Author: Ahmed Nazeer

MP Nasheed proposes resolution to determine ‘laws inconsistent with the constitution’

Independent MP Mohamed Nasheed yesterday proposed a resolution in parliament to determine existing laws “inconsistent” with the country’s constitution.

Proposing the bill, Nasheed said that according to the constitution it was a duty of the executive to assemble a list of articles of the constitution inconsistent with the laws within 30 days of commencement of the constitution, and that it was a duty of MPs to amend those laws within 90 days after the inconsistent articles were presented.

MP Nasheed said the government had done its duty and presented a list of laws inconsistent with the constitution and that he regretted the duty of the MPs was still incomplete.

The constitution was established in August 7, 2008.

”After two months, it will be two years from the date we authenticated the constitution,” MP Nasheed said, ”so there is a duty of the parliament unfulfilled, and that’s why I presented this resolution – to complete one of these duties.”

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ahmed Hamza said he supported the resolution presented by MP Nasheed.

”The parliament is the place where have to bow our heads to laws the most,” MP Hamza said, ”therefore, we would have to compete the duties assigned to us under article 299 [of the constitution],”

MP Hamza said that there were many difficulties faced because parliamentarians had failed to complete this task.

”There are some ongoing court trails charged against this constitution,” MP Hamza said. ”Former president [Maumoon Abdul Gayum] has charged some people of my area [Bilehdhoo] over protesting against him during the last presidential elections campaign.”

MP Hamza said that although the parliament had not revoked the laws contradicting articles in the constitution, they would still be void.

”I would like to tell the Police, Prosecutor General’s office, the courts and Anti Corruption Commission that the powers given to them by former laws which are inconsistent with the constitution are all void,” he said.

People’s Alliance (PA) MP Abdul Azeez Jamaal Abubakuru also said he supported the resolution presented by MP Nasheed.

”This resolution should not be debated for long, and all the MPs should accept that this is our duty,” said Jamaal.

”I would like to thank MP Nasheed for presenting this as a resolution and would like to repeat that it is an important issue and should hasten to complete it soon.”

MDP MP and leader of MDP parliamentary group ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik also said he supported the resolution.

”It is not the responsibility of MDP or the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party [DRP] to make laws for the country,” Moosa said. ”It is the responsibility of the parliament.”

”We handed this first to a person called the speaker of the parliament – not to run the whole parliament, but to operate and supervise the administrative duties of the parliament,” Moosa said. ”We never thought that this matter would be raised by the former information minister, instead we feel the speaker and deputy speaker of the parliament should have brought this to our attention.”

He suggested that the MPs should work every day until midnight until the duties mentioned in article 299 were completed.

DRP deputy leader and MP Ali Waheed said that his party would “fully co-operate” with the work.

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Wataniya launches World Cup fantasy league

Mobile provider Wataniya has announced it would launch a fantasy league named ”Wataniya World Cup Fantasy League” for Wataniya customers.

Prizes will be given for winners who participate in the league, which starts on next Friday.

For further information about the Wataniya worldcup fantasy league, customers can either visit Wataniya’s website or dial 929 for Wataniya’s customer helpline.

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MDP MP accuses parliamentarians of ”demolishing the constitution”

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ahmed Hamza has claimed the constitution of the Maldives gives too many powers to parliamentarians, and accused them of ”demolishing” it.

MP Hamza said the constitution narrowed both  presidential power and the power of the judiciary in favour of parliament.

”The powers are split into three so one power can compel another to act with responsibility,” MP Hamza said, ”but today we are seeing something different – we see the parliamentarians trying to take over the presidential powers.”

MP Hamza said the constitution very clearly stated the responsibilities of each power.

”However, the parliamentarians are trying to narrow the presidential powers,” MP Hamza said, ”for instance, some parliamentarians are trying to take the power of proposing names and appointing people for independent commissions, which actually is a power of the president.”

He said that the power of appointing people for the government’s media and Civil Service Commission (CSC) was also sought by the parliament.

He condemned  a bill proposed to the parliament by Independent MP Mohamed Nasheed, which he claimed was trying to take over the power of appointing people for senior posts in the armed forces.

Deputy leader of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Umar Naseer said that what Hamza said was ”certainly true.”

