Author: Ahmed Nazeer

MDP announces preliminary election results

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has announced the preliminary results of its elections held to appoint the President, Deputy President and other special posts of the party, after vote counting was formally completed.

Former Fisheries Minister Dr Ibrahim Didi successfully challenged acting President of the party Ibrahim Hussein Zaki and won the top post of the party, with 10600 votes against Zaki’s 9519 votes.

Current Environment Minister Mohamed Aslam, former Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Alhan Fahmy and Hussein Adam ran for the Vice President’s post.

Alhan won the post by 12225 votes while Environment Minister Aslam won 7230 votes and Adam 158 votes. Both Zaki and Aslam have conceded victory to Didi and Alhan.

Shiyama Adam was elected as the leader of Women’s Wing and Khadheeja Abubakur ‘Aniyath’ was elected as the deputy leader of the Woman’s Wing.

Five members for the MDP Religious Council were also appointed in the election: Mohamed Farooq, Ibrahim Shafeeu, Ahmed Zanin Adam, Ahmed Zaki and Hussein Ibrahim. The former leader of the Religious Council resigned after claiming that he was unhappy with the party’s religious policies.

Nine members for the Appeals Committee were also appointed:  Mohamed Mahir Easa, Hassan Ahmed, Ibrahim Rasheed, Ahmed Siraj, Abdul Hameed Abdul Kareem, Mohamed Falah, Imtiyaz Fahmy, Ahmed Rasheed and Nazil Afeef.

Former Minivan News journalist Aiminath Shauna, now working in the President’s Office, was elected as the head of Youth Wing and Hamza Hassan was elected as the deputy head. Shauna won the post challenging Lufshan Shakeeb ‘Looppe’, a well-known local actor.

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Moosa criticises government for leaving Gayoom at large

Parliamentary Group Leader and MP Moosa ‘Reeko’ Manik of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)  last night criticised the government at a rally where President Mohamed Nasheed was present, for not arresting former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

Speaking at the rally held to celebrate Social Liberal Party (SLP) President Ibrahim Ismail rejoining MDP, Moosa said that blame for failure to provide justice for those allegedly tortured by Gayoom’s administration did not only lie with the judiciary.

Moosa spoke little, but before he left the rally he said he would go to Gayoom’s residence “and disturb him no matter if I have to go to jail.”

President Mohamed Nasheed also spoke at the rally and responded to Moosa, saying that there was “no one who understands Moosa’s feelings more than I do.”

However, Nasheed said it would be impossible to provide  justice before upgrading the judicial system, a process he said would take a long time.

Nasheed said he had in the meantime given high priority for other necessary things such as providing sewerage systems and shelter for people.

In the special rally last night, first President of MDP Ibrahim Ismail ‘Ibra’, who resigned in 2006, rejoined the party along with other political figures who had belonged to the SLP including Youth Minister Dr Hassan Latheef.

Speaking at the rally, Ibra said that he decided to leave SLP and rejoin MDP because he wanted to take part in the reform movement begun by the party.

Today the MDP website said Moosa had left the rally early because he had to fly to China on official business.

According to the MDP website Moosa said he had no issues with the party itself, but had criticise state institutions for failing to investigate the torture allegations.

Meanwhile, former Deputy Leader of the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) and now close ally of Gayoom claimed that Gayoom had not tortured Moosa, but ”Moosa injures himself by getting drunk and thinking Gayoom did it.”

Naseer also claimed that Nasheed was not interested in establishing justice and must have been mistaken.

”He’s still in the 1940s. It;s for the judiciary to create justice, why does not he go to the courts?” asked Umar. ”We know why. It’s because he does not have any evidence. How can there be evidence for something that was not done?”

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Court upholds Economic Ministry’s decision to disallow ‘G-Spot’ shop

The Civil Court has ruled the Economic Ministry had no grounds to authorise the name ‘G-Spot’ to be used as the name for a shop, after its owner Mohamed Nizam sued the ministry for refusing him permission to trade under the name.

