Author: JJ Robinson

“The driver did it” says Reeko Moosa

MP for Hulhu-Henveiru and MDP parliamentary group leader ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik has claimed his driver was bribed to put “cheap alcohol” into his car in an attempt to frame him for the crime.

Last week police arrested four expatriate men loading 168 bottles of whiskey and menthol gin into a car registered to Moosa, on the same day controversial liquor licensing regulations were unveiled by the Ministry of Economic Development.

“My car is not a pickup or a truck,” Moosa said. “Claiming it can fit 168 bottles is unacceptable.”

Moosa was in Singapore when the police arrested the four suspects, including Moosa’s driver.

“I was due to return on the 23rd – the night the incident happened. But that evening I cancelled the flight online because I had to take my wife to the doctors on the 26th. Even my family in Male’ didn’t know that.”

He said he suspected his driver had been “threatened or bribed”, and said the man was no longer in his employ.

Last week DRP Vice President Ibrahim Shareef said he doubted the case “would go very far”, noting that “in the worst case scenario Reeko’s driver will be implicated and that will be the end of the story.”

Moosa however claimed he believed the incident was “politically motivated”, and noted that the television station DhiTV “has been showing the incident non-stop for 24 hours.”

“The last time I was in an advertisement for a liquid was with my brother in a television ad for Sun-Up,” he said, suggesting that he should now be paid royalties for every bottle sold.

“A media channel in this country has used my photo, my car, my family, my children and my name to do business and I want to sue for compensation.”

During his address to an MDP rally on Sunday night, Moosa implied he knew who was responsible for the incident, calling on police to “summon him for an investigation”.

“The country’s economy in the past was in the hands of a few rich businessmen, and they are unhappy that the new government is not giving into their demands,” he said.

“We don’t want this country’s assets in the hands of three or four businessmen.”

Police are currently investigating the incident but have yet to draw any conclusions.

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President appeals to MPs for “cooperation and support”

The president has appealed to opposition parties not to jeopardise the country’s nascent democratic system and put aside partisan politics, in his second presidential address on the opening of parliament.

He warned of the “consequences” should the government be forced to take to safeguard the country’s democratic system against “unlawful actions based on unrealistic hopes”, stating they would be borne “not only by this system of governance, but also by the opposition and we ourselves.”

“I don’t believe that any of us would want for that to happen. The sensible way would be to avoid falling into such personal rivalry and to build essential national foundations,” he said, calling on “the cooperation and support of the honourable Members of the People’s Majlis to transcend political turmoil and differences of thought and ideology.”

Justice

The president also spoke about addressing problems with the judicial system, promising that “this government will work tirelessly to solve the problems of delayed justice when people who are arrested and investigated are not prosecuted.”

He noted that the number of people who were sentenced and had their sentences enforced increased by 69.7 per cent last year compared to 2008, while the percentage of people involved in cases sent for prosecution increased by 88.2 per cent.

He also said the government would “redouble efforts to save generations of youth from strong addiction to
different kinds of hard drugs and free countless Maldivian families from this plague that has caused them so much grief and sorrow.”

He noted that the government had established branches of the prosecutor general’s office in the atolls.

Extremism

The president asked that “beloved citizens who might harbour what might be considered extremist ideas and opinions to be moderate and soften their ways of thinking.”

“I call on all citizens to prioritise friendship and understanding for the harmony and progress of society,” he said.

Decentralisation

The president appealed to MPs for “consideration and support” when he resubmitted amended legislation on decentralisation.

“This nation is in great need of the cooperation of this esteemed Majlis,” he said. “The Government desires to advance the principle of resolving matters through dialogue and deliberation with all political parties. At the moment, we must embark on many endeavours for this nation.

He said the government would also decentralise the country’s sports centres in the country and seek to organise a sea sport festival before 2012.

“In the coming two to four months, several projects are due to be started. I believe that if a framework to resolve issues through dialogue among the different political parties could be constituted, it would provide many benefits for the people.”

Nasheed appealed to the MPs to “talk to the Government so that the bills submitted by the government are speedily passed, even if it should be with amendments.”