”But he does not mean that DRP MPs, he was speaking about MDP MPs,” Umar said. ”There are such bills proposed by MDP MPs recently, but I can’t recall them immediately.”

Umar said that the presidential powers should be narrowed “because when a sword is given to a silly person, people should establish ways to manage it.”

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Lale Youth International School principal denies assault charges

Former principal of Lale Youth International School, Serkan Akar, appeared in the criminal court yesterday and denied assault and battery charges made against him made by the Prosecutor General’s office.

In the court hearing, Akar denied the accusations and said charges against him were baseless, which included strangling and whipping a child with a belt. The charge sheet noted that two employees witnessed the shoving and heard the child being whipped, during the incident last Ramazan.

Akar’s defense lawyer Abdulla Shair told the judge the charges had many issues, such as no mention of a specific date on which the incident took place.

Deputy Prosecutor General Hussein Shameem said the PG had asked the court to summon the two witnesses.

The Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) is currently compiling a case concerning abuse and other activities at Lale, which were reported by Minivan News last month. Akar has since tried to leave the country twice but was detained by immigration officials, who confiscated his passport.

President of HRCM Ahmed Saleem told Minivan News the Lale case was “very strange” and a “high priority” for the commission. A press conference concerning findings on the matter is imminent, Minivan News has been told.

The acting principal of the school Suleyman Atayev has told Minivan News that he is confident any allegations against the principal will be proven false.

Atayev was also critical of HRCM’s investigation: “They are refusing to tell us the nature of the complaints they are investigating. They are supposed be about human rights but they are not respecting ours.”

The Criminal Court of the Maldives had not responded to Minivan News at time of press.

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MP Muthalib forwards no-confidence motion against education minister

Independent MP Ibrahim Muthalib has forwarded a no-confidence motion against Education Minister Dr Musthafa Luthfy to parliament.

MP Muthalib presented a petition to forward the motion against Education minister, which was signed by five independent MPs, three Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MPs and two People’s Alliance (PA) MPs.

On May 19, MP Muthalib announced he would file a no-confidence motion against Education Minister Dr Musthafa Luthfy over the ministry steering committee’s recommendation to make Islam and Dhivehi optional subjects for grades 11 and 12.

A crowd of people who did not claim to be representing any political party or NGO conducted a series of protests over the decision outside Education Minister Luthfy’s house.

Luthfy told Minivan News that he had not officially received the news yet.

”I also heard that a such motion was presented to parliament, but the parliament has not affirmed it,” said Luthfy.

”I heard that there were three issues highlighted in the petition, ” he explained.

”The first issue they claimed was that Kulliathul Dhuraasathul Islaamiyya school was dissolved, which is literally not true,” Luthfy said. ”The school was not dissolved, rather we planned to place it under the Maldives College of Higher Education when it becomes a university.”

Luthfy said the second issue was a claim that it was his fault that Arabiyya School’s walls fell down.

”The third point was because the Education Ministry has decided to make Dhivehi and Islam optional at A-Level,” he said, ”but this was just a suggestion made by the ministry’s steering committee.”

Muthalib recently said that if the education system implemented the steering committee’s recommendation, students would be moved away from religion and their mother tongue.

”I cannot support such a curriculum that discourages the use of our own culture and language,” he said.

The government meanwhile launched a spirited defense of the Education Minister.

“This is a part of DRP’s plan to pick off ministers one-by-one,” he said. “First they plan to try and bring down the education minister, and if that succeeds they will then go after other ministers. This no-confidence motion is a shallow attempt to destabilise the government and the country,” said the President’s Press Secretary, Mohamed Zuhair.

“The DRP is claiming the government is trying to ‘undermine Islam,’ because an Education Ministry has floated the idea of making the study of Dhivehi and Islam, along with all other subjects, optional for school grades 11 and 12,” he said.

“DRP, led by its dubiously elected leader Thasmeen Ali, has demonstrated time and again that they will do and say anything to try and damage the government”, Zuhair said.

“There are some good, intelligent and responsible people in the DRP. Sadly, under the current leadership, these people have been marginalized and the hot heads have taken over the party.

“The DRP have no policies; they have no vision; they have no substance. It seems their sole guiding principle is to oppose anything and everything that the government is trying to achieve.”

He further accused the concerned parliamentarians “of using Islam as a political tool.”

