A mother accused of murdering her three-year-old boy has confessed to killing the child at the first hearing of her trial today.
Afiya Mohamed Manik told the court that she repeatedly abused her son, Mohamed Ibthihaal, and said she felt anger towards the boy because he was born out of wedlock.
In addition to murder, Afiya was also charged with disobedience to order over child abuse and neglect with reference to the law on protecting children’s rights. She appeared for today’s hearing without legal representation and pleaded guilty to the latter charge, but also confessed to the murder.
Ibthihaal died “by my hands,” Afiya was quoted as saying by local media. She confessed to strangling the child and kicking his chest three times.
Judge Muhthaz Fahmy reportedly stopped Afiya and reminded her that she was to answer the disobedience to order charge. The judge and state prosecutor explained the charge to Afiya.
Afiya said she understood the charge and was confessing to abusing her son voluntarily.
The charge carries a penalty of six months in jail.
Reporters at the hearing observed that Afiya appeared calm, but her voice trembled when she spoke of abusing Ibthihaal on the day of his death. She was handcuffed throughout the hearing.
At today’s hearing, the judge offered Afiya the opportunity to appoint a lawyer at the state’s expense and explained the process of seeking a public defender. He did not announce a date for the next hearing.
If she is found guilty of murder, Afiya faces a sentence of life imprisonment. She had reportedly confessed to murder during the police interrogation and her remand hearings.
Ibthihaal’s body was found with signs of severe abuse on January 28 in the worst case of child abuse in recent years. The horrific murder on the island of Rakeedhoo in Vaavu atoll shocked the nation while reports that the authorities had been aware of Ibthihaal’s abuse sparked public outrage.
Afiya was arrested for murder two days later and has since been held in pre-trial detention.
Afiya’s stepfather, Ismail Raoof, was arrested on April 1 on suspicion of physically and sexually abusing Ibthihaal.
In April, Chief Inspector Abdulla Satheeh said negligence by government authorities and the island community on Vaavu Rakeedhoo was partly responsible for the toddler’s murder.
Satheeh said marks on the child’s neck indicated that he had been strangled.
Police also found swelling on the right side of his forehead, scrapes on his face, wounds on his right ear and scars all over his body. Some of his ribs were broken as well.
Satheeh said Ibthihaal’s death was caused by “major injuries” while some older scars remained unhealed.
“Mohamed Ibthihal had received physical and psychological harm from different individuals on different occasions, for a long period of time,” he said.
The police entered former Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) president Ibrahim Ismail’s ‘Ibra’ and Jumhooree Party (JP) deputy leader Ameen Ibrahim’s residences with court warrants last night and seized sound systems used during the June 12 sit-in protest.
Police officers went into Machangoalhi Bouegainvillea and Henveiru Haali around 8:00pm and confiscated the loudspeakers, a police media official confirmed.
The court warrant – signed by chief judge Abdulla Mohamed and circulated on social media – stated that the MDP had refused to stop using loudspeakers after 11:00pm as ordered and had set up sound systems in various buildings in Malé.
The “public was facing difficulties” due to the speeches broadcast from the sound system, the police stated as the reason for requesting the search warrant.
The sit-in took place in the capital’s main thoroughfare Majeedhee Magu with about 2,000 protesters.
Shortly after 11:00pm, Specialist Operations (SO) police officers confiscated hand-drawn carts used to carry the sound systems. But speeches from opposition politicians – delivered from an undisclosed location – continued and could be heard from the speakers set up at the residences.
An hour later, riot police chased protesters into side streets and cleared Majeedhee Magu, but protesters regrouped and continued protesting until 4:00am.
Loudspeakers were also set up on Manchangoalhi Maadheli and SO officers searched a security guard outside the residence for keys, but did not go into the building. The sound system was turned off when police attempted to enter.
Some 12 protesters, including former ruling party MP Ahmed Mahloof and AP deputy secretary general Ahmed Shareef were arrested during the police crackdown. The criminal court released all 12 last night after the police sought extension of remand detention.