Future

Nasheed described the country’s outlook as “very clear, very joyous, as the Maldives passes the stages of consolidating democracy.

“With the grace of God, the government’s continued efforts to provide even more fulfilment and prosperity for the people will result in easing and enriching their lives further this year,” he said.

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Government withdraws controversial new liquor regulations

The government has decided to withdraw controversial new alcohol regulations governing the sale of alcohol on inhabited islands, following a meeting attended by the Maldives Police Service, Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), the Home Affairs Ministry, the Economic Development Ministry, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and several religious scholars.

Last week the Ministry of Economic Development released regulations allowing the sale of alcohol to non-Muslims by hotels on inhabited islands with over 100 beds. The regulations were intended to replace a system of individual liquor licenses issued to expatriates, allowing the private consumption of alcohol.

However the changes were met with a major protest on Friday afternoon organised by senior members of the Islamic Affairs Ministry and Adhaalath party.

“The president has always said he would try to gauge public opinion and sentiment,” said spokesman for the President’s Office Mohamed Zuhair. “It was of major concern to him that a large segment of the public not happy with the new regulations.”

He noted that “a coalition partner” had threatened to “work on bringing down the government” if the regulations had not been rescinded.

He also confirmed that Holiday Inn, believed to have been seeking to acquire a license, had received threats against its premises since the regulations were announced.

Hassan Moosa Fikree, Vice President of Islamic NGO Jamiyyath-al-Salaf campaigning against the regulations, said the decision had generated a “very postive opinion for the government and the president’s promise to listen to the voice of the citizens. That’s why we voted for him.”

Suggestions that the old regulations allowed less control than centralised liquor licensing were “completely false”, he said, explaining that it would have caused a surge in the number of drinking establishments “in a very congested city” if “each and every hotel with more than 100 beds opens a bar.”

Fikree said he did not object to permits for diplomats and foreigners, but rather “pubs and bars in the city.” However,”i n my opinion there shouldn’t be anyone using alcohol except in private by diplomatic people.”

State Minister for Islamic Affairs Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed said he was “pleased with the decision.”

Sheikh Shaheem had claimed he would leave the government along with other senior members of the conservative Adhaalath party if the president has persisted with the regulations, “but as he took the decision he did, there’s no need to talk more about that.”

He agreed with Fikree “that I think it is better if the 826 licenses are cancelled, [and alcohol] is only allowed for official diplomatic delegations.”

Zuhair suggested that the objection was politically motivated by the Adhaalath party “as there is nothing banning the sale of alcohol to non-Muslims.”

He noted that there were 4000 Maldivians living in Colombo in Sri Lanka, “and you don’t see them flocking to bars despite there being one every fourth block.”

“The next step”, Zuhair predicted, “is that Holiday Inn will sue the government because they have invested so much on the understanding they would receive a liquor license. There are so many points they could make.”

Holiday Inn declined to comment.

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Campaign against new alcohol regulations will continue, promise protesters

Demonstrators against the government’s new regulations governing the sale of alcohol on inhabited islands held the first of many planned protests on Friday afternoon.

The protest had been planned for the artificial beach area but was moved to the open space near the tsunami monument due to the Red Bull Street Style football stunt event.

Stallholders along the park estimated the crowd numbered 2000, while newspaper Haveeru reported that it reached 3000-5000.

Spokesman for the NGO coalition against the new alcohol regulations, Mauroof Zakir, said the protesters reached a peak of 5000.

“It was lucky we moved it to the tsunami monument, because we weren’t expecting so many people,” he said.

Many of the men present wore white while women were dressed in black to show their support for the fight against the new regulations, he said.

State Minister for Islamic Affairs and Adhaalath party spokesman Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, one of the leaders of the protest, said he would resign his post in the ministry along with other senior people if the government approved the regulation.

Sheikh Ilyas Hussain also spoke to the protesters, warning that the former government had been changed because it had “walked in the wrong path”.

If the new government also chose the wrong path, he warned, “we might have to work to change the government.”

Zakir reported that the organisers derailed an attempt by a speaker from the People’s Alliance (PA) to politicise the issue by removing the microphone from him.