”I think despite being an Independent MP Muthalib acts in the parliament with the spirit of an opposition MP,” he added.

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Umar Naseer “fully confident” of survival if no-confidence motion raised

Deputy leader of the main opposition party Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), Umar Naseer, has said he is confident of surviving any no-confidence motion put forward to terminate him from his post of party leadership.

Daily newspaper Miadhu reported that a DRP member as claiming that a no-confidence motion to remove Umar Naseer from his post had been presented to the party’s council.

Naseer said he had also heard rumors of a no-confidence motion brewing against him.

”But then I clarified it with [party leader] Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, and he assured me that no such motion was planned or discussed,” Naseer said. ”So it was just a rumor being circulated.”

He acknowledged, however, that a no-confidence motion to sack him was ”very likely to happen”.

For such a motion to succeed however, a two-thirds majority would be needed, and Naseer said he was confident that such a majority could not be reached in order to sack him.

Prior to the DRP Congress Naseer was very vocal about the need for primary elections within the party to select its presidential candidate, however the party opted to retain its system of automatically putting the party leader forward as a candidate.

”There have been no internal splits in DRP,” Naseer said, ”but as we are a large political party, we do have some disagreements over some issues between different people.”

”The biggest disagreement between us is the issue of primaries,” he explained: ”I want to hold primary elections six months prior of the next presidential election.”

He said that there were “lots of people” who supported the primaries.

”I did not discuss this with [Thasmeen], I do not know what his side is on this,” Naseer said. ”During the last congress, he said he did not support holding primaries.”

Naseer said he wanted the DRP’s presidential ticket open for every member, which he believed would increase popular support for the party.

”Many prosperous people would join the party if we kept the party’s presidential ticket open, that way we can strengthen both our financial position and political position,” Naseer explained.

He said that an issue of unpaid salaries to some DRP staff members was ongoing, but added that it was an internal issue he did want to share with the media.

”The biggest issue for me, being the deputy leader of DRP, is the challenges I am being faced by the government,” he said, adding that this included ”torture, tear gas being arrested. ”

He said that while he would try to make the party’s presidential ticket open to everyone, “I have not decided yet whether or not to run for the next presidential election myself.”

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Bill to control thalassemia presented to parliament

A bill to control the recessive disease ‘thalasemia ‘ has been presented to the parliament.

The bill was presented to parliament by Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Visaam Ali.

Thalassemia is a recessive blood disease that can cause anemia, and the Maldives has the highest incidence of it in the world with 18 percent of the population thought to be carriers.

As a result, a large number number of families suffer from the consequences of the disease

DRP MP Ahmed Nihan said there were two main purposes of the bill.

”One is that the Maldives, relative to its small population, has a large number of thalassemia patients,” Nihan said. ”The the current government has been careless with thalassemia patients, so we need a law for this.”

Nihan said that the increasing number of thalassmia patients in the Maldives was “a serious social issue, which should be prevented for the future of the country.”

”The disease was first discovered in 1921, and Maldivians became aware of it after Madam Nasreena [wife of former president Maumoon Abdul Gayum] formed the ‘Society for Health Education’ and conducted awareness programs,” Nihan explained.

For a long time people were unaware of the disease, he said.

”Many lives have been lost due to the disease through a lack of awareness,” Nihan said, ” and yet there was no laws about it.”

He said that all the DRP MPs supported the bill, and congratulated MP Visaam for his work.

”I would like to take this opportunity would like to thank the police, NGOs and individuals who work really hard for the thalassemia patients,” he said.

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Eva Abdulla said the bill should be more broader and comprehensive rather than focusing solely on for thalassemia.

”As thalassemia is a blood disorder, the bill could be broadened by making it a bill for other blood disorders,” Eva said. ”There are many blood disorders that are very common in the Maldives.”

Eva noted that 38 percent of females of reproductive age were affected by anemia while 50 percent had child anemia.

”We want the bill to be a bill for other blood disorders,” Eva said. ”The treatment policy in the bill was just the same policy used previously – awareness programs and screening.”

Eva suggested that prenatal diagnosis would be more effective to prevent the disease.

”The third thing we highlighted was to establish a hematology (blood) centre instead of a thalassemia centre,” she said, adding that all the suggestions would be incorporated in the committee stage and discussed.

