Author: Ahmed Naish

PPM vows to defend “national heroes” who destroyed Pakistani SAARC monument

Protesters who toppled and then set fire to the controversial Pakistani SAARC monument in Hithadhoo, Addu City, are “national heroes”, the Progressive Party of Maldives has said, vowing to “do everything we can” to defend those arrested for attacking the allegedly “idolatrous” monument.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Mohamed Waheed Ibrahim ‘Wadde’, lawyer of PPM figurehead and former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, said the party would provide legal assistance for the two men arrested for toppling the monument last week.

After a group of people set the monument on fire Monday night, the top half of the monument, containing a bust of Pakistan’s founder Mohamed Ali Jinah with an Islamic crescent moon symbol, was stolen last night, police have confirmed.

Waheed meanwhile contended at yesterday’s press conference that the monument was “illegal” and erected in violation of the constitution.

“No one should give any room to consider any kind of act against Islam lawful,” he said. “Even if it’s the People’s Majlis or any other state institution, no law that conflicts the religion of Islam can be made in the Maldives.”

The arrest of those who toppled and vandalized the monument was therefore “questionable,” Waheed continued, insisting that the arrests were “unlawful” as they were opposing “something the government did in violation of the constitution.”

Speaking at the press conference, MP Dr Afrashim Ali argued that damaging a monument erected in violation of the constitution and law could not be an illegal act.

Afrashim also contended that the ostensibly pagan symbols on the monument amounted to denial of the oneness of God, the central belief of monotheism.

“The most clear and important sign of a people’s shirk [denial of God] is erecting idols,” he explained, adding that displaying “idols” in the Maldives was “most definitely haram [forbidden].”

Afrashim claimed that the monument was “proof that President [Mohamed] Nasheed encourages the spread of other religions [in the Maldives].”

“We have always been saying he has been trying to introduce other religions in the country,” he said. “He has tried to freely sell alcohol in the country. He has also appealed to MPs to not include Islamic punishments in the law.

Meanwhile the religious conservative Adhaalath Party sent a letter to the Prosecutor General yesterday requesting the office to look into the matter and prosecute those responsible for erecting the monument.

The party claimed that the monument was erected by the government under a “plan to defile the beloved citizens of Addu and the beloved citizens of Pakistan.”

In a press statement on Sunday, Adhaalath Party called on the authorities to “immediately release” those arrested for toppling the monument.

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Three arrested over assault of MP Amir

Three suspects have been arrested for allegedly assaulting Independent MP Ahmed Amir last week and handing him to police semi-naked after accusing him of an extra-marital affair.

Amir was severely beaten in the early hours of Thursday morning in a house in Maafanu ward by a group claiming they found him with with a married woman. The MP is currently undergoing treatment in Sri Lanka.

Newspaper Haveeru reported that the suspects were two women and a man from the house where Amir was assaulted. According to the local daily, one of the women was the one the MP was having the alleged extra-marital affair with.

Police confirmed that the three were arrested under a court warrant and had their detention extended by the Criminal Court.

The MP for Kudahuvadhoo told police that he was on his motorcycle near Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital when a group grabbed him, took him inside a room and assaulted him.

The attackers reportedly ripped Amir’s trousers and stole his wallet and two mobile phones before turning him in to police around 5am Thursday morning. Police borrowed a jeans from the house to clothe the MP before taking him to the station for questioning.

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Pakistan’s ‘idolatrous’ SAARC monument set ablaze by protesters

A group of people in Hithadhoo, Addu City, have set fire to the allegedly “idolatrous” Pakistani monument erected for the SAARC summit in the early hours of the morning.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam confirmed that the incident occurred before dawn today, and the perpetrators escaped before police arrived at the scene.

It is believed that the group threw objects lit with petrol and burnt one side of the monument, Shiyam explained, adding that no arrests have been made yet and police are investigating the act of arson.

According to an eyewitness in the Hithadhoo Power Park restaurant last night, which is located next to the monument, a group of people first attempted to torch the monument using petrol around 11pm.