“There were a lot of MDP activists there,” he said. “Adhaalath is not against the government, we’re just asking the president to remove the regulation.”

He said that yesterday’s protest was “just the beginning”, and that even larger demonstrations would continue if the regulation was approved.

The protest ended for Maghrib prayers at 6pm after a recitation of a ‘dhua’ by Sheikh Ilyas.

The government currently appears to be gauging public sentiment on the issue. The Ministry of Economic Development announced the new regulations would come into effect on 1 March, but the president’s office has responded that they would only apply once gazetted. Late last week President Mohamed Nasheed was reported to be seeking religious advice over the issue.

Meanwhile, security has been stepped up across the city particularly outside the president’s residence and the Holiday Inn, one of the hotels reported to be seeking a liquor license under the new regulations.

The issue has sparked vigorous debate about the country’s relationship with alcohol. Under Islam the use, handling and sale of alcohol are considered ‘haram’ to Muslims, and Article 10(b) of the Maldives’ Constitution states that ‘no law contrary to any tenet of Islam shall be enacted in the Maldives.’

However the country depends heavily on tourism for its economy, particularly resorts which profit from the sale of alcohol. Thus far the resorts have been separated from the definition of an ‘inhabited island’, however the Ministry of Economic development has argued the sale of alcohol to foreigners in these areas is essential to create an environment “conducive to foreign investment”.

Among those opposed to the regulation, the debate has split between those who believe the Maldives should move away from its reliance on an industry that profits from the sale of alcohol, and those who believe a compromise is possible while retaining the country’s national identity.

Minivan News will continue to cover the issue as it unfolds this week, speaking with the key players on both sides of the issue.

Images provided by Maapu

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NGO coalition joins forces with Adhaalath Party in protest against new alcohol regulations

The Adhaalath Party has held a joint press conference with a coalition of NGOs against the sale or use of alcohol on inhabited islands.

State Minister for Islamic Affairs Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, speaking on behalf of the Adhaalath Party, said the message for the government was that ”the consumption and sale of alcohol in a place where Muslims live is unacceptable”, and that the protest would continue until the president invalidated the new regulation.

He suggested that everyone taking part in the protest, which will start at the artificial beach following Asru prayers, should dress in white.

”We will not be violent and we will not call for the resignation of anybody,” he said.

Sheik Adam Naseem said the Prophet (PBUH) had advised all Muslims to stay away from alcohol as it was ”the mother of all the sins”, and said the new regulations made afraid that the country’s teenagers would be led down the wrong path.

The Vice President of Islamic NGO Jamiyyath-al-Salaf, Hassan Moosa Fikree, called on “all the people who love Islam” to take part in the protest.

He said the government had given “a deaf ear” to the organisation’s words and had not responded to any of their letters.

”We cannot be stopped until we achieve what we want,” he said. “In Islam [alcohol] is haram.”

He questioned why the government was trying to “find a loophole” to allow the sale of alcohol on inhabited islands. “Everybody is against it; each and every person,” he said.

Fikree distinguished between inhabited islands and resorts.

“There’s definitely a distinction because resort have regulations,” he said. “Civilians can’t visit resorts regularly any time they want, and there are special rules such as areas of resorts that Maldivians can’t visit. There is a big difference between inhabited islands and resort islands because resorts have regulations and these resorts are especially designed and invented for tourism.”

Permanent Secretary for the Islamic Ministry Mohammed Didi said that while there might “technically” be a problem with resorts profiting from the sale of alcohol, the ministry was not saying anything about the resort businesses.

“For the last 30 years the Maldives has sold alcohol in resort islands. The ministry is not saying anything about the resort businesses, only inhabited islands and the new regulations,” he said.

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Government claims Reeko Moosa alcohol bust was “a set up”

Police are investigating an incident in which 168 bottles of alcohol were discovered last night in a car registered to Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik, on the same day controversial liquor licensing regulations were unveiled by the Ministry of Economic Development.

Sergeant Abdul Muhsin from the Maldives Police Service said four foreigners had been arrested over the incident, including three Sri Lankans and one Indian man. The investigation is ongoing, he noted.

Press Secretary for the President Mohamed Zuhair said he had spoken with police about the incident “and it looks like a set up.”