Civil Court Judge Maryam Nihayath delivered the verdict on Sunday, stating that the word ‘G-spot’ referred to a part of the female sexual organs and was an inappropriate word to be used as a name for a shop. She also said that unless otherwise defined, most people would understand the word G-Spot as relating to female genitalia.

In the court hearings, State Attorney Aishath Seeza had argued defended the Ministry’s decision in disallowing the name ‘G-Spot’, claiming that it was an inappropriate shop name to be seen by women and children.

Nazim contested that ‘G’ stood for ‘Girls’ and that his shop was a ‘Girls-Spot’ as it sold female garments. He argued that Nazim contested that the ‘G-Spot’ as Seeza understood it did not exist, submitting articles published in The Times, BBC and CNN to support his argument.

He also said that he had spent a lot of money making the name board of the shop, printing paper bags and tags, all of which were done in the name of ‘G-Spot’.

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Doctor’s examination shows dead infant’s body had cuts, wounds and bruises

Doctors examining the body of an dead infant found in a bag in the swimming track area have reported that the baby’s body had cuts, bruises and other wounds.

A police officer swimming in the track area on Thursday discovered the corpse of the premature baby underwater.

“The doctor said there were three cuts in the arms, not very deep cuts,’’ said spokesperson for Indira Gandi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), Zeenath Ali.

‘’There were two bruises on a leg and two wounds to the head,” she added.

She said it was difficult to say the cause of the injuries.

‘’It may be the ropes in the area caused  these injuries,’’ she said, adding that the infant appeared to have been born 26-28 weeks prematurely.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam also confirmed that several injuries were found on the infant’s body.

‘’We cannot say the cause of the injuries exactly,’’ Shiyam said. ‘’The dead body has now been laid to rest.’’

He said police were currently investigating the case.

Local media reported that the baby was bleeding when it was taken out of the water and that the umbilical cord and placenta were still attached. Haveeru published a picture of infant which appeared to have been put in a plastic bag.

In November last year another abandoned newborn female baby was discovered alive in some bushes near the Wataniya telecommunications tower in Hulhumale’.

As a Muslim country, abortion is illegal in the Maldives except to save a mother’s life, or if a child suffers from a congenital defect such as thalassemia. Several studies on HIV in the Maldives have identified risk factors including high levels of promiscuity and little use of contraception, and anecdotal evidence points overwhelmingly to a high rate of abortion.

In an article on the subject in 2009, Minivan News reported that many women unable to travel to Sri Lanka resort to illegal abortions performed by unskilled individuals in unhygienic settings. Abortion-inducing pills and injections administered by amateur abortionists are one recourse while others turn to harmful vaginal preparations, containing chemicals such as bleach or kerosene. Although infrequent, some insert objects into their uterus or induce abdominal trauma, such is the stigma of having a child out of wedlock.

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Sri Lankan man’s passport held for over a year in Reeko’s bootleg booze case

A Sri Lankan national has appealed to the Criminal Court to release his passport, which has been held for over a year in relation to a case concerning the discovery of hundreds of bottles of cheap alcohol  in a car belonging to Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Parliamentary Group leader ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik.

The Court identified the expat as Muhaidhee Mohamed. Following his complaint the Court summoned the police investigator in charge of the case, Staff Sergeant Ali Faiz, who told the court the matter would be resent to the Prosecutor General this week.

Faiz told the Criminal Court that the leader of a group of expats involved in importing alcohol illegally to the Maldives had fled during the police investigation.

‘’We would like to note that it has been one year, two months and 10 days from the day he was arrested,’’ said the Criminal Court. ‘’He was released by the Criminal Court after he was kept in detention for two months.”

In February last year 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.

Main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party Vice President Ibrahim Shareef then 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.”

The investigation into the case was concluded in October last year, and the case was sent to the Prosecutor General who rejected it and sent it back to police.

