle seats and hanging laundry were slashed with a knife,” the source added.

Asked about these allegations Nasrullah stated, “The 100 percent truth: there is no list of MDP members being targeted, the island council is not supporting this.

“Inappropriate graffiti was also put on an island council member’s wall. We want people to come and visit our island, there will be no one kicked off Kan’ditheemu. No one at the island council level has agreed to such things,” he added.

A source close to the island council stated that youth on the island were just angry about the arrest and were spreading rumours.

“President Waheed’s trip was successful, but sad things have happened because of it. I’m very sorry, deep in my heart I cried,” the source added.

While visiting Kan’ditheemu, President Waheed “expressed [his] appreciation of the unity of the people of Kan’ditheemu in working towards the development of the island, steering clear of any differences.”

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Status quo and culture of blame-shifting fueling income inequality: DRP, MDP

The Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) and Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) agree income inequalities are being fueled by vested interests, faulty government policies and a lack of educational training opportunities for youth.

President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik recently commented on the growing nationwide income disparity despite revenues doubling in the Maldives over the last decade, during a speech on Kan’ditheemu island in Miladhummadulu (Shaviyani) Atoll.

“The provision of incentives for the poor, and boosting their living standards to a certain minimum, are some of the efforts that could be undertaken,” Waheed said.

However the DRP and MDP have agreed that the government is grossly out of touch with the systemic problems fueling inequality in the Maldives.

“The political elite lead privileged lives and have no idea what is going on here. Many people like [President] Waheed have spent all their time overseas, which explains why public servants are primarily children of privilege with no life experience,” MDP Spokesperson MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor told Minivan News.

“No one talks about this because they want to maintain the status quo,” he added.

DRP Deputy Leader and Spokesperson Ibrahim Shareef agreed.

“Politicians are blind to the realities of life because of political polarisation. There is no trust, everyone just shifts blame around,” he told Minivan News.

“People in a position to create change must work hard to achieve that change or problems pile up. What President Waheed is saying is one thing – he may be sincere – but let us see if it is different from what he is doing,” Shareef added.

Ghafoor and Shareef both highlighted that work and educational opportunities are very limited and still centralised in Male’. The disproportionate reliance on an inequitable tourism sector creates further income disparities.

“Government has not done enough”: DRP

Shareef told Minivan News the government has not done enough to correct these issues.

The “best and brightest” are forced to leave their islands and settle in Male’ or the resorts primarily located in the atolls surrounding the capital, while the “rich get richer and the poor get poorer”.

“Government policies and vested interests continue to widen the [income] gap that has been created between ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ over the years, and marginalised development.

“Competing with those [privileged] people is impossible unless we form capable structures conducive to equitable development, open ourselves for broad sections of society to participate in the workforce, and enact policies that redistribute wealth,” Shareef stated.

Shareef also discussed problems that have arisen from high economic dependency on the tourism sector, which was structured inequitably during the 30-year administration of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

“Gayoom restricted the tourism sector by only allowing ‘certain families’ and allies to build resorts,” Shareef explained.

“Now Maldivians with the capability and vision to build resorts are rarely provided the license or access to investment capital needed,” he added.

Shareef said more resorts targeted toward the “middle market” are needed, in addition to anti-monopoly laws.

He also believes that the education system does not properly prepare youth for the service based economy, and is instead geared toward servicing the government.

Shareef emphasised that this shortcoming has created a huge economic problem whereby over 100.000 expatriates dominate the workforce, particularly among managerial, accounting, and clerical positions in resorts.

“There is something really wrong with the education system. We have very bright and capable youth, but 67 percent still fail O’Level exams,” he said.

“Thus, there are between 30,000 and 40,000 youth without jobs, however they think they are highly-educated so they do not take ‘menial’ jobs, preferring unemployment,” he said.

Shareef said there was an urgent need to reforming the education system to provide vocational training and raising awareness among youth that learning such skills was dignified.

“If youth are not willing, capable, or trained then the income gap widens. They just stay home loitering, spitting on and abusing passers-by.