“Whoever brought that booze out from their warehouse knew it would be confiscated. The brands are not what you would call hot sellers – it was menthol gin and watered-down whiskey.”

Sergeant Muhsin identified the seized bottles as ‘King Roberts’ gin and ‘Muirhead’ whiskey.

Zuhair said he suspect the foreigners had been bribed “and were connected to certain political opponents of Moosa Manik, owing to the fact he is currently in Singapore.”

Adhil Saleem, State Minister for Economics Development, said he believed the incident to be “a very childish attack to damage [Moosa’s] reputation.”

“The same thing happened to me over the allegations I was found in a guest house with bottles of vodka and underage girls,” Adhil said. “This is another attempt to damage a political opponent.”

DRP Vice President Ibrahim Shareef said he was “not surprised” at the case, “but I doubt it will go very far.”

“There have been many similar incidents in the past,” he noted, “and in the worst case scenario Reeko’s driver will be implicated and that will be the end of the story.”

He said he “was sure” the incident was not a set up.

Vice President of the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Umar Naseer said the bottles were connected to Moosa and that last night people had witnessed the actions of “one of the six top drug dealers in the Maldives.”

”Of course the bottles were connected to Moosa,” Umar said. ”How could somebody drive or carry something in his car without his knowledge?”

MP of DRP coalition partner the People’s Alliance (PA) Abdul Azeez Jamal Abu Bakru claimed that Zuhair’s words were not trustworthy and that the bottles must have belonged to Reeko Moosa or someone close to him.

”Why would somebody put the bottles inside Moosa’s car and try and blame him for it while he is not even in the Maldives?” he said.

Azeez added that furthermore he had information that the bottles “were supplied to celebrate the new regulations allowing alcohol on inhabited islands.”

PA Secretary General Ahmed Shareef said he would not comment on the issue.

News of the find is believed to have fuelled additional protests last night over the liquor licensing regulations published by the Ministry of Economic Development. One protest outside Iskandhar Koshi police base was eventually subdued with tear gas.

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DhiFM disciplined over protest coverage

The Department of Information has docked five points from DhiFM’s broadcasting license for eight contract violations, following its coverage of the protest outside the president’s residence on 28 January.

Police accused DhiFM of airing live interviews with people calling for others to join the protest and overthrow the government through violence. DhiFM claimed plain clothed officers entered the station’s premises and demanded the broadcast be terminated, raising the ire of advocates for media freedom.

The content review committee at the Department of Information found that DhiFM’s coverage breached aspects of the code including failing to distinguish between fact and opinion, produce unbiased and balance coverage of controversial/political events, and promoting criminal activities as “something good or acceptable’.

Ameen Faisal, news editor at DhiFM, confirmed the committee had requested a copy of the coverage, and following receipt of a letter informing the station of the findings the board of directors had decided not to comment on the issue.

Following the protest, Independent MP and former Information Minister Mohamed Nasheed explained that while the Maldives’ broadcasting legislation contained details for disciplinary action but was intentionally designed to include hurdles to make it difficult for the government to close a station.

“Broadcast licences are issued for a year and come with 100 points for every six months, much like a driving licence,” he explained.

“[In the event of a complaint] an independent content committee appointed by the [department of information] will act like jury – if the majority agree a maximum of 10 points can be deducted for an offence, and to terminate a broadcast licence the committee must be unanimous.

“Only then can the [department of information] ask police or defence to enforce the order on behalf of the committee.”

Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr Ahmed Ali Sawad, under whose jurisdiction the department of information falls, said the five point deduction amounted to a “symbolic gesture”.

“That was the conclusion of the committee, we do not interfere in the process,” he said. “The contract does not stipulate provision for redress, but we are open to discussion and willing to take it back to the committee.”

Sawad said he believed that “in principle this is not something the executive should be doing. But because there is an existing contract we have to fulfil our duty.”

He said that in the future the issue of government involvement in disciplinary action against broadcasters could be avoided by the creation of an independent media council, a bill currently before the parliament.