The seizure of the sound system from Ibra’s home meanwhile comes after the government’s eviction of Mandhu College from its premises earlier this month. The former MP is the chairman of the college.
“Now they have entered my house. And randomly seized property. This time they had a piece of paper which stated it was a court order,” he wrote in a Facebook post today.
“But that piece of paper did not state what crime was being investigated, who the suspect was. And they conducted the search without the presence of any of the residents, and did not even inform me as to what they were taking with them.”
He added that the next search “will produce a submachine gun and a CD-ROM, which will be ample proof for me to be convicted for terrorism.”
“And it will be just an aside, that I will be tried by the same judge who issued the illegal ‘search warrant,'” he wrote.
Independence day
The MDP has meanwhile announced plans to stage a fourth mass anti-government demonstration to coincide with Independence Day on July 26. The government has planned numerous activities to celebrate the upcoming golden jubilee of independence.
Speaking at a rally in the opposition Haruge (meeting hall) last night, MDP vice president Mohamed Shifaz called on supporters from across the country to travel to the capital for the mass protest.
“We want to show the level of independence in this country,” he said.
Shifaz told Minivan News yesterday that the opposition alliance – made up of the MDP, the religious conservative Adhaalath Party, members of the JP, and defectors from the ruling party – will continue its protests until the government heeds its demands.
The demands include releasing imprisoned former President Mohamed Nasheed and former defence Mohamed Nazim, whose arrests in February sparked the ongoing political arrest.
The opposition alliance is also demanding the withdrawal of terrorism charges against AP president Sheikh Imran Abdulla, JP deputy leader Ameen Ibrahim, and JP council member Sobah Rasheed, as well as an end to alleged targeting of opposition-aligned businesses.
Two weeks after a 20,000-strong mass protest on May 1, President Abdulla Yameen called for separate talks with the three allied opposition parties. The talks with the JP began last week, but the government has rejected former President Nasheed and AP president Sheikh Imran as the representatives of their respective parties.
The JP had proposed establishing a platform for all-party talks, discussing the release of jailed opposition politicians, ensuring judicial independence, and protecting investors.
A second meeting for between the government and the JP scheduled for this afternoon was cancelled. President’s office spokesperson Ibrahim Muaz Ali said the meeting was postponed because some of the government’s representatives were not in Malé.
Speaking at a ceremony in Thaa Thimafarushi last night, tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb called on the opposition to stop its street protests and accept the government’s invitation for talks to resolve the political crisis.
He urged the MDP and AP to relent on its condition of joining the talks with its jailed leaders as representatives.
“If the [leaders] are to be freed, first the doctor’s board must decide it. How can we talk about it with the patient? That’s not how it’s done. Leave the patient as the patient and come discuss with the doctor. The operation can only be completed after that,” he was quoted as saying by local media.
Sin-Maldives bilateral relations are at an “all-time high” with the establishment of a cooperative partnership between the countries last year, President Abdulla Yameen has said.
President Xi Jinping in his historic state visit in September invited the Maldives to “journey with China on the high-speed bullet train to progress and prosperity,” President Yameen said in his keynote address at the opening ceremony of the 10th China-South Asia Business Forum yesterday.
“This was an invitation that my people accepted wholeheartedly. We needed no second invitation,” he said.
“With our first class tickets, we have taken our seats in the Maldives’ cabin. We are belted up and awaiting the station master’s signal.”
A ‘Joint Committee on Trade and Economic Cooperation’ was established following the leadership visits in 2014, Yameen noted, and many agreements were signed on tourism, maritime cooperation, defence, and “a number of ambitious infrastructure development programmes.”
Yameen said China’s role in the Maldives’ economic development is “unmistakable” with Chinese visitors accounting for a third of annual tourism arrivals.
“It is also among the highest value and fastest growing markets, with a staggering 92 percent of visitors coming to our serene shores for the first time,” he added.
The Maldives has also become one of the first partners in the Chinese ‘Maritime Silk Route’ initiative and a founding member of the new Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Yameen continued.
“I have always believed that economics and not politics present us with the pragmatic solutions needed to overcome our current development challenges,” he said.