“Meanwhile, we import labourers to do everything. This is a huge waste of human resources,” Shareef stated, calling for a ‘master plan’ to tackle the country’s social problems.

“Lack of awareness permits slave labour”: MDP

Ghafoor echoed Shareef’s remarks. He told Minivan News that the growing income inequalities are symptomatic of centralised, inequitable resource allocation – particularly in the tourism sector – as well as the lack of skills training for youth within the education system.

“The political right requires the status quo be maintained, which narrows the tourism base, and keeps the poor poor,” Ghafoor said.

“They take advantage of the lack of awareness [among youth and foreign workers], essentially creating conditions of slave labor,” he added.

Ghafoor explained how the educational skills training vacuum for Maldivian youth leads to a dependency on foreign labourers.

“At present there is a dependency on imported labour. Foreign workers – especially Bangladeshis – work under terrible conditions, for cheap, and this has led to a dramatic increase in human trafficking and human rights abuses.”

Ghafoor emphasised the serious resource allocation problem within government policies which compels youth to relocate to Male’ for employment, or seek resort work.

“The young husbands and wives who do find work at resorts are separated from their families for prolonged periods of time. Where else would employees ‘sleep on the shop floor’ and not be able to return to their families at the end of an eight hour work day? This is really impacting the social fabric of the Maldives,” Ghafoor added.

The MDP had many ideas to correct the income disparities fueled by geographic distance, particularly regarding the tourism sector, Ghafoor said.

“The MDP has a plan for radically changing the tourism approach by focusing on providing adequate compensation through a national minimum wage, locations on or closer to inhabited islands, and protecting workers rights.”

Ghafoor emphasised the need for protecting workers rights as a means to not only reduce income inequalities, but also reduce human trafficking – an issue, he said, that has only been discussed openly in the past three years.

“Proper governance, including the integration of International Labour Organisation (ILO) standards into legislation is essential, as is the development of the Tourism Employees Association of the Maldives (TEAM),” he added.

Developing guesthouses on islands “where the average family can profit” was another option for decentralising the tourism sector and creating jobs on local islands.

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Support for women’s rights in the Maldives declining, finds HRCM study

Support for women’s equality has experienced a “significant drop” despite overall progress in improving the human rights situation nationally, a Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) second baseline survey has concluded.

“The ‘Rights’ Side of Life” [report] studied knowledge, behaviours and attitudes regarding human rights in the Maldives and reinforced many of the findings from the 2005 survey,” according to the UNDP-backed report released by the HRCM in December 10, 2012.

However, fewer respondents than in the first study believed that women should have equal rights to men in all seven of the areas surveyed (inheritance, divorces, work, politics, family matters, courts, custody), the report found.

“Despite the freedoms that the constitution has provided for women, attitudes towards women’s empowerment show a negative trend,” stated Andrew Cox, the recently-departed UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP representative in the Maldives.

“Alarmingly, the study also suggests that there has been a regression in people’s sensitivity towards domestic violence and gender based violence,” he added.

Male attitudes have become “more conservative” regarding women’s rights issues, whereas female views have become more supportive of rights in some areas, the report stated.

“Women have undergone a significant shift in attitude,” according to the HRCM survey.

In a reversal from the 2005 study, more women than men now consider it inappropriate for men to hit their wives.

However, significant numbers of respondents stated where there was a “substantive justification” – as opposed to something trivial – “violence against wives was justified,” the report determined.

Both genders in the Maldives were also found to believe that in the husband/wife relationship, women should play a “subordinate role”.

“It is widely considered among stakeholders and experts in the field that violence against women is based on such inequality,” the report stated.

Survey respondents mentioned sexual abuse and violence against women most often in regard to improving women’s equality and saw a need to focus on this controversial issue.

“There was some comment that the growing assertion of Islamic values might be resulting in changes of attitude in some areas covered by ‘The Rights Side of Life,’ [survey], such as those on attitudes to family and ideas about acceptable behaviour in the home, justifications for men hitting their wives,” quoted the report.

Furthermore, over a fifth of the women surveyed said they had been sexually harassed, with offensive or obscene sexual comments and behaviour, as well as men grabbing their hands in public being the most likely occurrences.

