Category: Politics

Government budgets Rf119m for civil servant redundancies

The positions of 5400 civil servants could be cut in the new year after parliament’s budget review committee revealed that Rf119 million has been earmarked for redundancy packages.

Furthermore, a letter from the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to the speaker of parliament tabled on 7 Dec disclosed that 228 staff have already been dismissed while 387 have been served notice, according to independent MP Mohamed Nasheed.

Abdul Muhsin, vice president of the CSC, said the government had yet to consult with the commission regarding the redundancies for which it had apparently budgeted.

“The moment we heard of this from the parliamentary committee we wrote to the Finance Ministry for more details,” he said. “If the government are making redundancies, they have to work with the independent commission.”

The government is legally obliged to dismiss civil servants through the commission, explained Nasheed, a safeguard to ensure an independent bureaucracy by reducing the government’s control over civil service employment by offering tenure and certainty of employment.

“Under the Civil Servant Act section 47(c) there are seven specific guidelines under which a civil service employee may be dismissed, and none of these grounds have anything to do with redundancy,” he said. “The government currently isn’t empowered to dismiss so many people in the name of downsizing. The concept of redundancy is new to the Maldives – it has never been envisioned in our country.

This meant, he said, that if the government was planning to restructure and streamline the civil service, “then it must be done through legislation, and not administration.”

“Maybe there are reasons to restructure,” he said. “But if I’m a civil servant and I’m to be dismissed, I want to at least have the basic certainty that it is because of the new rules and not because of my political beliefs or which party I’m in.”

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‘Truth and Reconciliation’ Commission proposed for the Maldives

A South African-style Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) has been put forward as a means of mending political and social divides in the Maldives, following President Mohamed Nasheed’s radio address last week calling for the investigation of past injustices.

“I am saying this as a person who has seen these things very closely. Many people have died. Many people were killed. The lives of many were ruined. Many people’s lives were destroyed to the point where they had no future,” Nasheed said, calling on the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) to look to the past and become “a commission that properly works for human rights in this country.”

In an interview today with Minivan News, President of HRCM Ahmed Saleem said while he agreed “that while the violations of the past need to be looked into, I also think that right now the country is divided and facing problems of politics and religion. I’m very concerned – we’re a small country of 300,000 people and we can’t afford to have such divisions,” he said.

An investigation spanning the time of the former government risked “setting a precedent for a witch-hunt whenever there is a change of government.”

“Personally, I don’t think the president wants to dig into the past,” Saleem said. “But he is under a lot of pressure from others in his government who suffered greatly under the former regime. He is a politician and he is doing what he has to do.”

An alternative to HRCM’s involvement, he suggested, was to create a separate commission “to look into the past with the intention to unify, rather than punish.”

Such a commission would not undermine HRCM “because our mandate states that we must send matters to the courts, and we [rarely] investigate anything that occurred before 2000. We try to mediate and find solutions.”

In contrast, the new commission would “allow those who were abused to ask for forgiveness, and those who were abused to forgive,” he said.

“It would need the approval of the People’s Majlis and the major political parties; such a set up would need the power to convict, the power to forgive, and also a lot of money, because the process would have to last at least two years.”

While the South African TRC had the power to convict following the abolition of apartheid, in practice many perpetrators of human rights abuses were given civil and criminal amnesty in exchange in return for truthful testimony. The project was widely considered successful and a key component of South Africa’s transition to a free democracy.

A similar commission in the Maldives would have to be agreed upon by major parties and protected from becoming a political weapon, Saleem suggested, questioning the wisdom of limiting the mandate of such a commission to 30 years.

“We need a strong opposition to keep the government accountable,” he said. “It’s very important for the president, the government and the Majilis to unite the country, and the opposition [DRP] will not agree to any investigation of less than 30 years.”

This would place Ibrahim Nasir’s government within the mandate of the TRC, including his brutal 1962 suppression of the United Suvadive Republic and destruction of Havaru Thinadhoo.

“The mandate must be to learn from past mistakes so as to avoid them in the future, and in the process unite the country and strengthen democracy,” Saleem proposed. “Democracy alone will not unite the country.”

