Category: Politics

Letter on extremism letter

Dear Editor
I am very disturbed by the fact you have published a very inflammatory letter from Ibn Khattab. Clearly the letter encourages for people to commit acts of terrorism. The author’s argument and his justification of jihad is absolutely unacceptable by any standard of morality and common sense.
Do the so-called scholars give news conferences only when someone calls for gay rights? Isn’t it their responsibility to come open and condemn this letter which calls for religious violence and applauds a Maldivian who was reportedly involved in a suicide attack in Pakistan.
Regards
Mao Hussein

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Parliament vows to tackle domestic violence

MPs today signed a declaration supporting the elimination of violence against women, recognising the problem of domestic violence facing the Maldives and undertaking to bear it in mind when legislating.

The signing marked the 10th anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, a UN-led initiative to encourage countries to create and enforce laws punishing violence against women and girls, increase public awareness and strengthen collection of data on the issue.

“We must demand accountability for the violations, and take concrete steps to end impunity. We must listen to and support the survivors,” said UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon.

Kendhoo MP Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, parliamentary group leader of the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), read the declaration on behalf of parliament this morning, promising that MPs will “take all steps to secure women’s rights, and will not accept sexual, physical and other forms of violence against women. We resolve to ensure that the state implements these measures and condemn all forms of violence against women and girls.”

During the debate, Maduvari MP Visam Ali of the DRP said a survey by the former gender ministry showed that one in five Maldivian women aged 15 to 49 had been sexually or physically abused by their partners.

One in nine suffered physical violence, she said, while one in eight had been sexually abused as a child. “We are stunned when we hear these statistics,” she said. “But the offenders have not been punished to anywhere near these numbers.”

The Maldivian culture of trust was partly to blame, she said, after the signing.

“Maldivian women place a lot of trust in their husbands and relatives, and most often the abuse comes from these people. There is an aspect of Maldivian culture that means because of this trust, women don’t speak about [domestic violence]. I think this is the part that has got to change,” she said.

MP's signing the declaration
MPs signing the declaration

A lack of sensitivity towards the issue among the police force added to women’s reluctance to come forward, she continued, “because police are an institution mostly made up of men, and they don’t feel the pain of this.
It’s only recently that women have become involved in police work.”

Even when domestic violence was reported there was a lack of protection and support for the victims afterwards, with no physical infrastructure and few institutional processes to support the victims.

“Maldivians also lack confidence and trust in social workers and counsellors; many are new and half-baked, so if I go to one and they talk about my problems to other people afterwards, then that’s my life lost,” she said.
Male’s congested living conditions were contributing to the problem of domestic violence, said MDP MP for Galholhu North Eva Abdullah, with cramped living conditions forcing large families to live together in small spaces “with a lack of breathing space.”

“Families and distant relatives are cramped together in small rooms,” she said. “A set up that makes it difficult for women to report [domestic violence].”

Thulusdhoo MP Rozaina Adam emphasised the importance of raising awareness of women’s rights, arguing that many Maldivian men used religion to justify discrimination against women.

“Girls need to be taught about equal opportunity,” she said, as many are told they are inferior to men.

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Bill on banning sale of alcohol “unconstitutional”

A bill to ban the sale of alcohol in inhabited islands and airports was contrary to the principles of Islam, MPs argued today.

The bill was unconstitutional as it indirectly authorised the use of alcohol in places not specified in the draft legislation, MPs said.

Article 10(b) of the constitution states, “No law contrary to any tenet of Islam shall be enacted in the Maldives.”

Presenting the legislation yesterday, Fares-Maathoda MP Ibrahim Muttalib said he proposed it because the government had revised the regulations to allow the sale of alcohol in tourist hotels in inhabited islands.

“We are not trying to stop the guests who visit the country from drinking alcohol. What we want to do is ban the sale of alcohol in inhabited islands, places that Maldivians frequent and especially airports and airport restaurants and picnic islands,” he said.

Muttalib said he hoped the law would revoke liquor permits given to expatriates and as well as those of yachts and safari vessels.

Under the bill, the sale of alcohol in inhabited islands, airports and uninhabited islands leased for purposes other than tourism will be prohibited.