Yameen said he was elected with a “clear mandate to transform the country’s economic fortunes” by creating jobs for youth, restoring macroeconomic stability, and inspiring investor confidence.
China has meanwhile presented to the Maldives and other South Asian countries a “golden opportunity of infrastructure development” through the Silk Road initiative, the AIIB, and joint economic commissions, he said.
The 21st century is the “Century of Asia,” Yameen said, and no Asian country showcases the industry and potential of Asians more than China.
“Transcending from the outdated geopolitics of suspicion and imperialism, China has presented to the world a clear vision of ‘win-win’ cooperation, based on trust, sincerity and support,” he suggested.
“The initiative to jointly build the Belt and Road, embracing the trend toward a multipolar world, economic globalisation, cultural diversity and greater IT application, is designed to uphold the global free trade regime and the open world economy in the spirit of regional cooperation.”
The Maldives and other South Asian countries can be beneficiaries of the the initiative and “can look forward to all-dimensional, multi-tiered and composite connectivity networks, and the realisation of diversified, independent, balanced and sustainable development.”
Development projects
Many of the government’s planned ‘mega projects’ are benefiting from Chinese support and assistance, Yameen said, adding that civil works on the construction of a bridge connecting Malé and its suburb Hulhumalé – to be called the “China-Maldives Friendship Bridge” – will begin at the end of the year.
He added that “a major portion of the airport development will also bear the hallmark of Chinese cooperation.”
During his ongoing visit, President Yameen met Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao on Thursday and signed an agreement on carrying out the feasibility survey for the bridge project with Chinese grant aid.
Other development projects, such as a link road in Laamu atoll and a social housing programme, are also being carried out by “Chinese contractors with Chinese funding.”
“The outlook is bright for the Maldives. Investor confidence in the country is today at an unprecedented and previously unattained level,” he said.
“We are implementing a number of strategic measures to entice major investors to the Maldives, including some of China’s largest overseas contractors and investors. We have recently passed a Special Economic Zones Act, which gives new incentives for large-scale investment projects.”
An investor forum is due to take place later this year in Beijing, Yameen noted, and the government hopes to promote its future development projects “while tapping into the vast trade and investment potential offered to South Asia by the Chinese government.”
“Furthermore, the ongoing dialogue to establish a Free Trade Area with China and expanding the trade benefits that we enjoy with India through the SAFTA mechanism of SAARC will further enhance the investment potential of the Maldives, especially in the trading and shipping sectors,” he said.
The government has restricted visitation rights for imprisoned ex-President Mohamed Nasheed to his wife, children and parents, the former president’s office has revealed.
The opposition leader’s siblings and members of his extended family were previously allowed to visit him at the high-security Maafushi jail.
“Today’s arbitrary change was announced suddenly and does not seem to be a reflection of any established procedures or regulations governing the Maldives Correctional Service,” the former president’s office said in a statement.
It added that an official from the Maafushi informed the family of the restrictions in a phone call to a non-family member.
“These changes come at a time where President Nasheed’s lawyers were denied their weekly visit – without rationale – on Wednesday, and while it has been over a month since he has been denied a MRI scan recommended by doctors at Maafushi health centre and the military clinic in Malé,” the statement continued.
“The MRI can only be done in Malé and the authorities denied him the scan even though they brought him to Malé on 22 May.”
The home ministry’s media coordinator Thazmeel Abdul Samad and prisons officials were unavailable for comment.
The former president was found guilty of terrorism in March over the detention of a judge during his tenure and sentenced to 13 years in prison. The 19-day rushed trial was widely criticised over its apparent lack of due process.
The home ministry has previously said prisoners are only allowed a visit once a month.
Nasheed’s lawyer Hassan Latheef told Minivan News today that the legal team was previously allowed daily visits, but the home minister later restricted the visits to once a week.
After visiting the former president every Wednesday for three weeks, Latheef said the lawyers were informed via a phone call yesterday that the weekly visit has been cancelled.
Authorising visits from the lawyers now appears to be at the discretion of prison officials, Latheef said.
Latheef at the time expressed concern with the home minister’s knowledge of confidential meetings between lawyers and a client.
“We fear that the meeting areas may be bugged,” he said.
In his reply to the home minister, Latheef noted that were also communicating with the former president’s international legal team and providing documentation for a petition at the UN working group of arbitrary detention.
Former first lady Laila Ali lodged the petition in April requesting a judgment declaring Nasheed’s detention arbitrary and illegal.
The opposition is planning to hold a third mass protest tomorrow (June 12).
The family of Adhaalath Party president Sheikh Imran Abdulla’s family have accused the government of attempting to weaken him physically and psychologically, while under police custody.
The criminal court last week ordered police to hold Imran in pre-trial detention until the conclusion of his terrorism trial.
Imran, who has diabetes, was brought to the AMDC clinic in Malé on Wednesday. He was also taken to see a doctor on Tuesday and on the night of June 7 as well.
The home ministry has not yet responded to queries regarding Imran’s health.
In a meeting with senior citizens on Sunday night, the president pledged to send 142 pilgrims to Hajj this year on government expenses. But president’s office spokesperson Ibrahim Muaz Ali told local media two days later that the president’s remarks were misunderstood.
Muaz said the president had not pledged to cover the expenses for 142 pilgrims but to secure placements for 142 senior citizens through the government-owned Hajj Corporation.
“The main essence of the president’s remarks is that the government will give the necessary attention and care fully for senior citizens going to Hajj,” he was quoted as saying by Haveeru.
But President Yameen had said that the government would “facilitate the opportunity for 142 people to go to Hajj under free government aid”. The number could increase manifold if the economy improves and stability prevails, he said.
He noted that many senior citizens could not afford to perform the pilgrimage.
The MDP meanwhile said in a statement yesterday that the party is “extremely concerned that the president gathered senior citizens and told a big lie in front of them regarding the holy Hajj worship”.
“We are equally concerned about [Muaz] saying that it was senior citizens who were confused after President Yameen told such a big lie,” he said.
The MDP appealed to the president not to “diminish the dignity and respect” of senior citizens.
President Yameen also said Saudi Arabia had increased the Hajj quota for the Maldives from 1,000 to 2,000 this year and that the government is working to sponsor more Maldivians to perform the pilgrimage.
Last year, the Hajj Corporation reached the limit of its quota of 370 slots while hundreds were in line to register. Police later assisted in dispersing the crowds of would-be pilgrims in the queue.
Each pilgrim needs to pay MVR 69,965 (US$4,537) to the Hajj Corporation. Those who have previously performed the Hajj pilgrimage are not eligible to apply via the state corporation.
Amendments passed today to the Employment Act excludes Muslim migrant workers from a Ramadan bonus, but state employees will now receive an increased payout of MVR3,000 (US$194).
Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) MP Mohamed Ali had proposed changing the mandatory Ramadan bonus from one-third of the monthly salary to a flat rate of MVR3,000 for all Muslim workers in the Maldives.
The 2008 employment law previously entitled all Muslim workers in the Maldives to a sum no less than one-third of their monthly salary for the month of fasting, with a minimum of MVR2,000 (US$129) and a maximum of MVR10,000 (US$645).
But the amendments approved today leave it to the discretion of employers in both the public and private sectors to pay the Ramadan bonus to Muslim migrant workers. If employers opt to pay the bonus, expatriate workers must also be paid MVR3,000.
The amendment bill was proposed to equalise the Ramadan allowance as staff in higher paying jobs receive a significantly higher bonus.
The Dhuvafaru MPs’ bill was also changed to exempt the private sector from the new rule for a year.
Private businesses will have to pay the MVR3,000 bonus to Maldivian employees for next year’s Ramadan.
The bill was passed unanimously with 60 votes in favour at today’s sitting of parliament. Main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MPs also voted in favour of the bill.
During today’s debate, some MDP MP objected to excluding Muslim migrant workers from receiving the allowance.
MP Eva Abdulla contended that the move amounts to “discrimination” against foreign workers, noting that the majority of Bangladeshi workers in the Maldives were Muslims.