However, their attempts were unsuccessful and the fires were quickly put out by Hithadhoo residents at the area.

SAARC Pakistani monument
Photo from Dhiislam website

Meanwhile, two young men who toppled the monument during an earlier protest led by members of opposition parties last Wednesday remain in custody, facing charges of damage to private property.

The protesters contended that the monument featured “idols and objects of worship” and demanded it be taken down.

The monument, which features engraved symbols of ancient civilisation of Pakistan and a bust of the country’s founder Mohamed Ali Jinah, had been removed by the Addu City Council last Tuesday night but was replace back on its plinth with a cover ahead of Thursday’s unveiling ceremony.

Monuments representing the eight SAARC nations were erected across Addu City and unveiled by heads of state and government during the summit.

A large crowd of Hithadhoo residents gathered for the official unveiling by Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, after which they took photographs in front of the monument.

A member of the Pakistani delegation at the unveiling ceremony explained to Minivan News that the monument represented artifacts of the ancient Indus Valley civilisation and were not specifically religious symbols.

Following the first attempt to vandalise the monument, a second member of the Pakistani delegation told Minivan News that they approached the Foreign Ministry over the incident but was informed by an official that it had not occurred, and was a rumour spread by the opposition.

Foreign Minister Ahmed Naseem said yesterday that the delegation had not expressed concern to the Foreign Ministry, and noted that besides prosecuting those responsible for the damage, there was “little we can do.”

The attacks on the monument, said Naseem, had been instigated by people with “strange ideas”. He observed that there were statues of Buddhas in the National Museum in Male’. “Some people are not happy, but I’m not too excited about it,” he said.

“Illegal”

Hithadhoo Councillor Hussein Hilmy explained that the monument was “designed and built by Pakistan”, and that the City Council had helped erect the monument.

Islamic Minister Dr Abdul Majeed Abdul Bari was not responding at time of press and officials at the ministry did not respond to inquiries today. Bari however told local media last week that the monument was “illegal” as it “represented objects of worship of other religions.”

Bari said he had discussed the matter with the Pakistani High Commission and requested it be taken down at the end of the summit.

Meanwhile, Adhaalath Party President Sheikh Imran Abdulla told Minivan News today that the monument “should not be kept on Maldivian soil for a single day” and “should be removed immediately.”

SAARC Pakistani monument“We believe it conflicts with the constitution of the Maldives, the Religious Unity Act of 1994 and the regulations under the Act,” he said.

The monument was “illegal” because it depicted “objects of worship” that “denied the oneness of God,” he explained.

Imran contended that the engravings on the monument represented objects of worship for “a lot of other religions.”

The religious conservative party has asked the Prosecutor General’s Office today to take legal action, he revealed.

In a statement condemning the “idolatrous” monument, the Adhaalath Party’s Hithadhoo branch claimed that “no Maldivian of sound mind” would allow idols or iconography of other religions to be erected in the country.

The Pakistani monument was “part of efforts by adversaries of Islam to turn the faith that Maldivians embraced 900 years ago upside down,” the statement reads.

The party noted that under section six of the religious unity regulations, public displays of “symbols or slogans belonging to a religion other than Islam” were illegal, and called on those responsible for erecting the monuments to be “brought before the law protecting religious unity.”

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“India will be at your side”: Dr Manmohan Singh addresses parliament

Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh pledged support at parliament yesterday for the Maldives’ democratic transition through financial assistance and bilateral initiatives for development, becoming the first foreign head of state or government to address the legislative body in its 78-year history.

The Indian Prime Minister was greeted with a ceremonial welcome in Male’ for his first official state visit after the conclusion of the 17th SAARC summit in Addu City on Friday.

“India will be at your side in your transition to a fully functioning democracy,” Singh declared at the special sitting of the People’s Majlis. “We will assist the Majlis by way of training, formulation of rules and regulations and any other assistance that you may desire.”