If passed, those in violation of the law will be either sentenced to one to three years in jail or fined between Rf12,000 (US$944) and Rf36,000 (US$2,800).

During the debate, MPs said if alcohol was to be banned it should be done wholesale along with interest from banks and pork in the resorts.

Feydhoo MP Alhan Fahmy of the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), who has been suspended for voting against the party line, said banning alcohol in some places and authorising it in other was against Islamic sharia.

Alcohol has been sold in tourist resorts for the past 30 years, he said, and there was consensus that the industry was “the chicken that lays golden eggs”.

“My question is if some people drink alcohol, should we as Muslims be affected by it?” he said. “Or is alcohol being available for sale somewhere a reason for us Maldivians as Muslims to buy and consume it?”

Instead of laws banning its sale, he continued, legislation was needed to regulate the sale of alcohol to ensure that it was not sold to Maldivians or make it an offence.

Vilufushi MP Riyaz Rasheed of the Dhivehi Qaumee Party argued the law would be tantamount to allowing adultery in the bedroom and banning it in the sitting room.

Fuahmulah South MP Mohamed Rafeeq Hassan of the DRP said the bill had significant flaws and needed amendments.

Thulhaadhoo MP Nazim Rashad, an independent, said Islamic sharia was higher than the constitution and parliament should not pass a bill to authorise the sale of anything banned in Islam.

Thulusdhoo MP Rozaina Adam of the DRP said the flaws in the bill could be corrected in committee and were not a good enough reason to vote against it.

Hulhu-Henveiru MP “Reeko” Moosa Manik, parliamentary group leader of the MDP, said the bill was politically motivated and was intended to publicly accuse the government of authorising the sale of alcohol.

The government has revised regulations to revoke liquor permits in favour of authorising tourist hotels to sell alcohol to foreigners under strict supervision.

The revised regulations published by the economic development ministry were withdrawn following public pressure.

Under the regulations, tourist hotels in inhabited islands with 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 must be maintained and made available to police on their request, while CCTV cameras must be mounted at the storage room at hotel.

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

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Serial paedophile sentenced to six years

Convicted paedophile Hussain Fazeel has been sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for 39 counts of child sexual abuse, the highest sentence for such a crime in the Maldives and a landmark decision for the country.

Fazeel was initially arrested in February for smuggling alcohol in Male, but when police searched his home they discovered a hard drive containing a large quantity of images and videos of Fazeel having sex with young boys, some as young as 10. In other videos, the boys were made to had sex with each other.

Inspector Ismail Athif of Maldives Police Service said at the time that many of the boys appeared to have aged in the material, suggesting the abuse had been occurring for some time.

He also noted that the material was of a sufficient resolution to be used for commercial purposes, and that it was possible Fazeel was part of a larger ring.
Assistant Public Prosecutor Mahmoud Saleem said that while Fazeel had committed the crimes before the recent Child Sexual Abuse (Special Provisions) Act was ratified this month, which carries penalties of up to 25 years, six years was the highest sentence recorded for the crime.

In particular, “the statements made by the victims carried great weight,” he said.
Police sergeant Ahmed Shiyam said Fazeel’s sentencing was only the beginning “and there will be more of the same”, adding that two other child sex offenders currently being investigated by police had been linked to some of the same boys abused by Fazeel.

“When we investigated Fazeel we found some boys involved in both cases,” Shiyam said.
As for the sentence given today, “I don’t know why it was only six years, it should have been more than that.”

Mohamed Shihab from Child Abuse Watch Maldives said while the sentence was not administered under the harsher laws only recent enacted, as a first step it promised “a very positive future.”

“We have not seen anything like this ever before; I’ve already called the prosecutor general to thank him for this very important first step,” Shihab said. “We can look at it very happily that justice has finally been done for the children.”

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Comment & Analysis: From the rising sea into the crossfire

Jihadwatch is watching the Maldives. Jihadwatch, set up by the David Horowitz Freedom Center in the United States after the 11 September 2001 attacks on New York, is run by prominent rightwing American conservatives convinced that Western civilization is in danger of being annihilated by ