Author: Ahmed Nazeer

Alhan elected because of DRP campaign, claims Feydhoo branch

The Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) branch on Feydhoo in Seenu Atoll has claimed the island’s MP, Alhan Fahmy, would not have been elected to parliament had he run as an Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) candidate.

Alhan crossed the floor to the ruling MDP after he was suspended from the DRP for voting against the party line over a no-confidence motion against Foreign Minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed.

DRP Feydhoo branch president Hussein Rasheed claimed that of the 14 candidates, “Alhan was elected due to the campaign DRP ran for him.”

”It is without doubt that Alhan would not be a parliament member if he had run as an independent or a candidate of another party,” Rasheed said, adding that the MP’s decision to jump had “saddened him” and that the party’s branch “would still accept him back.”

DRP senior member of the branch Mohamed Moomin said only a few DRP supporters had resigned over Alhan’s jump, but otherwise he ”had not noticed anybody shifting parties.”

He said that while many people on the island supported Alhan, ”people voted for DRP and not for Alhan.”

Alhan agreed that 85 per cent of his votes were from DRP supporters but claimed ”I would have been elected even if I was an MDP candidate.”

”There are DRP candidates who failed in the parliamentary election,” he said, adding that he “does not like to argue about the issue.”

Spokesman for MDP Ibrahim Haleem said Alhan’s conduct was professional and he could have won the parliamentary election without DRP’s help.

”During his short term in the parliament he has proved to the people just how professional he is,” Haleem said.

He claimed DRP supporters were claiming otherwise “because of personal issues they have with him.”

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Cameraman and journalist forced out of MDP rally, claims DhiTV

A journalist and cameraman from DhiTV attending an MDP rally last night were threatened and forced outside last night, the station claims.

Editor of DhiTV Midhath Adam said it was not the first time MDP supporters had threatened DhiTV’s journalists and cameramen.

”They sometimes used to say they would destroy our property,” he added.

Adam said “a well known MDP activist” ordered them to leave last night.

”Alhan Fahmy and some other senior members of the party were also there,” he said, noting that ”they did not seem to care about it.”

Adam said although the party “treats journalists this way”, the station would continue to attend MDP’s rallies.

”They used to attack our journalists verbally and threaten us but we would still go to cover their meetings.” he said.

MDP MP Alhan Fahmy said he was not present when the incident occurred.

”If I was there I would not had let it happen.” Alhan said. ”As soon as I knew about it I went to stop them from leaving but they were gone.”

Alhan agreed such actions brought the party a bad name.

”It is not MDP’s policy to stop the media doing its duty,” he said.

DRP Vice President Umar Naseer said he was “not surprised” by the incident as “they hate DhiTV.”

“DhiTV is the best political media in the country,” Naseer said.

He claimed MDP hated DhiTV mostly because it showed old footage of President Mohamed Nasheed and reminded people about the government’s unfulfilled pledges.

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Government approves project for floating golf course

The Maldivian government has signed a contract with Dutch Docklands of the Netherlands to develop a floating golf course and hotel in the Maldives.

Minister of Trade and Economy Mohamed Rasheed signed the contract on behalf of the Maldives, and Chief Executive Officer Wen Di Cam signed on behalf of Dutch Docklands.

President of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed and Ambassador of the Netherlands to the Maldives Leoni Margaretha Cuelenaere attended the ceremony held at the President’s Office on 4 March when the agreement was signed.

Cam said the Docklands was proud to develop the floating centres in the Maldives and the company would seek a good location for the development.

He said the company would start the project as soon as possible after doing the necessary studies.

Press Secretary for the President’s Office Mohamed Zuhair said the project would be “very beneficial for the country.”

He added that it would increase the number of tourists visiting the country.

”Most of our resorts do not have a golf centre due to lack of space,” Press Secretary Zuhair said, noting that ”Golf has a good market in the world.”

Deputy Minister for Environment Mohamed Shareef said the floating golf centres would be “much better and more environmentally friendly than reclaiming land.”

Shareef noted the floating developments would be stabilised by anchoring.

dutch docklands2
Proposed golf course in the Maldives

”It would not be very harmful for the environment,” he said, ”the only damage is that it will block the sunlight from the stones and corals.”

He added that there were showcases of floating centres made by the same company in Australia.