The Speaker of the Lob Shaba, the lower house of the Indian parliament, is due to visit the Maldives, Singh noted, while the formation of India-Maldives parliamentary friendship groups “augur well for the development of relations between our two parliaments.”

Prior to his historic address before parliament, the Indian Prime Minister signed five agreements under a ‘Framework for Cooperation in Development’ with President Mohamed Nasheed after official bilateral talks at the President’s Office.

“This is a blueprint for cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, food security, fisheries development, tourism, transportation, information technology, new and renewable energy, communications and enhancing connectivity by air and sea,” Singh said in his address.

In addition to a US$40 million line of credit to construct housing units, India extended a credit facility of US$100 million to help the Maldives “meet its short-term budgetary needs” and import essential commodities.

India extended similar financial assistance in December 2008 to plug the fiscal deficit and in the following year subscribed to US$100 million in treasury bonds. The new loan is to be used to settle Rf4.76 billion in T-bill sales sold through the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) by April 30, 2012.

US$30 million of the credit facility was issued on October 31 by the Indian government.

As part of the aid programme, said Singh, India will undertake “a major renovation” to be completed by 2013 of the India Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) in Male’, the main referral hospital in the Maldives.

The Prime Minister noted that Indian companies were engaged in infrastructure projects in the Maldives and wished to “forge closer economic links through banking and financial institutions” and “cooperate in the modernisation of your fishing and food processing industry.”

Among the agreements signed yesterday was the inception of a regular passenger cum cargo ferry service between Cochin and Male’ and the development of a regional port in Kulhudhufushi, the main population hub of the north.

Interlinked security interests

On global warming and climate change, Singh said India understood the threat Maldives faced from rising sea levels and shared its concerns.

“I wish to state in no uncertain terms that India will stand as one with Maldives in combating global warming. Maldives’ views must be heard with respect in global councils,” he said.

“We will help Maldives to achieve its aim of becoming carbon neutral. We will help build your capacities through sharing of energy efficiency technologies and provide scholarships for students from Maldives in areas such as coastal zone adaptation and management.”

On the “extended neighbourhood” of the Indian Ocean and shared security concerns, Singh noted that “over 97 percent of India’s international trade by volume and 75 percent by value passes through the Indian Ocean.”

“The challenges we face are well known – extremism and religious fundamentalism, piracy, smuggling and drug trafficking to name a few. Maldives is additionally concerned about poaching in the coral reefs and illegal commercial fishing by foreign trawlers. We have together experienced the devastation caused by the tsunami in 2004,” Singh observed.

As part of a “multi-pronged approach” to dealing with the problems, India has pledged to support the construction of a police academy in the Maldives while agreements were signed for cooperation in combating terrorism, drug trafficking, disaster management, coastal security, and transfer of sentenced prisoners.

The Indian Prime Minister also congratulated President Nasheed and his administration for “the outstanding manner in which the [SAARC] Summit was organised,” a conference that has helped “further consolidate the process of regional integration in South Asia.”

Singh praised the “impressive strides in nation-building” the Maldives has made since independence in 1965, with the highest socio-economic indicators and progress on Millennium Development Goals in the South Asia region.

“You have chosen the path of democracy, freedom and respect for human rights. You have shown how even a small nation can stand up and be counted in the affairs of the world,” he said.

“I am confident that the people of Maldives will continue to consolidate their achievements. As an abiding friend, India will always stand by you in these efforts. Our relations are time-tested and I wish to reaffirm that they shall remain so in the future.”

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Handcuffed corpse found off Vaavu Fohthela

A handcuffed corpse with injuries was found in the sea near the island of Fohthela in Vaavu Atoll yesterday, police have said.

Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam told Minivan News today that the body appeared to have been in the water “for a long time” and was found handcuffed.

As the man was not circumcised and based on appearance, complexion and size, said Shiyam, police believed it was a foreigner.

“We believe he might have been killed because of the injuries, and the body is being kept at the mortuary [in the Galolhu cemetery] for investigation,” he said.

A crowd of people gathered outside the Galolhu cemetery around 11pm last night while the opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) called for a post-mortem to be conducted.