Departure from promise

Shortly after his election, President Mohamed Nasheed famously asked Maldivians “to follow my example and leave Gayoom to grow old here”, a reconcillatory statement many interpreted as a mark of the new president’s forward-looking approach to governing the country. In this sense, Nasheed’s request last week that HRCM to investigate the previous government’s alleged human rights abuses appeared to reflect a change of heart.

“What he said was that he was not going to go after Gayoom,” speculated Shahindha Ismail, of the Police Integrity Commission and former head of the Maldivian Detainee Network.

“If we were to get technical, it could mean he was not going to file a case against him individually,” she said, suggesting Nasheed’s comment was not a reference to institutions with a mandate to investigate human rights abuses like HRCM.

“Now, I think [Nasheed] is plainly not happy with HCRM and the way they’ve been working.”

Shahindha said while she is not sure “we should go back to the time of the kings and dig up all these graves again”, she believes a TRC “would at least acknowledge what people have been through and at give others a chance to take responsbilitity for what they have done – a kind of self-remedy.”

In her experience working for the Police Integrity Commission, Shahindha observed that “many people report an incident in a fit of passion, but when it comes time to carry out the investigation they withdraw their complaints.”

“If I was going to explain [the concept of a TRC] I would describe it as ‘putting it all on the table so you can get on with your life,'” she said, suggesting that simply the process of being listened to might be curative.

But gaining political consensus for the idea would be a challenge, she thought, particuarly since “the DRP will jump to conclusions that this is about undermining their time in government.”

That much proved accurate: when Minivan News raised the idea with Secretary General of the DRP Dr Mohamed Mausoom, he said he suspected the President would use the opportunity to continue “passing all the blame for failure to the former government.”

“There are better things the government should be doing. People elected the them to govern the country, and in a democracy [the MDP] should listen to the people and deliver. Give HRCM enough money to do their job,” he added.

However Shahindha speculated that a TRC “would also likely see senior MDP people appear on the table.”

“It doesn’t have to be a replica [of the South African TRC], but the general concept has been tried and proven. I do think it would be quite effective. However there is likely to be an initial negative reaction from the public. It was the same in South Africa, it took them a while to understand the concept.”

If former police commissioner Adam Zahir, “who is accused of more human rights violations than anyone else in the Maldives”, could sit in open cafes in Male, Shahindha said, “I’m very sure Gayoom could walk down the street without facing any problems. If people come out I don’t think there will be a lot of people running after them. Maldivians might not forgive and forget, but I do think they let go.”

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Comment: Maldives ‘ahead of the pack’ in highlighting climate change

The Government and people of the Maldives have been ahead of the pack when it comes to highlighting the impacts of climate change. Initiatives such as holding Cabinet meetings underwater and having ambitious plans to become the world’s first carbon neutral country by 2020 make a serious point about the impacts of climate change on all vulnerable countries.

With 80% of the Maldives 1,200 islands no more than one metre above sea level a rise in global temperature and sea levels threatens the country’s very existence. Many of you will have already experienced the impacts of climate change; the more frequent and intense storm surges.

That is why the Maldives and the UK Governments have been working hard in the run up to the UN Conference on Climate Change. We both want to see the most ambitious deal possible at Copenhagen.

The UK believes global agreement around a deal limiting the global average temperature rise to a maximum 2 degrees (the Maldives, with other island states, are pressing for a 1.5 – one of the main areas to be resolved at Copenhagen); commits the world to a 50% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050 and provides a financial package that will help the most vulnerable nations represents, the best way to protect countries particularly exposed to climate effects, such as the Maldives.

That is why the UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has proposed a “Copenhagen Launch Fund” to help developing countries tackle climate change immediately. That is $10 billion to be spent on helping developing countries adapt to climate change and reducing greenhouse gases with “payment for results, with priority for the poorest and most vulnerable countries”.

Global discussion and co-operation is crucial to the success of Copenhagen and beyond. The 18th of December does not mark an end to the process. Whatever the outcome of the conference is, the battle against climate change will not be won.