”They are now developing such centres in the Middle East,” said Shareef. ”We would not compromise our environment for anything.”

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which is responsible for conducting environmental impact assessments, has not yet been consulted on the project according to its director Mohamed Zuhair.

The project would “definitely have negative environmental impacts”, he said, but added that “it is not for the EPA to assess the risks of this project at this stage. The contractor [Dutch Docklands] is responsible for finding a suitable consultant to assess the risks.”

Zuhair said once project proposal by Dutch Docklands’ is finished, it will be submitted to the EPA who will then screen the project. The EPA will then provide an environmental assessment report.

“They can only start actual work once they have EPA approval,” he noted.

Director of environmental NGO Bluepeace, Ali Rilwan, said as long as the project was conducted in an environmentally friendly manner he thought it was “very exciting” and “innovative and weird”.

“I don’t think there should be a problem,” he said, “but it depends on how they do it.”

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Three men arrested for attack on Habib Bank manager

Police have arrested three men in connection with the armed robbery of Habib Bank’s country manager, Mohamed Anjul Jameel.

Chief inspector of police Mohamed Jamsheed identified the three men as Ali Shuaib (19) of Kumundhu in Haa Dhaalu Atoll, Abdulla Aseel (20) of Galolhu Coralsea and Ibrahim Abdulla (20) of Galolhu Fehima.

Jamsheed suggested that there was one more man involved in the case, but he had not yet been arrested.

He said the gang attacked the bank manager “after collecting a lot of information about him.”

”It was well planned and organised,” Jamsheed said. ”Two of them followed the manager when he was coming home after work that day.”

He said Ali Shuaib was arrested in connection with a murder case last year, “on suspicion of killing a Bangladeshi man by hitting him with a three-foot long log,” he said.

Shuaib was ultimately acquitted by the criminal court, Jamsheed added.

Police sergeant Abdul Muhsin said the three men had police records of assault, drug related cases and robbery.

In an interview with Haveeru, the manager of Habib Bank said that while he had always described the Maldives to his friends as a “harmonious country”, the attack had changed his view completely.

“I am leaving, never to return,” he said.

The 56 year old was stabbed when four men broke into his apartment on the sixth floor of Machangolhi Uraha in Male’.

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Former island chief arrested for attacking island councillor in DRP meeting

A fight between the former Island Chief of Miladhu in Noonu Atoll Abdul Sattar Mohamed and Island Councillor Hassan Moosa escalated into a brawl on Saturday night.

Moosa told Minivan News that Sattar, also the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) President for the island, “defamed my character” during a speech he gave to a DRP meeting that evening

“So I went and asked him about it,” Moosa said, claiming DRP supporters broke the windows of the island office and damaged some of its property in the subsequent scuffle.

”He claimed that I am in debt,” Moosa said, ”and that I built my house using his money, so I went there and asked him why he was spreading untrue information.”

Moosa alleged that Sattar hit him in the face in full view of the police when he asked him “why he was misleading the people.”

Senior member of DRP at Miladhu, Ahmed Hassan, said the councilor broke into the DRP meeting with the intention of disrupting it.

”Moosa could not digest what Sattar said,” Hassan claimed, explaining that the island councillor and four others had appeared at the meeting to scold Sattar.

”Our supporters started shouting at him, so we told him to leave the place immediately.”

Hassan claimed Moosa kicked Sattar in the stomach, and described him as “a person who used to fight very often.”

Moosa claimed he did not hit anybody.

Head of Noonu Atoll police station Ibrahim Fayaz said Sattar was under arrest for hitting the island councillor, and that one other man was under arrest in connection with vandalism of the island office.

He said the police were currently investigating the case.

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Arabiyya School to continue in MES building

Parents of Arabiyya School have decided to continue lessons inside the Male’ English School (MES) building.

The school was closed last week when a wall collapsed during a class, and the education ministry made the decision to rebuild it following reports of structural weaknesses in the building.

Principal of Arabiyya School Mohamed Rasheed Ibrahim Rasheed said the education ministry gave the school two options for a new location.

”The education ministry told us to decide to continue in either the Ameer Ahmed School building or the MES building,” Rasheed said.

Rasheed said almost all the parents agreed to choose the MES building.

He said the school would be covering the lost lessons by making part of Saturday a school day for Arabiyya students.