Regarding sexual harassment in the workplace, “more intimate forms of harassment” have decreased overall compared to the 2005 survey, but there is a “relatively high level” of sexually suggestive/obscene language. Both of these sexual harassment issues happen more often to rural women than urban women, the study found.

In response to sexual harassment at work, a woman’s most common response was to do nothing.

“The main reasons for this lack of action was their fear of not being believed; fear of people knowing/ bringing bad name to the family; and embarrassment and shame,” said the report.

In a related issue, sexual abuse of girls is considered a “serious problem” by 99 percent of women.

Additionally, sexual abuse of boys is viewed as a “serious problem” by both more women and men than in the previous HRCM study.

Political involvement

Women’s support for the right to participate in politics and government has risen, while men’s support has declined from nearly 73 percent to less than 58 percent.

Ultimately, a majority of women consider the country’s democratic reforms unsuccessful.

Their primary reasons for dissatisfaction according to the report were:

  • Ineffective politicians/government/executive
  • Influence/interference with the parliament or judiciary
  • Corruption
  • Mistrust among political parties/ineffective parliament
  • Lack of public understanding of democracy

More men than women respondents regarded the democratic reforms as successful. Less male respondents claimed to have voted compared to women in the 2011 local council elections and overall turnout was lower than the 2009 parliamentary elections. This was consistent with Electoral Commission findings, according to the HRCM report.

The primary grievances with the recent elections included, “mismanagement or incomplete voter registration; lack of voter education; aggressive campaigns along party lines; insufficient duration for voting; and last minute court election rulings,” the report stated.

“Human rights not in conflict with religion”

A “large majority” of people surveyed thought a copy of the Maldivian constitution should be given to every household by the government.

Furthermore, half of respondents believe that human rights do not conflict with religion.

Among the 10 most important human rights nominated by respondents included freedom of opinion, conscience and religion, which were not listed in either the 2012 or 2005 reports.

Of those who did think there was a conflict between religion and human rights, the most frequently mentioned concerns were “women’s right to equality, freedom of expression, child rights and Islamic punishments such as cutting off hands for theft, in that order,” the report determined.

Rural respondents and women were more likely to think there was a conflict between human rights and religion. However, there were many non-responses to the question and “vast majority” were unable to respond because they did not know whether such a conflict actually exists, the report stated.

The survey questions regarding religion were considered controversial, with several new questions added to the study regarding: family planning/contraception issues; the importance of women’s right to seek “safe and legal abortions” as well as the incidence of abortion; the right of foreigners to practice their religion; and the right to voluntarily decide if and when to marry and have children.

Reproductive rights were more strongly supported by men and women alike, including “abortion to be [made] legal to save the life of the mother or the baby, but not in other circumstances”.

Approximately 25 percent of women and 16 percent of men surveyed said they knew someone who had an illegal abortion, the report noted.

While many respondents did not think human rights were in conflict with religion or were unsure, there was little support for migrant workers having to right to practice their religion within the Maldives.

“Overall, less than 10 percent considered migrants should be able to practice their religion in public or private, about a quarter in private and nearly 60 percent not at all,” the study found.

Women were strongly of the view that migrant workers should not have the right to practise their own religion in the Maldives.

Freedom of expression and access to services lacking

Satisfaction levels regarding access to services – particularly regarding the realisation of economic and social rights – were said to be a prominent concern and have undergone an overall reversal since the first HRCM human rights study was released.

“For example, the main areas not working well in the police/security system were listed (in order) as: corruption; can’t get police when we need them; political influence; lack of fairness/ bias; and torture,” the latest report concluded.

Respondents ranked the most important human rights as access to education and healthcare, adequate standard of living, and freedom of expression.

However, the most mentioned human right was freedom of expression, while women’s equal rights rose from 8th to the 4th most mentioned issue.

The most frequently raised topic – particularly in rural communities – was the escalating crime rate.

“Criminals have more rights than ordinary people,” the study quoted a respondent saying.

Crime victims were found to be primarily young, male, and likely from the respondent’s community, the report claimed.