That is why the Maldives and the UK both have a role to play in ensuring that the momentum of Copenhagen is not lost once the last delegate has left the table. Only a continued and sustained global effort from us all will successfully avert the serious risk climate change poses to our future.

Ivan Lewis is Minister of State at the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office

All comment pieces are the sole view of the author and do not reflect the editorial policy. If you would like to write an opinion piece, please send proposals to [email protected]

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Bill proposed to require parliamentary approval for foreign loans

A bill to amend the financial regulations to require parliamentary approval before the government obtains foreign loans was debated at parliament yesterday.

Presenting the legislation, Maafanu West MP Abdullah Abdul Raheem of the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), said he was proposing the amendments to “modernise” the financial regulations.

“My purposes [for proposing the bill] include securing economic independence for Maldivians,” he said.

He added amendments were needed for the financial regulations passed in 2006 as it gave powers to the government that contravened the spirit of the constitution.

The regulations needed to be changed in accordance with article 250 of the constitution, he said, which states “Any transfer, sale, lease, release, mortgage (to any person) or destruction of, any property or assets owned by the state, and any such other agreement, shall only be entered into in accordance with law.”

Abdullah said it was an “injustice” to obtain loans under a regulation first made in 1976, adding it was not his intention to restrict powers of the president.

The mid-term budget for 2010 currently being reviewed by a parliamentary committee includes Rf384 million (US$29 million) in foreign loan assistance proposed to plug a Rf4.6 billion (US$357 million) deficit.

The bill proposes amending the regulations to require the president to submit plans to secure loans either for the government or state-owned enterprises for parliamentary approval.

Moreover, the sale or lease of government property and providing subsidies or assistance must be conducted in accordance with a law to be passed by parliament.

During the ensuing debate, MPs disagreed with the extent of parliamentary oversight and powers over the government, with some arguing such laws encroached on the authority of the executive.

Feydhoo MP Alhan Fahmy said there was a contradiction between the proposed amendments and what the MP said was its purpose.

The constitution gave the president powers to formulate and implement monetary and fiscal policies.

“We have to set aside having the People’s Majlis decide everything in our thinking,” he said, adding MPs should not interfere with setting policy and implementation as it was contrary to the presidential system of governance.

Alhan said the president did not have to secure parliamentary approval to obtain loans to plug the budget deficit and MPs were not financial experts.

Moreover, he said, the article in the constitution did not deal with loans and foreign assistance.

Maamigili MP Gasim Ibrahim, sole representative of the Republican Party and former finance minister, said the amendment was urgently needed for the future of the nation.

Article 97 of the constitution clearly states that the executive shall not obtain or receive any money or property by loan or otherwise except pursuant to a law enacted by the People’s Majlis, Gasim said.

Referring to the sale of the majority stake in the state telecommunication company, Dhiraagu, Gasim criticised the government’s policy of privatising state-owned enterprises without consultation with the people’s representatives.

He urged MPs to approve the amendments to ensure that future generations do not inherit a “hollow shell” of an indebted nation.

Hithadhoo North MP Mohamed Aslam of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party said the amendments would impede the functioning of the government.

Submitting loans required by government companies to parliament every time funds were needed would create difficulties and slow down the proceedings of parliament, he said.

Vili-Maafanu MP Ahmed Nihan of the DRP said the amendments were required to ensure that the government does not exploit loopholes in the regulations in obtaining loans that would indebt the people.

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Circus in parliament as MPs reject bill banning sale of alcohol

Parliament has narrowly rejected a bill outlawing the sale of alcohol in inhabited islands, airports and other places frequented by Maldivians.

Of the 57 MPs in attendance, 28 voted against proceeding with the legislation, while 23 voted in favour and six abstained.

Several MPs from the two main parties vociferously raised points of order when independent MP Muttalib, who proposed the legislation, in his closing statement after the debate, told DRP MP Ali Azim to repent for his remarks and called on the authorities to take action against him.

Azim had argued against the legislation, claiming it was not a “sensible” or “necessary” law.

However Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim did not allow any points of order, leading to pandemonium in the chamber. The sitting was temporarily called off after almost every MP walked out in protest and quorum was lost.

Muttalib also accused MDP MP Mariya Ahmed Didi of opposing the bill because of her “close association” with the Holiday Inn in Male’, and accused MDP MP Mohamed Mustafa of defrauding pilgrims to “steal their money”.

After the sitting resumed at 11am, Muttalib said MPs would have to “bear responsibility” when the government authorised sale of alcohol in hotels in Male’.

A number of Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party-People’s Alliance coalition (DRP-PA) MPs joined several independents and all the MPs of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) in either abstaining or voting against the bill.

Among the MPs who opposed the legislation were Thohdhoo MP Ali Waheed, Galolhu South MP Ahmed Mahlouf, Vili-Maafanu MP Ahmed Nihan, Mid-Henveiru MP Ali Azim, Villigili MP Mohamed Ramiz, Feydhoo MP Alhan Fahmy of the DRP and Maavashu MP Abdul Azeez Jamal Abukaburu and Isdhoo MP Ahmed Rasheed Ibrahim from the People’s Alliance.

Mid-Henveiru MP Ali Azim
Mid-Henveiru MP Ali Azim

Unconstitutional

During the debate, several MPs argued the bill was unconstitutional as it would indirectly authorise the sale of alcohol.

Article 10(b) of the constitution states no law contrary to any tenet of Islam shall be made or enacted in the Maldives.

Machangaoalhi North MP Mariya Ahmed Didi, chairperson of MDP, argued tourist resorts should also be considered inhabited islands.

“The constitution states all Maldivians have equal protection under the law. Therefore, if we are to give protection to people in inhabited islands, we must provide it to people in resorts,” she said, adding resort workers spend most of the year living in the resorts.

Ungoofaru MP Dr Afrashim Ali of the DRP, a religious scholar, said MPs were mistaken when they argued a law was not needed to ban a practice forbidden in Islam, as it was necessary to devise regulations to protect Maldivian society from social ills such as alcohol.

He added flaws and imperfections in the bill could be remedied at committee stage.

His DRP colleague, Mid-Henveiru MP Ali Azim said MPs should consider whether such a law was needed and whether it would protect Islam in the country.

“My thinking on this is very different. We have to consider who we are trying to forbid alcohol to. We are trying to make it illegal for expatriates and foreigners who visit the Maldives. I don’t think this is a reason we should make it illegal,” he said.

With the economy reliant on the tourism industry, he continued, it did not make sense to outlaw the sale of alcohol only in parts of the country as this would not prevent Maldivians gaining access to it.

Azim said the bill was backed by “the Jews” as part of a long-term plan to weaken the country and introduce other religions.

Meanwhile People’s Alliance MP Abdul Azeez spoke in favour of the bill and urged MPs to send it to committee, but voted against it.

“Unacceptable”

Speaking to Minivan News today, Mauroof Zakir, spokesperson for the coalition of NGOs and associations campaigning against the sale of alcohol in inhabited islands, said the reasons given by MPs for rejecting the bill were “unacceptable”.

“We agree that there are problems with the bill, but throwing it out doesn’t solve anything,” he said. “While [parliament] has the power to send it to committee and cut and trim it, the things they said were intended to mislead the public.”

The coalition was considering proposing another bill, he said, and planned to stage protests and employ civil disobedience if the government enforced the revised regulations on the sale of alcohol.

Last month, the government revised the regulations on the import and use of alcohol to revoke over 800 liquor permits issued to expatriates in favour of authorising hotels to serve foreigners under strict supervision.

The Economic Development Ministry argued lax monitoring of the liquor permits had resulted in a black market for alcohol in the capital Male’.

But, the Ministry’s revised regulations were withdrawn following public pressure before it could be enforced and were sent to a parliamentary committee for consultation.

Under the regulations, tourist hotels in inhabited islands with more than 100 beds would be authorised to sell alcohol to foreigners, but the hotel bar should not be visible from outside or employ Maldivians.

