Author: Minivan News

Information officers appointed against RTI Act, says information commissioner

Information Commissioner Abdul Azeez Jamal Abubakur has said that information commissioners in most government offices have been appointed “against the spirit” of the landmark Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Azeez told newspaper Haveeru yesterday that the RTI law stipulates that information officers must not be a high-ranking official.

However, most information officers at state institutions were senior officials, the commissioner noted.

As the law requires a review committee comprised of senior officials, Azeez said there could be conflicts of interest.

Moreover, there were some offices that have yet to appoint information officers, the former Progressive Party of Maldives MP said, noting that these were mostly various departments operating under ministries.

Azeez said he was in the process of hiring employees for the information commissioner’s office and expected to begin work in the near future. The office was established by President Abdulla Yameen in early July after the RTI law came into force.

The commissioner’s tenure is five years and he has the power enforce a fine on information officers who deliberately refuse access to information. Such a fine may not exceed MVR5,000 (US$324).

The commissioner may also fine any individual who destroys requested information, obstructs a public authority or the information officer’s from providing access to information. Such a fine may not exceed MVR25,000 (US$1621).

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Raajje TV secures assistance for three families enduring hardship

Private broadcaster Raajje TV has secured financial assistance for three underprivileged families enduring hardship who were featured in a special programme called ‘Dreams’ aired during Ramadan.

The first show told the story of a woman from Kaafu Guraidhoo struggling to survive with a husband whose kidneys had failed. Her “dream” was to have medical care available without having to travel.

With the help of private sponsors, Raajje TV presented the family a fully-furnished apartment in Malé with rent paid for a year.

Additionally, Dhiraagu donated a mobile phone, free internet for a year, and a one-year worth prepaid voucher while Avid College pledged to provide one year’s tuition-free higher education for a child in the family.

Moreover, MVR14,500 (US$940) donated from various parties were also presented to the family. The financial assistance was presented to the three families at at a ceremony on Sunday night (August 17).

The second show of the programme told the story of a family on the island of Thinadhoo in Gaaf Dhaal atoll with four special needs children. The family’s hope was being able to move to an apartment in Hulhumalé provided by the state.

In addition to furniture for the apartment donated by sponsors, including a washing machine, television, notebook computer, Allied Medicals pledged to provide free medical care to the youngest child.

Raajje TV also raised MVR35,000 (US$2,270) to pay rent for the apartment and arranged for a monthly stipend of MVR2,000 (US$130).

The third programme featured a single mother in Raa Meedhoo caring for a child with special needs while raising her other children. Her hope was to be able to work from home and earn an income.

Well-wishers donated three sewing machines and a laptop while Avid College pledged to cover costs of a degree course for one of her children. Allied Medicals meanwhile sponsored healthcare costs of the child with special needs.

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Committee rejects amendment requiring vote for debating resolutions

The People’s Majlis’ general affairs committee yesterday rejected an amendment proposed to the parliamentary rules to require a vote ahead of debating bills and resolutions on the floor.

At a press conference on Sunday (August 17), opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Imthiyaz Fahmy revealed that Speaker Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed – a member of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives – had sent a letter to the general affairs committee requesting the revision.

Under the existing rules or standing orders, a resolution submitted to parliament has to be debated on the floor ahead of a vote.

Imthiyaz contended that the move by the majority party – which holds a comfortable majority in the 85-member house – was intended to “silence” the minority.

According to opposition-aligned private broadcaster Raajje TV, Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) MP Ahmed Amir voted in favour of a proposal by Jumhooree Party (JP) MP Ahmed Mubeen to keep the section unchanged.

The proposal was approved despite PPM MPs voting against it after JP and MDP MPs voted in favour. Amir’s was the deciding vote.

The MDA is a coalition partner of the ruling party.

MP Imthiyaz had noted that a resolution he submitted in July calling for a parliamentary debate on a controversial decision by the Judicial Service Commission clearing Supreme Court Justice Ali Hameed of misconduct has yet to be tabled in the agenda by the speaker.

The resolution was submitted after pro-government MPs voted down a motion without notice submitted by the MDP for a parliamentary debate on the issue.