On social media, Human Rights Commission of Maldives vice president Ahmed Tholal also said that excluding expatriate Muslims “goes against the principles of non-discrimination and equality.”
Several pro-government MPs, however, defended the changes, arguing that expatriates are not entitled to the same benefits as the local population in most other countries.
The arguments to exclude expatriates are so unbelievable. Especially when we are talking about a religious duty….
There are some 124,000 migrant workers in the Maldives. A sizeable percentage comes from Muslim-majority Bangladesh.
PPM MP Jameel Usman’s proposal to make the Ramadan bonus to expatriates discretionary was passed unanimously with 55 votes in favour.
MDP MP Mohamed Abdul Kareem had proposed paying MVR5,000 as the Ramadan bonus for all Maldivian employees, but his amendment was defeated 42-13 during today’s sitting.
During the debate on the amendments last week, both pro-government and opposition MPs expressed concern with private businesses having to raise additional funds to pay the mandatory MVR3,000 with Ramadan just over a week away.
MP Ahmed Nihan, parliamentary group leader of the PPM, announced plans to equalise the Ramadan bonus last month.
Nihan said at the time that MVR36 million (US$2.3million) in extra funding would be needed to increase the Ramadan allowance for all state employees. The current budget for Ramadan allowance stands at MVR92 million (US$5.9million).
Statistics published by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) shows almost half of the country’s 24,742 civil servants are paid less than MVR4,999 (US$ 324) a month.
The parliament today accepted for consideration a constitutional amendment proposing an age limit of 30 to 65 years for the president and vice president.
Government-aligned MP Mohamed Ismail’s bill has fuelled speculation of President Abdulla Yameen planning to replace Vice President Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed with tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb, who is now 33 and ineligible for the position.
Presidential candidates must be 35 years of age, according to the constitution.
Dismissing the “rumours” last month, Adeeb told Minivan News that he has “no interest at this stage.”
Presenting the bill to parliament today, MP Ismail said its purpose is “facilitating opportunities for youth.” The Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) MP said he proposed the 65-year cap as the president should be “young, intelligent, daring, active, and energetic.”
He noted that 65 years is the retirement age in the Maldives. A 70-year-old or 80-year-old would find it difficult to fulfil the responsibilities of the office, Ismail contended.
A three-quarters majority or 64 votes will be needed to amend the constitution. The Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and coalition partner MDA controls 48 seats in the 85-member house.
The ruling coalition will need the backing of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) or Jumhooree Party (JP) MPs to pass the amendment.
Several JP MPs voted in favour of the bill.
If passed, the amendment will bar JP leader Gasim Ibrahim from contesting the next presidential election. The business tycoon will be 66 in 2018.
During the preliminary debate today, opposition MPs argued that it should be up to the public to decide whether a presidential candidate is too young or old for the presidency.
MP Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, parliamentary group of the MDP, said he favoured lowering the age limit to 18 years, but objected to the 65-year age limit.
MDP MP Imthiyaz Fahmy said the constitution should not be amended to serve the interests of an individual. But PPM MPs denied that the amendment was “tailor-made” for Adeeb.
JP MP Ali Hussain said constitutional amendments should only be proposed after reaching a consensus among political parties. No democratic country has an upper age limit for the president, he said.
MP Ahmed Nihan, parliamentary group leader of the PPM, said the majority party will decide its stance following discussions, but said he personally supported it. Other pro-government MPs also backed the amendments in their “individual capacity.”
PPM MP Abdul Raheem Abdulla said amending the constitution might be necessary “under some circumstances” to allow the president to replace a “disloyal” vice president.
“I’m not saying at all that we are trying to bring a particular person to the vice presidency. But if it has to be done, the PPM parliamentary is ready,” he said.
Last month, newspaper Haveerusuggested that the ruling coalition might also amend the constitution to authorise the president to appoint or dismiss his deputy.
The relationship between President Abdulla Yameen and Dr Jameel is reportedly under strain. His cousin, Mohamed Maleeh Jamal, was dismissed from the cabinet last month. The government did not provide a reason for the dismissal.