Children, elderly, and disabled vulnerable

Other vulnerable groups within Maldivian society include children, the elderly, and the disabled.

The vast majority of respondents reported that the level of protection of children’s rights was satisfactory – over 50 percent were dissatisfied.

The main areas in need of improvement regarding children’s rights included violence against children, having better access to education, drugs, gender stereotyping/ discrimination, and crime and or gangs, the study found.

“For older people, neglect; inadequate attention to health status of older people; abuse (physical or mental); lack of legislation and/or policies to protect older people; and inadequate housing for older people were concerns mentioned most often,” highlighted the report.

Lack of access to services were the primary issues discussed by the disabled, such as special needs schools for children and facilities within existing schools for them, education opportunities generally, inadequate healthcare including mental health services, employment and related services, stereotyping and discrimination.

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Maldives’ waste management hampered by local politics, lack of funding

Government civil servants are still working to create functional waste management systems despite numerous failed projects nationwide and a lack of ministerial collaboration.

Establishing a national waste management system is dependent on the success of a US$6.5 million pilot program implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Environment.

Ahmed Nizam, Solid Waste Management Coordinator for the project, told Minivan News that construction of one system on the uninhabited island of Vandhoo in Raa Atoll will hopefully be completed by late 2013 and the system should be operational by the beginning of 2014.

Nizam explained, “This differs from previous projects because it is holistic, sustainable, and state of the art. It is a regional waste management system that includes everything – community awareness, equipment, infrastructure, transportation, and processing – whereas previous projects lacked in one or more of these areas.”

The World Bank funded Maldives Environmental Management Project (MEMP) will cover four northern atolls – Noonu, Raa, Baa, and Lhaviyani – and plans to process 52 tons of waste daily for 45 inhabited islands (over 7000 households), 15 operational resorts, 15 resorts in development, and nine industrial islands.

“The Vandhoo processing system has been engineered by a German company and meets European standards. The World bank would only provide funds to a properly functioning facility,” Nizam stated.

The processing facility on Vandhoo differs from previous waste management endeavors in that it has learned from the horrific failures of Thilafushi. There will be controlled incineration and no open burning, mixed waste, or land reclamation using trash.

Instead, composting of organic waste – which accounts for 70 percent of trash volume – will be dealt with at the island level, while the incinerated ash that cannot be reused for making bricks will be landfilled in “cells” that prevent chemical leaching into groundwater.

“Thilafushi is not what we want. The current conditions there pose serious health and safety threats to Bangladeshi workers living there and those toxins spread to Male’ and Villingili as well.

“The citizens of Raa atoll have expressed concerns the Vandhoo site will be another Thilafushi and we have gone to great lengths to ensure that will not happen,” Nizam added.

Although recyclables will be separated, there will be no facilities on Vandhoo to process them. Currently, the only alternative is to sell to neighboring countries.

However, there are plans to convert heat produced from the incinerators using a “donkey boiler” into electricity.

Nizam also explained to Minivan News that current government policy dictates waste must be brought to the nearest designated processing facility.

In practice, this “proximity principle” means that waste from the northern atolls can be transported to Vandhoo instead of Thilafushi.

“With only two transport vessels for this regional system we lack the capacity to expand transportation to the northern-most atolls. However, there is a possibility the transportation network can expanded in the future,” Nizam stated.

Depending on the success of this pilot program and access to development funds, regional centers are planned to be built throughout the country. In the interim, transporting waste to Vandhoo island will serve as a stop-gap measure.

A waste tracking system is included in this regional system, which will monitor how much garbage is being sent by resorts and matching this against what is received on Vandhoo, to discourage dumping into the sea by rogue garbage contractors trying to avoid fuel bills.

To further ensure the project’s sustainability, island councils in the region as well as civil society organisations are partnering with the MEMP to educate islanders through community-based awareness programs.

“Resort fees and household fees will cover operational costs, so this regional system will not be dependent on government funds. However, the government has the option to subsidize fees for islanders,” Nizam said.

The newly created state utilities company Fenaka Corporation Ltd will run the Vandhoo operations.

MEMP is currently negotiating with civil works contractors to develop Vandhoo infrastructure.

Past failures and current shortcomings

Establishing waste management systems on the islands has been an ongoing struggle.

Most islands have waste areas that vary in quality and have no means of processing or removing trash from the garbage areas.

Nizam explained that after the 2004 tsunami the United Nations (UN), Canadian and Australian Red Cross built infrastructure and provided equipment for some islands, however no island level program plans or systems were put in place.

A more wide-scale failure was the European Union (EU)-supported Ari Atoll waste management program.

“All the studies were completed and islands were provided infrastructure and equipment, however funding was withdrawn [for a regional processing facility] because the government-proposed equipment was deemed too expensive and no regulations were established,” according to Nizam.

Former President Mohamed Nasheed’s government attempted to correct the problem but could not secure funds, or establish sustainable public private partnerships due to political polarisation fueling a lack of island council support, he added.

Currently, under the EU and Australia Aid funded Climate Change Trust Fund (CCTF), a pilot program is being launched to support waste management development on five Ari atoll islands and one waste transfer vessel that will bring garbage to Thilafushi, Nizam further explained.

Correcting the mismanagement of Thilafushi remains a work in progress.

The previous government under Nasheed had signed a waste management agreement with India-based Tatva Global Renewable Energy back in May 2011 to implement a system designed to generate power from recycling waste.

The contract has been undergoing renegotiation with the current government as part of efforts to provide what it has called a more “mutually beneficial” agreement – a move slammed by the Male’ City Council (MCC), which accused authorities of trying to “sabotage” the deal.

Meanwhile the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture has pledged to take the “lead” in addressing waste management issues in Male’ should the city’s council and the Ministry of Environment and Energy fail to effectively deal with concerns about garbage.

There are no regulations or laws for waste management, only the Environmental Protection Act, however the Environmental Protection Agency is in the “final stages” of completing regulations and should be releasing them within the next few weeks, according to Nizam.

Is civil society filling the gap?

The opinion of many islanders is that since there is no way to process or remove the waste, there is no point in not littering.

Imad Mohamed, Executive Director of Huvadhoo Aid (HAD), told Minivan News about some of the projects and related challenges this non-governmental organization (NGO) has encountered regarding waste management and environmental conservation.

Huvahdoo Aid’s main focus in this area is helping other NGOs throughout the region develop community-based waste management plans.

“However, last year HAD tried to construct waste management center on Hoadedhdhoo island in collaboration with the Male’-based NGO Community Aid, funded by the Mangroves for the Future (MMF) program. We also had a partnership agreement with a neighboring resort that was willing to donate an incinerator.

“However, the Hoadedhdhoo Island Council claimed that they did not want HAD to build the [waste management] centre, because it is ‘mandated’ that the island council should run the centre,” according to Imad.

A source from the partnering resort explained that they were excited to donate the incinerator to HAD, assist with installation, and even modify it to create hot water free of change.

“It had been sitting on our dock for five months rusting,” the source explained.

However, logistics to transport the incinerator could not be arranged.

The incinerator has now been given to a different island in the atoll.

The Hoadedhdhoo Island Council did not respond to calls at the time of press.

Resorts going it alone

Resorts are aiming for “self-sufficiency” when it comes to waste management, since there are no regional centres in operation.

While there are tourism regulations that require certain waste management systems are constructed on resorts, they are only inspected once constructed, Nizam told Minivan News.

“Facilities are not properly used, are very costly, and some resorts claim tourists do not want to see waste burning,” he said.

Whether resorts adopt sustainable, environmentally-friendly practices is de facto voluntary.

Some are motivated by the need to maintain an eco-friendly reputation and sell the Maldives as a “premium [vacation] destination” that is also “environmentally sensitive,” a resort manager told Minivan News.

Their resort is “trying to do the right thing” and has developed a waste management system that has reduced 70 percent of their waste.

“Thilafushi is just wrong. We have reduced our trips there from seven per week to one,” the source stated.

The resort also conducts training for staff and their Maldivian team has “embraced” these environmentally friendly practices, the manager claimed.