Further, an inventory of the alcohol in storage and daily sales has to be maintained and made available to police on request, while the storage room has to be monitored by CCTV cameras.

Alcohol could not be kept at mini-bars in the hotel rooms and expatriate employees at the bar would be subject to police clearance.

Zakir said the coalition would begin work “immediately” on filing a case at the Supreme Court to abolish regulations made 50 years ago that gave authority to the Economic Development Ministry to allow the import and use of alcohol.

Following today’s vote, he said, the coalition expected the revised regulations to be enforced.

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Maldives ‘easiest country in which to pay tax’

The Maldives has been crowned ‘the easiest country in which to pay tax’ for the second year running by the World Bank’s Doing Business in 2010 report, ahead of Qatar and Hong Kong.

The report measures the regulatory environment of most of the world’s economies, scoring them on factors such as the ease of starting a business, obtain construction permits, get credit and enforce contracts.

Overall the Maldives was ranked 87th out of 183 countries in the survey, a fall of 16 places on last year largely attributable to the increased difficulty of starting a new business (37th to 49th in 2010) and employ workers (6th to 41st in 2010).

Gaining credit within the country, trading across borders and closing a business continued to be major impediments to private economic development, the report indicated.

“The regulatory environment for businesses can influence how well firms cope with the economic crisis and are able to seize opportunities when recovery begins,” the report said.

Where business regulation is transparent and efficient, it is easier for firms to reorient themselves and for new firms to start up. Efficient court and bankruptcy procedures help ensure that assets can be reallocated quickly. And strong property rights and investor protections can help establish the basis for trust when investors start investing again.”

The World Bank report also revealed that despite possessing a multi-billion dollar tourist industry, the economically-troubled Maldives has the world’s third-lowest total commercial tax rate of 9.1 per cent behind Timor-Leste and Vanuatu.

Two bills on taxation have passed committee stage and are to be put before parliament for a vote, including one on corporate taxation and another on administrative framework structures. Next year’s budget relies heavily on taxation, although the legislation has not yet been passed.

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Councilor says dismissal was for failing to obey MDP

Councilor of Maavah Laamu atoll Waleed Zakariya has claimed he was dismissed from the post earlier this month because he failed to give into demands by Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) activists on the island.

Speaking to Minivan News, Waleed said he has learned that he was fired on the request of an MDP member on the island who was unhappy with him.

“The MDP people who worked to get me fired asked me to do illegal things and made complaints to try and make me do those things,” he said, adding the actions they wanted him to take could not be taken “even by a dictator”.

Among the demands were repossessing parts of enlarged plots owned by Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) supporters and refusing to issue licenses and ID cards to them.

Waleed said some people demanded that he give out part of his salary to them and publicly refuse to provide any service to DRP supporters.

“I begged and pleaded with them and told them I can’t do those things, but they refused to accept,” he said, adding they believed the island office should pass criminal judgment on opposition members.

He added the government’s decision to dismiss him was very “irresponsible” as it was based on the complaints of “just three people”.

The three MDP activists in question had ties to high-ranking officials in the president’s office, he said.

Minivan News could not reach the president’s office press secretary for a comment at time of press.

While the MDP supporters claimed Waleed was ordered by the government to marginalize DRP supporters, Waleed said he did not receive any such orders. He had been councilor for 11 months prior to his dismissal.

A DRP supporter on the island told Minivan News that MDP “activists” did not like the councilor consulting opposition party supporters.

“They don’t even want to see him talking to anyone other than an MDP supporter,” he said.

Waleed said the DRP supporters on the island were happy with the job he had done. “I think the reason is that under my watch, I have rented out a lot of empty plots on the land to increase revenue for the people. When I took over the office, the total finances were Rf900,000. But, in these past 11 months, I have raised it to Rf2.2 million.”

MDP supporters are outnumbered by the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) on Maavah, which is represented by opposition People’s Alliance MP Abdul Azeez Jamal Abubakuru.

After the MDP supporters alleged in public that Waleed stole money from public coffers, the letter of dismissal was posted outside a popular café on the island.