Environmental organisations, state agencies, and marine enthusiasts gathered in the Vilimalé beach this weekend for a unique environment festival aimed at educating and informing the public about conserving coral reef ecosystems.
The ‘1 National Coral Revival’ festival – the first of its kind – was organised by Vilimalé-based NGO Save the Beach as part of an awareness campaign about its reef rehabilitation and monitoring programme.
Amid a backdrop of live music by local artists, the event featured coral planting, information sessions and talks at an “awareness tent,” food stalls, diving lessons, free water sports, and guided snorkelling.
The festival was planned to coincide with World Environment Day on Friday, but kicked off a day late due to stormy weather. Environment minister Thoriq Ibrahim and tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb attended the opening ceremony on Saturday.
Students, teachers, and parents with their children visited the festival and participated in interactive activities.
The UNDP offered a “nature walk” while the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme gave presentations about the largest fish in the sea. NGOs such as the Olive Ridley Project, marine consultancy company Seamarc, and marine biologists from several resorts shared information about environmental initiatives.
Fathmath Thanzeela from Save the Beach said participatory activities such as coral planting were intended to give “a sense of ownership” and encourage engagement.
“What we hoped to achieve is a demonstration project so that we can share knowledge and build capacity of other NGOs,” she said.
A core message from the festival is the importance and vulnerability of the reef ecosystem in Vilimalé.
A coral reef is “very delicate and takes thousands of years to grow,” Thanzeela said, and coral planting is not a viable solution for rebuilding a devastated reef.
Coral planting is intended to “beautify and boost biodiversity,” she said.
Save the Beach started a coral nursery in Vilimalé last year with coral colonies rescued from a reclamation site in Hulhumalé.
Photo from Save the Beach
As Malé does not have a natural beach, Thanzeela noted that the Vilimalé beach is used by the one-third of the Maldivian population that resides in the capital.
“We owe it to the next generation to preserve this beach,” she said.
Thanzeela said the public response to the festival was positive and expressed gratitude to business partners who “wholeheartedly contributed to the cause”.
“There were about 70 people ‘try diving,’ close to 200 people who planted corals in the shallow, and lots of people did water sports,” she said.
The public support suggested that “people’s minds are opening up,” she said, and a conservation ethic would follow when “people become friendlier with the sea.”
Coco Island resort marine biologist, Nathaniel Stephenson, said the festival brought together “organisations with the same moral core conservation ethic” in one place to network and share ideas.
“But most importantly, to educate the local people, the local community, and I think it’s really done that well, mixing music with awareness, making it fun and accessible as well,” he said.
Photo from Save the Beach
The festival
The Project Damage Control stall challenged visitors to sort garbage under general waste, organic trash, paper, or recyclables.
Visitors were also asked to guess the time it takes for plastic bottles, glass, and aluminium cans to decay.
“We want to spread awareness through a challenge. When you throw out trash, there are recyclable items and there are separate bins for that,” said Ihusan Abdul Muhsin.
Most visitors guessed right but stumbled on the biodegradation timelines, expressing surprise with the one million years it takes for glass to decompose.
The message: “When you throw a plastic bottle to the sea, it takes 450 years to degrade and it destroys corals,” said Ihusan.
In its stall, Manta Trust, a UK-based charity, showcased its work in identifying manta rays with photos of the unique pattern of spots on its underside.
Ibrahim Lirar said Marine Trust has more a catalogue of than 3,000 “photo IDs” of individual manta rays.
“We need more events like this, more platforms, so we can talk about the conservation of our environment. The current situation is very dire. The skipjack tuna catch is dropping. 2007 was the peak. We’re now catching the same number of tuna we caught in 1999 with today’s technology and fishing power,” Lirar said.
Dr Shamha Abdulla Hameed, dean of the faculty of marine studies at Villa College, suggested that the festival should be held at least once a year.
“You get to do a lot of networking. And everybody sees that there are a lot of people involved in this area of work,” she said.
Some parents are unaware of the job opportunities for marine science graduates, she observed, noting that most resorts have dive masters, water sports assistants, and a marine conservation centre with interns earning US$400 a month.