”We want the bill to be broader,” she said.

Correction: This article formerly stated that 38% of women suffered from anemia, when it should have read 38% of women of reproductive age. Several translation errors have also been corrected.

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Family claims man who self-immolated in custody was tortured

The family of a man who doused himself in petrol and set himself on fire in Gahdhu Police station in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll has claimed he was tortured in police custody.

President Mohamed Nasheed has called on the Police Integrity Commission (PIC) to investigate the death, and determine if there was any criminal negligence of behalf of the police.

24 year-old Ibrahim Afsal of Fulooniyage was arrested by police on after he allegedly disturbed people during Friday prayers.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said the man set himself ablaze after pouring petrol onto his body from a bottle stored in the police station, suffering severe burns. He was transfered to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) but died during treatment on Saturday.

”His family did not complain about it before, but now they have said they want a further investigation of the body,” Shiyam said.

”His parents do not wish to bury him yet,” he told Minivan News, adding ”there were no injuries found on the outside of his body, as he was very badly burned.”

Shiyam said Afsal’s body was now stored in the mortuary, allowing his parents to conduct a further investigation of the body.

Afsal’s brother, Ahmed Tholal, told Minivan News that he did not believe what police had said, or the hospital report.

”We know he was tortured because there are injuries on the outside his body,” Tholal said. ”Half an hour before he set himself on fire, people near the area claimed they heard him shouting and screaming for help.”

Tholal said that injuries on Afsal’s hands showed it appeared he had been handcuffed.

”We suspect that he was handcuffed, and a handcuffed man could not have taken a bottle of petrol and poured it over himself,” Tholal said. ”We will not allow him to be buried before we finish investigating his body.”

He said his family was deciding whether to bring burn experts from overseas, or to take Afsal’s body abroad to conduct a postmortem examination.

”Several days before this incident occurred police arrested him on other charges, and when he was released he came home and showed us bruises on his neck, claiming police tortured him,” Tholal said. ”He also claimed police officers had sprayed a whole bottle of pepper spray into his face.”

He said that today Police Assistant Commissioner Ali Rasheed and a group of police officials had met his family “and admitted that police were irresponsible during the incident.”

”Now the government has said they will help our family with everything to do with the case, even help us to take our brother’s body abroad,” he said. ”They said they will keep his body stored until we finish investigating.”

Press Secretary for the President Mohamed Zuhair said that President had asked the PIC to investigate the case because of the accusations made by Afsal’s family members.

”I do not believe the torturing culture is there anymore in custody,” he said, ”there might be some people who have awful intentions,”

The PIC said it would not comment on the case as it was currently under investigation, while the Maldivian Detainee Network failed to comment at time of press.

Correction: An earlier version of this article said Afsal’s family met with Assistant Commissioner Ahmed Fayaz. This has been corrected to Assistant Commissioner Ali Rasheed.

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Salaf’s ”The Call” launches this weekend

Religious NGO Jamiyyathul Salaf’s event ”The Call’ 2010 will start this evening at 20:30pm.

Two well known scholars from abroad would deliver seven sermons on different topics. The two scholars are Dr Bilal Philips from Canada and Br Abdurraheem Green from the United Kingdom.

The sermons are to be held at different venues.

Tonight Dr Bilal Philips would be delivering a sermon on the topic ”Liv’Islam” at Alimas Carnival stage.

Tomorrow afternoon Dr Bilal Philips is scheduled to deliver another sermon at the same venue at 4:15pm on the topic ”Why do we need a religion”.

That evening at 8:30pm Br Abdurraheem Green is scheduled to deliver a sermon at the same venue on the topic ”Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘N’ Roll”.

On June 5, Br Abdurraheem Green would deliver a sermon in Dharubaaruge at 4:15pm, on the topic ”Women’s rights in Islam”. On the same evening at the same venue at 8:30pm Dr Bilal Philips will deliver a sermon on the topic ”Qur’an-Is there more to it”.

On June 4, Dr Bilal Philips will deliver a sermon at Thaajuddeen School at 4:15pm on the topic ”Belief in Allah”. On the same day at 8:30pm in the evening, Br Abdurraheem Green would deliver a sermon on the topic ”Towards a peaceful Society” at Alimas Carnival.

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