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Ministry threatens to reclaim leased uninhabited islands

Uninhabited islands leased for agriculture, fisheries or research purposes will be reclaimed if work is not being done in accordance with agreements, the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture has warned in a circular (Dhivehi) yesterday (August 17).

The ministry explained that the islands were leased after evaluating proposals and accompanying work plans while agreements signed with the lease holders are treated in line with the Contracts Act of 1991.

Work was not being conducted in most leased islands in accordance with the work plans, the circular stated, adding that reports were also not being submitted regularly as stipulated by the agreements.

Moreover, the ministry often faced difficulties sending documents to lease holders as some no longer resided in the given addresses, the circular noted.

If corrective measures were not taken within a 3-month period to carry out work in accordance with the submitted plan, the ministry warned that legal action would be taken under contract law.

Last week, the ministry decided not to renew the lease of Laamu Baresdhoo, an uninhabited island leased to Jumhooree Party Leader Gasim Ibrahim’s Villa company for agriculture.

Moreover, the fisheries ministry gave a 30-day notice to reclaim a plot of land in Gaaf Dhaal Hoadehdhoo leased to Gasim’s Horizons Fisheries.

According to the ministry, more than 60 islands were leased in the past for a period of 20 or 21 years.

At a press briefing yesterday, Deputy Minister Khursheed Thowfeek revealed that the ministry was in the process of formulating new rules for leasing uninhabited islands.

Khursheed also revealed that the decision not to renew the lease for Baresdhoo was made after the President’s Office informed the ministry that island has been designated for tourism development.

The ministry was in talks with Villa over extending the lease when a letter from the President’s Office was sent, he noted.

“So what we do? In truth, islands are only in our care for a very short period. When the Maldivian government decides that a particular ministry wants islands for a particular purpose, we have to hand over the islands,” he said.

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Student loans provided to 258 applicants

Education Minister Dr Aishath Shiham presented award letters to 258 recipients under a tertiary student loan scheme yesterday (August 17).

According to the Ministry of Education, 313 prospective students applied for the loans in March to seek higher education in the Maldives and overseas.

The scheme would provide loans to 750 students, the ministry said, and would be financed out of the state budget through a revolving fund created in 2012.

In January, the Anti-Corruption Commission had asked the ministry to reevaluate the vetting procedure for awarding points to applicants.

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Minivan News journalist feared abducted

Information gathered by Minivan News strongly suggests that journalist Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla was abducted in the early hours of August 8 in Hulhumalé.

Two eyewitnesses in Hulhumalé have reported seeing a man in dark clothes being forced into a vehicle at knifepoint outside Rilwan’s apartment at around 2am.

CCTV footage of the Malé ferry terminal obtained earlier by Minivan News shows Rilwan entering the waiting area at 12:44am wearing a black shirt, rather than turquoise, as had previously been reported.

A tweet from Rilwan’s account @moyameeha at 1:02am implies he was on the one o’clock ferry, suggesting he would have reached his apartment between 1:30am and 2am on August 8. Another man who claimed to have sat next to Rilwan on the ferry has also been positively identified on CCTV footage, entering the waiting area at 12:54am.

Neighbours claim to have heard screaming before seeing a man being forced into a vehicle. From a balcony 20 feet away they reported seeing a tall thin man holding his right hand over the captive’s mouth from behind.

The thin man was then seen to drop something before the car sped off, its door still open. One observer subsequently went down to the street and found the weapon before alerting police, who took statements and confiscated the weapon.

Further statements were taken from the witnesses after Rilwan’s family reported his disappearance on August 13. Minivan News understands that no other persons have been reported missing from Hulhumalé.

Minivan News has consulted with police regarding the disclosure of this information for fear of hindering the ongoing investigation. It is released now only after its appearance in other media.

Further analysis of CCTV footage from the Malé ferry terminal – conducted with security experts with experience in counter-terrorism – also shows a number of men who appear to be tracking Rilwan’s movements before boarding the same 1:00am ferry.

The experts also alleged an “unholy alliance” between gangs and religious radicals, as evident by a number of abductions in June. Two men were briefly held and accused of being ‘secularists’.