Police then said that the case was rejected because there was some necessary information was missing in the investigation.

Local media reported that during the court hearing during the investigation police told the judge that the main subject of the investigation was a person known only as  ‘Tin Tin’.

Moosa, who was in Singapore at the time of the incident, has maintained that his driver was bribed and the bottles were planted in his car to attack him politically.

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Dead baby found in swimming area

A police officer swimming in the track area on thew south side of Male’ this afternoon discovered the corpse of a premature baby underwater.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam confirmed to Minivan News that a dead female baby was found in the track swimming area.

”The baby has now been taken to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) for examinations,” Shiyam said. ”We can’t confirm how old the baby is.”

IGMH spokesperson Zeentha Ali said doctors were currently examining the body and that the hospital would comment once the examination was complete.

Local media SunFM reported that the baby was bleeding when it was taken out of the water and that the umbilical cord was still attached. Haveeru published a picture of infant which appeared to have been put in a plastic bag.

In November last year another abandoned newborn female baby was discovered alive in some bushes near the Wataniya telecommunications tower in Hulhumale’.

As a Muslim country, abortion is illegal in the Maldives except to save a mother’s life, or if a child suffers from a congenital defect such as thalassemia. But anecdotal evidence points overwhelmingly to a high rate of abortion.

Examining the subject in late 2009, Minivan News referred to a 2007 report from the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) that concluded that widespread premarital and extramarital sex, high rates of divorce and remarriage (including sex between marriages), and poor access and practice of contraception could lead to a high number of unwanted pregnancies in the country.

The IPPF interviewed four demographically-diverse focus groups, and revealed that induced abortions were common among women and girls in Male’ with most ostensibly taking place in unsafe circumstances.

All four groups said that despite being illegal, sex outside of marriage was commonplace, especially among young people. Nor was it uncommon for married men to have affairs with unmarried girls.

The report found that the stigma of having a child out of wedlock compels women and girls to opt for abortions. Two focus groups of unmarried boys and girls asserted that abortion was widespread. Some said they knew of girls as young as 12 who had undergone abortions and each knew at least one person who had terminated a pregnancy.

However the IPPF never obtained government permission to formally carry out a wider study because of the qualitative nature of its research, and its findings were never acknowledged or made public.

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Police officer faints in court

The Criminal Court has said that a police officer who attended the court to request extension of detentions for persons arrested fainted inside the chamber last night.

”This incident occurred while he was presenting the request for extension of detention inside the Criminal Court,” said the court. ”The cause of this incident may be that he had to work long hours and was not fed.”

The court said the officer received no further injuries during the incident.

The Court noted that these days Male’ was in a harried condition and police and judges had been working very busy along with court staff.

”Many have been arrested by police on different charges lately. Last night 90 persons were brought before the judges,” said the Criminal Court.

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MDP council approves “direct action to defend government” on Friday

The National Council of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has approved a resolution to conduct “direct action to defend the government, the constitution of the Republic of the Maldives, the President of the Maldives and senior government officials” against an opposition-led protest planned for Friday afternoon.

“Following disturbances over the past three nights, the [opposition allied] parties said [Monday night] that as they do not recognise the President and consider the government inept, their real purpose is to gather people to the capital Male’ from all across the country on Friday, May 6, 2011, to take the President out to the Republic Square, remove him from office in the presence of the police and army, and then torture and kill the President along with ministers and MDP leaders,” the resolution states.

The MDP resolution adds that as the opposition parties’ “decision to carry out this brutal deed was announced openly and publicly on VTV and DhiTV at 2.30pm last night [Monday night]” a council sub-committee shall be formed to determine the measures to be taken “in defence of the state.”

The committee consists of newly-elected MDP President Dr Ibrahim Didi, Vice-President Alhan Fahmy and MP “Reeko” Moosa Manik, leader of the party’s parliamentary group.