”Students in grade 1-6 wil lbe studying in the afternoon session and grade 7-12 students will study in the morning sessions,” he said.

He noted that ”the education ministry had said that they will finish the reconstruction of the Arabiyya building within one and a half years.”

Head of the Schools Department of the Education Ministry Shifa Mohamed said hopefully next Sunday Arabiyya students would start their studies in the MES building.

”We will start demolishing Arabiyya School as soon as we get the money for it,” she said.

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Jail officers helping inmates bring in “drugs, phones”

Several jail officers are being investigated on suspicion of helping inmates to bring mobile phones and drugs into cells in Male’ prison, according to State Minister for Home Affairs Ahmed Adil.

“Three inmates and several jail officers we suspect [to be involved] have been moved to Dhoonidhu [prison] for investigation,” Adil said.

Inmates in Male’ Prison last week damaged their cells after jail officers seized mobile phones and other contraband. Adil said the trouble started after inmates refused to hand over a mobile phone.

”Jail officers found a mobile phone inside a cell, and they checked other cells,” Adil said. ”Officers then discovered drugs in another cell.”

Adil said that after the officers took the mobile phone inmates started to protest.

”They broke the flush tanks in the toilet and damaged other jail property,” he said, adding that the inmates were eventually controlled with the help of police.

He refuted a report published in Haveeru that claimed the protest was started after a “delay in financial transactions between a family and the Department of Penitentiary and Rehabilitation Service (DPRS)”.

Police sub Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said the DPRS requested help from police to control the inmates during the incident.

Nobody was injured during the riot, he noted.

Director of the DRPS Saudh Abdul Kareem meanwhile refused to comment on the incident, claiming that Minivan News “causes me trouble by always disturbing me to clarify cases.”

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Money laundering: police discover $400,000 in washing machine

Police have seized US$398,500 in forged dollars after raiding Mahchangolhi Fortune at 6:00pm yesterday.

Chief Inspector of police Mohamed Jamsheed said Ibrahim Khaleel of Lhaimagu in Shaviyani Atoll was arrested in connection with the case.

Jamsheed discovered hidden inside a washing machine in the rented apartment.

”We are checking to see whether this money has been circulated anywhere,” he said.

He noted that the forged bills had two serial numbers repeated on all the notes.

Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Ahmed Inaz said the printing of forged dollar notes did not harm the country’s economic condition “as the central bank and other banks will not accept any form of money without verifying it.”

Inaz said the people who used the black market would be more concerned about the printing of forged notes.

Such incidents of forgery were not being sparked by the current dollar shortage, he explained.

”Thieves will steal any time,” he said, adding that ”the country’s economic condition is now getting better.”

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Government shuts down Arabiyya School after cracked wall topples

The government has decided to shut down Arabiyya School in Male’ after cracks in the building caused a wall to collapse yesterday.

Nobody was physically injured in the collapse but the principal, Mohamed Rasheed Ibrahim Rasheed, said two students suffered shock.

He said that the school had been aware of the condition of the school’s walls six years ago.

”The school was built out of granite 20 years ago,” Rasheed said. ”We knew this six years ago and we had been informing the education ministry about the problem ever since.”

Rasheed said the education ministry promised to reconstruct the school but ”have no budget.”

”Senior officials from the education ministry came here yesterday and met with the school board,” he said.

He said the school would be closed temporarily and the students will have to wait until the ministry decides what to do with them.

He said he had recently told the education ministry that the walls of the school were very weak, “and that I would not be taking responsibility if a student got injured.”

Deputy Minister for Education ministry Adam Nazeer said the ministry had decided to demolish and reconstruct Arabiyya.

”We had finished drawing the chart of the building,” he said, ”and will be publishing in the gazette for submission of proposals by those who are interested in doing the job.”

He said the ministry would meet the school board to discuss what to do with the students in the meantime.

”We will arrange it in such a way that they can study with their classmates and their teachers,” he said.

State Ministry for Islamic Affairs Ahmed Shaheem said the ministry was very concerned about the issue and “regretted” that the students would be kept waiting without studying.

”The Islamic Ministry will help them in any way we can,” Shaheem said.

He noted that students who graduated from Arabiyya School “have never taken part in violence or crime.”

”I’m very confident that the education ministry will decide the best way ahead for them,” he said.

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