“We allowed a member from each media to see the body” to clarify rumors, said Shiyam, but added that media members were asked to turn off their phones and cameras.

Newspaper Haveeru reported that severe injuries were visible on the left ankle and the left arm of the corpse.

After allowing journalists into the mortuary to observe the body, police reportedly used pepper spray to disperse the protesters.

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Protesters knock over “idolatrous” Pakistani SAARC monument

A group of protesters on Wednesday night knocked over the SAARC monument designed by Pakistan, during a demonstration over that “idolatrous” carvings engraved on the monument.

The monument, which was erected at Hithadhoo in Addu City ahead of the SAARC Summit and features pagan symbols of ancient civilisation of Pakistan and a bust of the country’s founder Mohamed Ali Jinah, was removed by the Addu City Council on Tuesday night but placed back with a cover the next day ahead of today’s unveiling ceremony.

An eyewitness to Wednesday night’s incident told Minivan News that two men from the protesting group ran up to the monument near the Power Park in Hithadhoo and knocked it over.

One of the men was reportedly taken into custody. A police media official in Addu City however could not confirm the arrest but said the incident was being investigated.

The eyewitness claimed the group was led by an opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) member, who tried to restrain the protesters.

The group was protesting the engravings of pagan symbols, he explained, which they contended could be considered objects of worship and demanded its immediate removal.

He added that there were two police officers stationed at the monument when it was knocked over, who were later reinforced by riot police. The monument was placed back and covered shortly after the incident.

Opposition parties, including the religious conservative Adhaalath Party, have condemned the government for over the incident and accused the current administration of pursuing an agenda to introduce freedom of religion in the Maldives.

Meanwhile, two opposition MPs were arrested last night at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport while attempting to take down SAARC banners featuring allegedly Christian imagery.

The monument, designed and approved by the Pakistani government, was officially unveiled by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani at 6pm today. A sizable crowd of Hithadhoo residents gathered at the area with Maldivians and Pakistani flags and took photographs after the event.

Monuments representing the culture and religion of the eight SAARC nations have been placed across Addu City for the summit, which were unveiled by the heads of state and government over the past two days.

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Council of Foreign Ministers agrees to inaugurate Indian Ocean ferry service

The Council of Foreign Ministers concluded its meeting today, with a draft of the SAARC declaration to be sent for approval by Heads of State and Government on Friday.

The Ministers “reached a consensus” on the main agenda items, Foreign Minister Ahmed Naseem said today.

Speaking to press at the Equatorial Convention Center (ECC) in Addu City, Naseem, who chaired the meeting, explained that the draft proposed by the Maldives was endorsed by the foreign ministers with some amendments while the format has been “completely changed” from previous summits.

“We have very swiftly concluded our deliberations at the foreign minister’s council,” he said. “We have reached consensus on all the main agenda items we deliberated on. There’s obviously certain issues that will be discussed by the heads of state.”

Among the decisions made today, said Naseem, the council agreed to inaugurate an ‘Indian Ocean Cargo and Passenger Ferry Service’ before the end of the year.

The council agreed to conduct feasibility studies and submit proposals in six months, he added.

On the South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA), Naseem said the foreign ministers were in agreement that cross-border free trade and connectivity were “the most important issues for SAARC today.”

“The theme for SAARC this year is building bridges,” he said. “We believe that through these bridges we can improve the lot for the people in the SAARC region.”

Naseem observed that the implementation of the regional free trade agreement had been “delayed over the years,” adding that the council decided to “re-emphasize” the importance of implementation.

“Domestic issues” were an impediment to successful implementation, he suggested, and the Maldives as chair would be seeking consensus at the next foreign minister’s meeting due to take place in six months.

The foreign ministers also decided to hold next year’s SAARC Trade and Tourism Fairs in Kulhudhufushi in Haa Dhaal Atoll, Naseem revealed, which is the largest population hub to the north of the capital Male’.