Blogger and journalist Ismail Hilath Rasheed had his throat slit in 2012 by a similar group after publicly calling for religious tolerance. He narrowly survived, and fled the country seeking asylum abroad. His attackers were never prosecuted and remain at large. The security experts informed Minivan News that Rilwan was also considered a target.

Hulhumalé – the location for the government’s ambitious youth-city ‘mega-project’ – has become attractive to radical groups due to its low levels of policing in comparison to the crowded capital island across the channel, they explained.

Residents of the Hulhumalé suburb interviewed during Minivan’s investigation reported an atmosphere of fear, with little trust in the police’s ability to protect them from the radical groups said to be increasingly common on the island.

The security experts suggested that many within the security forces had indeed themselves become radicalised – a claim previously made by the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

On Friday (August 15), members of Rilwan’s family received phone calls and were also approached outside a mosque with anonymous warnings to call off the search efforts of around 30 friends and relatives.

The International Federation of Journalists, the Progressive Party of Maldives, and the MDP have all called on the government to speed up its investigations, with the MDP demonstrating outside the UN for greater pressure on the government.

President Abdulla Yameen’s Spokesperson Ibrahim Muaz Ali said the government is “deeply saddened and concerned” over Rilwan’s disappearance, while police continue to appeal for public assistance in the search.

Minivan News is grateful for all the police’s efforts and urges the public to work closely to coordinate search efforts with the Maldives Police Service.

Images of the suspicious individuals has not been included, in accordance with the police’s wishes

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Supreme Court guidelines should be incorporated in electoral laws, says attorney general

A 16-point guideline imposed by the Supreme Court on the Elections Commission (EC) in a controversial judgment annulling the first round of last year’s presidential election should be incorporated into electoral laws, Attorney General Mohamed Anil has said.

Local media has reported Anil as saying at a symposium on improving the electoral system held at Bandos Island Resort yesterday that amendments to election laws should be submitted to parliament.

The guidelines were issued by the apex court to strengthen the electoral framework and ensure that polls are free and fair, Anil said, suggesting that problems arose during the presidential election as a result of not amending laws in light of past experiences.

Among issues that needed to be addressed ahead of the next election cycle, said Anil, were problems with re-registration, assigning constituencies for citizens in the Malé municipality special registry, and strengthening the mechanism for addressing complaints.

Additionally, vote buying, bribery, and campaign finance reforms needed to be addressed, Anil said, adding that the percentage of women in elected public office could also be addressed through laws.

The three-day “Electoral Processes in the Maldives” symposium was organised jointly by the EC and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The EC explained in a joint press statement with IFES and USAID that “the symposium will provide a platform for stakeholders to present their views on key aspects of the electoral process, including legislative frameworks, operations, and inter-agency cooperation.”

“Participants will include the Elections Commission, Anti-Corruption Commission, Human Rights Commission of the Maldives, Attorney General’s Office, Prosecutor General’s Office, media organisations, political parties, civil society, and domestic and international observation organisations and experts.”

In January, a Commonwealth observer group recommended that the People’s Majlis examine the consistency and workability of the Supreme Court guidelines, suggesting that it “appeared to undermine the authority of the Election Commission, were inconsistent with or contrary to electoral law, and were at odds with the Constitution.”

While approval of voter lists was required by the apex court guideline, January’s local council elections went ahead despite only 147 out of 543 independent candidates signing the lists. The EC attempted to obtain signatures from some 2,463 candidates.

While the EC had also criticised the guidelines as “restrictions” that undermine its independence, UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay accused the court of “interfering excessively in the presidential elections, and in so doing is subverting the democratic process and violating the right of Maldivians to freely elect their representatives.”

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Finding missing journalist of “high priority,” says police

The Maldives Police Services have said finding Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla – believed to have been missing since August 8 – is of “high priority.”

The police held a press conference at 9pm on Sunday night (August 18) and confirmed Rilwan has been seen on CCTV footage wearing black near to the Friday mosque at 12:40am and later around 12:45am at the Hulhumalé ferry terminal in Malé.

However, head of Serious and Organised Crime Department Chief Inspector Abdulla Shatheeh revealed no new information on Rilwan’s disappearance.

According to phone records, Rilwan’s last phone call was made at 10:19pm on August 7 and his last phone activity was at 2:30am on August 8, possibly in the Henveiru ward of Malé.