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Parliament fails to pass critical child protection bills: report

A study recently published by the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) highlights numerous participation and protection policy deficiencies putting Maldivian children at serious risk of harm.

The report, Child participation in the Maldives: An assessment of knowledge analyses how much the Maldives – as a fledgling democratic state and society – knows of children’s rights to participation, and assesses the mechanisms in place to protect their fundamental human rights.

The UNICEF-backed report, which was finished in 2011 but only published in January 2013, discusses children’s rights in regard to situations of violence, healthcare, family, media, and play. Children consulted were primarily from Male’ and various alternative care facilities located near Male’.

Ultimately the report recommends government and civil society organisations “push for a radical change in the traditional thinking which dominates Maldivian perceptions of children: children should be seen and not heard,” as this study states.

“If children are not heard today, who will speak for the Maldivian democracy tomorrow?”

The wide gaps between policies, legislative instruments, and their actual implementation are limiting the realisation of “progressive” measures that have been developed to enable and protect children’s rights, according to the report.

These shortcomings occur as a result of a lack of resources, political will, qualified professionals, and deliberate obstruction due to political polarisation.

In one example the report highlights the lack of a tracking system for the Ministry of Education to monitor nationwide attendance records. Thus, without the cooperation of the parliament, education cannot be made compulsory.

“The Ministry of Education is concerned with the remarkably long period of time it is taking for the parliament to pass the education bill (pending from 2009 onwards),” the report states.

The Juvenile Justice Act is another piece of legislation parliament has yet to be enacted, despite the establishment of a Juvenile Justice Court.

“This has meant that minors who commit offences, however major or minor, enter into the country’s criminal justice system, and have to be dealt with as adults.”

In practice this has led to sentencing being delayed until the child has reached 18 years of age, despite “substantial changes in behavior”. There are no separate detention centers for adults and minors, and “reformatories” are only available for boys.

“This is a form of gender discrimination at the state level that should not be occurring, and which the state should address as a matter of urgency,” the report added.

“We feel that we don’t have any rights to speak”

Focus group consultations with children as well as interviews with youth in “alternative care” facilities demonstrated how these policy shortcomings are harming Maldivian children.

The political polarisation paralysing parliament has prevented concepts of “democracy, human rights, and active citizenship,” as well as current affairs, from being discussed in schools, the report states. As a result many children are unaware of their legal rights and try to seek information outside of school.

“When we ask about issues that are talked about in parliament, we don’t really get an explanation. Also, if we become unruly and loud in the class, we are seen as ‘becoming the Majlis’,” said one child.

In a related issue, school administrations are preventing children’s participation in civil society organisations by either banning it outright or requiring school permission.

“Please let me go” – 13 year-old ETCC Maafushi resident

Government alternative care institutions intended to provide shelter, rehabilitation, or “restorative justice” suffer from the “large gaps between policy and reality,” the report stated.

Acute staffing and budget shortfalls combined with the lack of children’s rights education and the exclusion of children’s feedback have “deprived [residents] of their liberty”. Staff caring for the children are often excluded from important decisions impacting children’s quality of life at the facilities, the report said.

It cites the conditions at the Maafushi island Education and Training Centre for Children (ETCC) run by the Ministry of Education as an example.

“None of [the children] are properly informed of the reasons why they are at the centre, nor are they given any clear indications as to why they have been detained, how long they can expect to be there, and what the procedures are for leaving.

“Many were left completely in the dark by their families about their intentions to send them to Maafushi—some children only found out en route or once they arrived at the centre,” the report added.

Similar circumstances exist at the Kudakudhinge Hiyaa (Children’s Shelter) on Villingili island. The limited access to resources creates a gulf between the government’s Minimum Standards for Alternative Care Institutions and actual quality of life at the centre, the report found.

Feydhoo Finolhu Detention Centre

“A fundamental problem with the facility” exists at the Correctional Training Centre for Children on Feydhoo Finolhu island – run by the Juvenile Justice Unit (JJU) of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Maldives Police Service’s Child Protection Unit.

“None of the children who are at the facility have been charged with a crime, let alone convicted of one,” stated the report.

The children held in “administrative detention” at Feydhoo Finolhu are identified by police as “dangerous to the wider society and themselves… because they possess the potential for committing serious offenses,” the report added.

Police officers in civilian clothes care for, guard, and teach the children. The centre reports that its success rate for correcting antisocial behavior is 80 percent.

However, sources familiar with the facility alleged to Minivan News that two juveniles detained at the facility were beaten by police officers and chose to swim to Male’ rather than stay in the facility.

Children’s rights marginalised

No state or independent institutions are mandated solely to protect children’s rights, and no coordinating body exists for the various government agencies to address different children’s issues. “Lumping” children’s rights with issues pertaining to other vulnerable groups has marginalised them, according to the report.

“[This] reinforces the general perception of children as no more than another segment of society that needs protection… thus children at large – not just their views and opinions – are very often neglected or pushed to the bottom of the state’s list of priorities.”

Few policy and legislative mechanisms exist that “formally require” children participate in decisions that will affect their lives. Both the 2008 constitution and the Law on the Protection of the Rights of the Child (91/9) lack such a provision.

Instead there is a tendency to focus on protections while excluding “positive” rights, such as children’s right to be heard, to information, and participation in political and social affairs, the report notes.

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Parliament probe into CoNI report meeting government resistance

A probe by parliament’s Executive Oversight Committee into the Commission of National Inquiry (CoNI) report is meeting resistance from high level government officials, members have claimed.

Attorney General (AG) Aishath Azima Shakoor issued a letter to the Majlis Speaker Abdulla Shahid stating that the probe into the Commonwealth-backed report was a violation of the Parliamentary rules of procedure, local media reported.

“The work carried out by the Parliament’s Government Accountability Committee is out of the mandate assigned to it under the Parliament rules of procedure,” Shakoor told Haveeru.

“I stress that the committees do not possess the authority to deal with this report in any other manner.”

According to Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Spokesperson MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor, the committee has been a bipartisan effort following the “house rules” of Parliamentary procedure.

Nine of the 11 members, including MPs of the government-aligned Dhivehi Raiythaungee Party (DRP) and Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM), were present on Tuesday (January 15).

The committee has been conducting a “normal” probe since December 2012 to determine whether former President Mohamed Nasheed’s resignation was made under duress, Ghafoor said.

“It is rather bizarre that after two weeks of committee meetings the Attorney General is suddenly opposed to business as usual. These allegations have arisen after hearings with people involved in the coup, such as Commissioner of Police Abdulla Riyaz, Minister of Defence Mohamed Nazim, and Chief of Defence Force Major General Ahmed Shiyam.”

Shiyam and Nazim refused to cooperate with the Committee, as advised by their lawyers. In response, the Committee filed a motion on Wednesday (January 16) requesting the Prosecutor General forward charges against them for violating the constitution with their non-compliance.

Meanwhile, President Mohamed Waheed refused to provide the interviews, tapes and statements given to the CoNI as per the Committee’s request, local media reports. The Committee made two previous requests in December 2012 before it adjourned for 10 days.

“Parliament’s job is oversight over the executive [branch] rather than the executive having oversight over us. Dr Waheed does not understand that basic concept of democracy,” Ghafoor told Minivan News.

“The Attorney General is doing the same, she has the general concept [of democracy] wrong. I don’t see what mandate she has to comment on procedures of parliament or question the powers of the committee,” he added.

According to Ghafoor, the committee will continue to conduct the CoNI probe – as they believe they are operating “by the book” – and compile the report. Their findings will then be sent to the Parliament floor, where the Majlis will accept or reject it.

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

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PPM would pursue oil exploration, foreign investment: Abdulla Yameen

The potential for developing a domestic oil industry was launched as a campaign issue during a speech on Monday (January 14) by Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) presidential prospect, MP Abdulla Yameen.

Yameen proclaimed “when the PPM comes to power” it will conduct oil exploration, attract foreign investment and create 26,000 tourism jobs.