The Maldives Journalists Association (MJA) issued a statement condemning the disciplinary action, accusing the government “putting hurdles on the freedom of expression and freedom of press that is guaranteed by the new Constitution to the citizens and press.”

“We see the government’s move to sanction DhiFM as a very low act, which goes against democratic principals and the transparent, caring government they claim to have. Cutting points like this from any media that opposes the government to the point that their license could be cancelled shows disregard for democracy the power the government can wield over media,” the MJA said, calling on international organisations to take action and “not let this government bury and squash this newborn free media.”

In his weekly radio address on Friday, President Mohamed Nasheed said most people did not accept that the media acted responsibly when disseminating or presenting information.

The president said a member of parliament complained to him during the past week when several TV and radio stations had broadcast inappropriate remarks about his parents.

“He asked me why the government isn’t taking any action or why we are not concerned,” he said. “What I have to say is that unless everyone does this responsibly, it will be difficult for us to achieve the kind of progress we want and the kind of media that we want.”

He added that he told the MP to take whatever action he could as the president too did not believe that the comments about the MPs family were appropriate.

DhiFM’s breaches of the broadcasting code, according to the Department of Information:

  • programmes should not portray or promote criminal activities as ‘something good or acceptable’
  • coverage of political stories and current affairs that could be controversial should be unbiased and balanced
  • if doubt is cast on any point of the coverage or if inaccurate information is presented, a retraction/correction must be made at the earliest possible time
  • information must not be presented in a misleading way and ‘[the broadcaster] should stay clear of presenting programmes in a way that could induce anxiety and fear without a valid reason’
  • the broadcaster must distinguish between fact and opinion in their coverage, and both should not be presented together as fact
  • sources of information for news, documentaries and other programmes must be reliable
  • should be mindful of the suffering of victims of tragic incidents and compassionate in presenting their stories
  • respect privacy and be mindful of the rights of children and adolescents
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Hulhumale residents protest against lack of doctors

Hulhumale residents have held a demonstration against a lack of specialist doctors at Hulhumale hospital, reports Miadhu.

MP for Hulhuhenveiru Moosa Maniku told TVM that the health ministry was struggling to attract doctors because of the change in salaries, but added that a volunteer doctor from Britain would arrive later in February.

Moosa also said the hospital was trying to reach a specialist-sharing arrangement with Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH).

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Maldivian students recruited to wage jihad, confirms Vice President

Vice President of the Maldives Dr Mohammed Waheed Hassan has told Indian media that young Maldivians are being recruited by militant groups in Pakistan and Afghanistan to wage ‘jihad’.

The Indian Press Trust (IPT), among others, also reported that Waheed had claimed an increasing number of young Maldivians “are embracing a version of Islam which is more strict than the traditional Islamic values [of the Maldives].”

The vice president is currently visiting India, which recently signalled its willingness to increase defence cooperation after reports that extremist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, believed responsible for the Mumbai attacks in November 2008, was active in the Maldives.

At the time, Indian news portal Rediff.com reported Indian intelligence bureau sources as saying the group had “nearly 1,000 operatives active in the Maldives”.

Indian media reported that Waheed had asked for the country’s assistance in preventing the passage through India of young people suspected to be attending radical institutions.

“Some of these people are going to Pakistan and Afghanistan and are waging jihad. We want these people back,” he told PTI. “These are students and it is very easy for them to say they are going to pursue education.”

Presidential Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair said the vice president’s comments were based on “certain statistics from education authorities, police and Pakistani authorities.”

“This government estimates there are 200-300 unregistered [Maldivian] students in Pakistan,” Zuhair said.

“The government has made a point of checking up on any student travelling to Pakistan and making sure that what recruiters have told their families is accurate, and that the institutions are recognised by the Pakistani government,” he said.

However, “students are leaving the Maldives with the good intentions of obtaining an Islamic education, but are being told to bypass the government’s legislation and monitoring [processes].”

There was a requirement for someone travelling abroad to study to register with the government, he said. “In the latter stages of the previous government [unregistered] students would be brought back once they reach Colombo,” he noted.

The government was developing a range of Islamic scholarship programs for students at registered institutions in countries like India and Malaysia to try and address the issue, Zuhair explained.

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