The UNDP meanwhile offered a nature walk with a guide explaining the environmental benefits of than 40 species of plants in Vilimalé. Some trees act as wind barriers and help to prevent coastal erosion.
“Usually we just give information in stalls about projects, which is not very interactive. So we came up with something that might involve them and make them passionate about the environment,” said Abdulla Adam, who took visitors on a tour across the island.
Mohamed Shimal from the Marine Research Centre said its stall emphasised the economic value of coral reefs to the Maldives – which are essential for the sustainability of the fisheries and tourism industries – and explained the damage that humans could cause to the fragile ecosystems.
The centre offered drawings of fish and corals to children for colouring with environmental messages on the back.
“For example, don’t harm corals when you swim because it grows very slowly. And don’t throw plastic bags in the sea because it suffocates corals and turtles also die after eating it,” Shimal said.
President Abdulla Yameen has pledged to write off fines accumulated for traffic violations and illegal parking.
Speaking at a function with youth supporters last night, Yameen observed that the fines for some motorcycles impounded at the tow yard has reached up to MVR80,000 (US$5,188), which most youth were unable to afford.
“We have submitted a bill to the People’s Majlis to write off debt or arrears built up like this. So from the day this bill passes, those youth will no longer be in debt,” he declared to loud cheers.
Yameen said the pro-government majority will pass amendments to the land transportation law before Ramadan or during the current session of parliament.
MP Ahmed Nihan, parliamentary group leader of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), had revealed last month that President Yameen was considering writing off traffic fines.
The capital does not have the parking capacity for the increasing number of motorcycles, Nihan said, and many young people owed money to the state as fines for illegal parking.
According to a 2011 report by the Environment Protection Agency, one in six residents of the capital own a motorcycle.
The president made the pledge during a “meeting with youth” at the carnival area of Malé. President’s office spokesperson Ibrahim Muaz Ali told Minivan News yesterday that the event was arranged for the president to share information about his youth-related programmes “and for the youth to share their views straight with the president.”
Yameen’s 2013 presidential campaign had focused heavily on youth empowerment with pledges to create 94,000 jobs and build futsal pitches and sports arenas across the country.
The opposition has, however, accused the government of failing to fulfil its pledges, imprisoning opposition leaders to pave the way for autocratic rule, and maintaining illicit connections with criminal gangs. The government denies the allegations.
“Greener pastures”
In his speech last night, Yameen said youth were “neglected,” used as “weapons” by politicians, and had fallen prey to drug abuse before he assumed office in November 2013.
The current administration was elected with the support of youth, he continued, who voted for housing, jobs, and sports facilities.
Yameen urged young people in remote islands to migrate to the reclaimed island of Hulhumalé, which the government is planning to develop as a ‘Youth City’ with the capacity of housing three-fourths of the country’s population.
Youth must abandon small islands that lack economic prospects or job opportunities, he advised, and move to “greener pastures.”
If 85 percent of the government’s targeted 94,000 jobs are filled by youth, Yameen said they would be able to afford rent or mortgage payments for the new housing units to be built in Hulhumalé.
He vowed that construction on the Malé-Hulhulé bridge will begin this year.
“Then even [opposition Maldivian Democratic Party supporters] will also go for rides on the dream bridge between Malé and Hulhumalé,” he said.
Plans for youth empowerment include the ‘Get Set’ youth entrepreneurship programme and “integrated tourism” projects aimed for small and medium-sized businesses, he said.
Yameen said young entrepreneurs who were previously excluded from the lucrative tourism industry due to high barriers of entry will be able to invest in one component of the ‘guesthouse island projects,’ such as water sports or restaurants.
The government is also planning to privatise rehabilitation centres as part of its efforts to “redeem” drug addicted youth.
Yameen urged youth to “say no” to those who encouraged them to commit crimes.
Maldivian youth is the “dynamo of the engine of the Maldivian state” and the “development partners” of the current administration, Yameen said.
“If you want to want to carry this partnership forward, the basis of the bond or contract that is established is sincerity. Both sides must fulfil what they agree to do,” he said.
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