However, the Maldives’ environmental image and commitments are no obstacles to oil industry development, according to Tourism Minister Ahmed Adheeb – currently standing for nomination as the PPM’s vice president.

Adheeb told Minivan News the Maldives was “a big nation, and places not in marine protected zones or tourism areas could be explored for oil, like in the less developed north.”

“Oil exploration is a term and [we] cannot conclude something with out the details. Regulations and more planning need to be done,” he said.

The ‘Draft Maldives Fourth Tourism Master Plan’ released January 9 by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture emphasises the need for climate change mitigation, adaptation, and renewable energy as part of its five-year strategic plan.

“The tourism sector is expected to contribute to the carbon neutral goal by introducing measures over the next eight years for energy efficiency and replacing fossil fuel with renewable energy,” the report states.

The plan contains various strategic actions aimed at “developing and enforcing” management plans for [marine protected areas] and sensitive environments. This includes “implementing a low carbon program for the tourism industry”.

“A long-term focus on adopting reliable and affordable energy from renewable resources (like sun, wind, sea and biomass) provides an opportunity to enhance our tourism development model, already well known for its sustainable practices. A low carbon path for development has been identified as key development strategy in Maldives as a whole,” the report notes.

“[Economic] diversification is in line with the tourism master plan,” Adheeb told Minivan News.

“[The] first priority should be tourism [however] the economy needs to be diversified and protected,” he said.

Yameen pledges oil exploration

During the launch of the PPM ‘Team Yageen’ campaign, Yameen declared his platform would focus on foreign investment and the creation of job opportunities, local media reported.

“Given the current economic situation, local businessmen alone cannot create enough job opportunities. We must welcome foreign investors for the benefit of our nation,” Yameen said, according to Haveeru.

Yameen’s proposals include searching for oil, prioritising the tourism industry, and creating a cargo transit port.

Previous oil exploration attempts in 1980 found the cost of retrieving the oil was too high compared to the US$20 (MVR 308) price per barrel at the time. However the present price of US$125 (MVR 1925) per barrel made further exploration feasible.

“It is very possible oil might be found in the Maldives,” Yameen said.

“[The PPM] have a very close relationship with tourist resort owners. The [economic] benefits of the tourism industry are creating job opportunities through the [tourism goods and services] tax,” he added.

Team Umar’s stance

‘Team Yageen’s opposition for the PPM leadership, ‘Team Umar’, played down the proposal.

PPM Interim Vice President Umar Naseer said it was not acceptable for people in responsible portfolios of the government to talk about things that they could not do while they were in power.

Yameen’s proposal to search for oil in the Maldives was not new, Naseer claimed, noting that Yameen had plenty of time during the Gayoom administration to pursue such an agenda.

”Fifteen years is enough time for someone searching for oil to find it. ‘Team Umar’ will not make empty talk; if we are to search for oil, then we will find it and sell it,” said Naseer.

”These words are not new to us. If they had been new words they would have impressed ‘Team Umar’ as well,” he added.

Government biosphere and renewable energy commitments

The development of an oil industry in the Maldives would be an apparent reversal of President Mohamed Waheed’s declaration during the Rio 20+ UN Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012 that the Maldives would “become the first country to be a marine reserve”.

During the conference, Waheed highlighted the 2012 establishment of the first UNESCO Biosphere reserve in Baa Atoll, as well as the Maldives’ commitment to carbon neutrality and sustainable development.

“Our tourism sector is a sustainable one, relying on the preservation of our magnificent coral reefs, beautiful beaches and our rich and diverse marine life,” Waheed stated.

The Maldives is meanwhile participating in the 3rd General Assembly of International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, which started this week (13 January 2013).

Minister of Environment and Energy Dr Mariyam Shakeela has also highlighted the ongoing renewable energy activities undertaken by the Maldivian government and the necessity of renewable energy for mitigating climate change.

Shakeela recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Diesel Replacement Project of the Clinton Climate Initiative’s Clean Energy Initiative, a program of the William J Clinton Foundation.

The focus of this program is to enact “projects and policies that directly reduce greenhouse gas emissions” including renewable energy projects to reduce dependency on diesel fuel.

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