The council also deliberated “strengthening the administrative framework of SAARC” to improve its functions, he said, including granting “more powers to the SAARC secretariat.”

“As Maldives is the chair, we feel that without strengthening the secretariat, progress we make in SAARC will always be hampered by administrative difficulties,” he said, adding that studies would be undertaken to identify reforms.

Asked if China had proposed becoming a member of SAARC, Naseem said he did not “know if China has requested full membership.”

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Four SAARC agreements to be signed at summit

Four agreements are to be signed among SAARC member nations at the summit on November 10 and 11, chair of the standing committee, Mohamed Naseer, revealed yesterday.

With the exception of an agreement on disaster management, Naseer did not reveal details as the agreements are subject to endorsement or approval by the Council of Foreign Ministers, which has convened today. The council will also consider a draft SAARC declaration prepared by the committee.

Speaking to press after the 39th session of the standing committee, Naseer, permanent secretary at the foreign ministry, said discussions focused on transport and connectivity “to promote greater movement of people, investment and trade in the region.”

The committee also “underscored the need to intensify efforts in the area of poverty alleviation, particularly with regard to the completion of the regional poverty profile from 2009-2010.”

A mid-term review is to be undertaken to evaluate the SAARC goals before the next standing committee meeting in July, he added.

On SAFTA (South Asian Free Trade Agreement), Naseer said the committee agreed to make the tariffs and rules of preference “more attractive than those under the bilateral trade agreement.”

Meanwhile an inter-governmental mechanism is to be set up “to guide the agenda of cooperation in disaster and risk management.”

The committee also decided to expand and institutionalise the annual South Asia Forum “as a platform for the widest possible engagement of stakeholders as a means of promoting ideas so that the SAARC process could be taken to a greater level.”

On a draft regional agreement on promotion and protection of investments, Naseer said the committee had “a very productive discussion” where it was agreed to finalise the agreement before the next meeting in July.

The committee agreed to hold the 12th SAARC Trade Fair and the SAARC Travel and Tourism Fair in the Maldives in 2012, Naseer continued, “so we will be hosting these two fairs hopefully in Addu City.”

On the proposed ‘Indian Ocean Cargo and Passenger Ferry Services,’ Naseer said the committee agreed to undertake feasibility studies before the end of the year “so that the project can start as early as possible next year.”

Meanwhile the committee discussed expediting the application process for the South Asian University to enroll “over 200 students from SAARC countries” next year.

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PPM holds first political rally

The newly-formed Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) held its first major political rally last night with a large number of supporters at artificial beach in Male’, vowing to “enter the presidential palace” in the 2013 presidential election.

Following the completion of the registration process with the Elections Commission (EC) on Sunday and pending verification of over 10,000 membership forms, PPM becomes the third largest party in the Maldives with 13,000 members.

As of October 30, 2011, the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has 47,904 members, followed by opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) with 35,260 and religious conservative Adhaalath Party with 6,140 members.

Speaking at last night’s rally, PPM Registrar Dr Mohamed Saud said the party submitted 13,000 membership forms in 55 days, with the number expected to reach 30,000 by the end of the year.

Dr Saud claimed PPM’s membership would reach over 60,000 in the next six months before its inaugural national congress.

Vili-Maafanu MP Ahmed Nihan told supporters that the new party was “the English version of [first Maldivian President] Mohamed Ameen’s party.”

MP Abdulla Yameen, who has announced his intention to contest the party’s presidential primary, meanwhile said the executive was attempting to grab all powers of the state, accusing the current administration of being incapable of governing under a lawful and democratic system without street activism and “intimidation” of state institutions such as the judiciary.

“I would like to tell the Supreme Court, other courts and independent institutions on behalf of the beloved and honourable PPM members in attendance here, we will definitely be the watchers between you and MDP’s activism,” he said. “We will not allow any harm to come you.”

Yameen also claimed senior leaders of the MDP government were “drenched in the blood of the martyrs” of the November 3, 1988 coup attempt with mercenaries from Sri Lanka.

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