While the protests have adversely affected the public, school children and shops in the busy intersection of Chandanee Magu and Majeedhee Magu, the MDP resolution claims that corrupt ministers of the former government, wealthy businessmen and resort owners capable of controlling the dollar supply were leading and orchestrating the demonstration “in the name of youth”.

The resolution further accuses the protestors of “misleading the international community and the public” by spreading false information using opposition-aligned media.

Bad blood

Moosa meanwhile claimed today that a large group of opposition protesters broke into the house where his three children use to live, Henveiru Zeeniya, and made death threats against them and their grandmother before causing damage inside the residence.

“Fortunately, my children don’t live there anymore,” Moosa told the MDP website.

Moosa alleged that the group was acting on orders from Umar Naseer of Gayoom’s faction of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), whose dismissal as Deputy Leader precipitated the rancorous split in the party.

On the second night of the protests, VTV showed footage of Moosa getting hit on the head with a rock while he was attempting to confront the protesters with a group of MDP activists.

Umar Naseer told Minivan News that “Moosa Manik must have been drunk and he probably meant to say Mohamed Nasheed and mistakenly said ‘Umar Naseer’.”

He called on Moosa to clear his car’s trunk, referring to the incident where some alcohol bottles were discovered inside a car belonging to Moosa, an incident over which Moosa sacked his driver claiming it was a set up.

Naseer added that protests would continue this evening, starting from the artificial beach.

”The youth are organising these protests, and we are taking part in it,” he insisted.

The National Council of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) approved a resolution Tuesday to determine direct action to “defend the government, the constitution of the Republic of the Maldives, the President of the Maldives and senior government officials” against an opposition-led protest planned for Friday afternoon.

“Following disturbances over the past three nights, the allied parties said [Monday night] that as they do not recognise the President and consider the government inept, their real purpose is to gather people to the capital Male’ from all across the country on Friday, May 6, 2011, to take the President out to the Republic Square, remove him from office in the presence of the police and army, and then torture and kill the President along with ministers and MDP leaders,” the resolution states.

The MDP resolution adds that as the opposition parties’ decision “to carry out this brutal deed was announced openly and publicly on VTV and DhiTV at 2.30pm last night (Monday night)” a council sub-committee shall be formed to determine the measures to be taken “in defence of the state.”

The committee consists of newly-elected MDP President Dr Ibrahim Didi, Vice-President Alhan Fahmy and MP “Reeko” Moosa Manik, leader of the party’s parliamentary group.

While the protests has adversely affected the public, school children and shops in the busy intersection of Chandanee Magu and Majeedhee Magu, the MDP resolution claims that corrupt ministers of the former government, wealthy businessmen and resort owners capable of controlling the dollar supply were leading and orchestrating the demonstration “in the name of youth”.

The resolution further accuses the protestors of “misleading the international community and the public” by spreading false information using opposition-aligned media.

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Conflicting reports on death of elderly man following violent protests

The President’s Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair said the government had not been officially informed of the death of an elderly man who reportedly died after being injured by police attempts to disperse the crowd during yesterday morning’s protests.

Police spokesperson Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam meanwhile said the police had not received any such complaints about a death of an elderly man in the riot. Indira Gandi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) also told Minivan News that it had not received any information about a fatality during the protests.

However, local radio station SunFM reported State Home Minister Mohamed Naeem as saying that an elderly man who was in the riot was injured that admitted to hospital, and died later that evening.

”An elderly man was injured that night and we received news that he passed away that same evening,” SunFM quoted Naeem as saying. ”Some say he died because of his injuries while others say he died of a heart attack, but this has to be confirmed.”

”We have not so far received any official reports regarding incident,” said Zuhair, insisting that police had been “very professional” and had the government’s full confidence.

”We have every confidence in the police to protect the state,” Zuhair said. ”The government welcomes peaceful gatherings but will not tolerate any sort of violence. In no country do the police tolerate this amount of violence.”

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