The phone location conflicts with evidence that points to Rilwan having boarded the Malé – Hulhumalé ferry, including a tweet made at 1:02am reporting seeing local actor Yoosuf Shafeeu onboard the ferry.

Minivan News asked the police if phone records show Rilwan using his phone in Hulhumalé that night, though police declined to comment saying investigations are ongoing.

The police also declined to comment on whether Rilwan may have left the ferry terminal after arriving there. Shatheeh said police are considering all evidence and following all leads.

A police team has been conducting a search in Hulhumalé for the past three days, Shatheeh said, adding that regional police stations have been informed of Rilwan’s disappearance.

The chief inspector called on the public report any new information and pledged protection to any informers or witnesses.

Meanwhile, President Abdulla Yameen’s Spokesperson Ibrahim Muaz Ali said the government is “deeply saddened and concerned” over Rilwan’s disappearance.

President Yameen and Muaz are both in China on an official state visit at the moment.

The ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) also expressed concern over Rilwan’s prolonged disappearance and called on law enforcement agencies to expedite investigations.

The party also called on the public and its supporters to support the search.

Pressure

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) meanwhile held a protest outside the United Nations (UN) head office in Malé on Saturday night calling for assistance in the investigation of Rilwan’s disappearance.

Speaking at the demonstration, MDP MP Imthiyaz Fahmy called on the UN to “pressure” the government to conduct a speedy and thorough investigation.

“We call on the UN to provide cooperation to all of us, the Maldivian people, in investigating [the disappearance] because we are certain that the government of Yameen Abdul Gayoom cannot investigate the abduction of people, intimidation of journalists, intimidation and death threats to members of parliament, and death threats to ordinary citizens,” Imthiyaz said.

Imthiyaz noted that the Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) has brought the matter to the attention of UN and that the MDP has alerted the international community over the disappearance.

“We know that the only party to stand up when the rights of the Maldivian people are violated is the MDP,” he said.

The MDP would not sow discord in society or incite strife, he added, but was protesting over a real and serious issue.

“The reason we suspect that a journalist has been abducted is because that journalist himself has previously received death threats. And the journalist had told the paper that he had been followed,” he said.

He also referred to death threats sent to a number of journalists via text message earlier this month as well as the arson attack against opposition-aligned private broadcaster Raajje TV and near-fatal assault of Raajje TV journalist Ibrahim ‘Asward’ Waheed.

“We don’t see a full investigation being conducted into any of this or [police] finding those behind [the attacks]. This is why we want to bring this to the UN’s attention,” he said.

Fahmy said he had also raised concerns at a workshop organised by the UN yesterday.

While writers who criticised the government were jailed without due process in the past, Imthiyaz contended that journalists were facing the same intimidation and fear after the “toppling” of the MDP government in February 2012.

The government should properly investigate Rilwan’s disappearance “if only to show” that it was not involved, he continued, and called on the police and the Maldives National Defence Force to launch a joint search operation to find Rilwan.

“MDP wishes for the blessing of Allah and for success in the efforts of Rilwan’s friends and family [to find him],” he said, adding that the MDP would do “whatever we can” to ensure that the missing journalist is found.

A free press was essential for good governance, he said, accusing the government of attempting to undermine to “destroy” free media out of fear that its “atrocities” would be exposed to the world.

After rising to 51st in the Reporters Without Borders’ Press Freedom Index in 2009 under the MDP government, Imthiyaz noted that the Maldives plummeted to 103rd “after the coup government took over”.

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Buried ancient relics found in Utheemu

Buried ancient relics have been discovered on the island of Utheemu in Haa Alif atoll, reports newspaper Haveeru.

Utheemu Island Council Chair Asrar Adam told the local daily that the relics were discovered while the island’s football stadium was being flattened.

The relics included three pots and a number of cowries shells, which were used as currency in antiquity, Adam said, adding that glassware was also found inside the pots.

The items would be handed over to the heritage department, he said.

The relics were discovered about 250-feet from the palace of Boduthakurufaanu, a former sultan and national hero who hailed from Utheemu.

While there has been no dwellings in the football grounds area in living memory, Asrar said the council has learned that it might have been inhabited in the past.

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