Waleed said he had been approached by many islanders to express condolences and urging him to contest for the upcoming local council elections.

He said he was “100 per cent certain” that an MDP candidate would not win a seat.

Waleed said he still did not have any clear information about why he was fired when he was told about it on 3 December.

“It came as a shock to me. I said I’m at the office working right now and I haven’t heard anything either from the atoll office or the province office. And I have not been asked by anyone to clear up any information about my work. I said I found it hard to believe that I have suddenly been fired.”

He added neither the home affairs ministry nor the atoll office was informed of his dismissal even three days after the letter was sent out.

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Journalists ask for government subsidies

The Maldives Journalist Association (MJA) has sent a letter to parliament asking for media subsidies to balance the “fragile” state of the country’s media.

The letter urged parliament to provide the subsidies “in a sensible way” to “vitalise” Maldivian journalism, in order for it to continue its “important role” of holding the government accountable.

Several newspapers have closed down while others have reduced staff numbers and salaries, it said, as a direct result of the government moving its advertisements to an in-house gazette.

“Moreover, MJA has been receiving complaints that there are many obstacles to practicing responsible journalism,” the letter read, adding that subsidies were necessary “to protect and preserve independent journalism in the country” and that failing to provide them “would have an adverse effect on this burgeoning democracy”.

President of the MJA and editor of the newspaper Haveeru, Ahmed ‘Hiriga’ Zahir, proposed that media outlets be given subsidies based on circulation, in a similar system to the way political parties are funded.

“A small community [like the Maldivian media] won’t survive unless we are given support,” he said, adding that this money would not compromise the media’s independence if it was allocated by the state rather than the government.

“We have 300,000 people [in the Maldives] and that’s not enough of a market for fully private enterprise,” he argued. On the other hand, “state TV should be privatised to ensure it has a commercial component. Until recently most of the time people relied on the 8pm news on TVM (Television Maldives) to get their information, and now so much of it is biased towards the current government.”

Hiriga said he was also concerned that fully privatising media ownership would consolidate control in the hands of a few wealthy individuals.

There are no provisions in the current budget for media subsidies, although this has yet to be passed by parliament which has stalled the process at committee level, citing various concerns and “confusions”.

Chairman of the budget review committee, MP Ahmed Nazim, told Minivan News last week that there were no subsidies for the Maldives National Broadcasting Corporation (MNBC) included in the budget.

“Can TVM [Television Maldives] and VoM [Voice of Maldives] finance their 2010 operations on their own? Surely not,” he said.

State Finance Minister Mohamed Assad said the government was “not closed to the idea of state-funded media”, but did favour corporatisation of the sector.

“The whole idea of corporatisation is to budget your own operation and not to rely on support,” he said, claiming this made the media less independent “as its income is hidden.”

He said he was concerned at the way parliament was interceding on the budget, and suggested that “we seem to be moving more to a parliamentary rather than presidential system of government.”

“We are proceeding with the budget and have not said otherwise,” he said, adding that there were contingency plans in place “because in the worst case scenario the government still has to operate. Parliament can’t bring the government to a standstill by not passing the budget.”

He dismissed the concerns of the review committee and said parts of the document were “highly technical and misunderstood, [for example] whatever is earned this year will [only] show up as next year’s income,” he said.

“I think Nazim just wanted a break, it was as simple as that.”

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Minivan News launches Dhivehi edition

Minivan News yesterday launched a Dhivehi version of its highly-regarded independent English language news website for the Maldives.

The Dhivehi edition will regularly feature stories, letters and opinion pieces selected from the English site for their interest to our Dhivehi readers. Dhivehi fonts can be downloaded here.

The Dhivehi edition is the latest in a series of expansions to the Minivan News website, which have included a well-received comments section and greater capacity for photos and images.

To alternate between the Dhivehi site and the English edition, click the link at the top left of the page.

As part of our rapid expansion we have also launched a journalist recruitment program, and are keen to hear from both Dhivehi speakers with experience in journalism and potential trainees who would like to pursue a career in reporting. Click here for further information

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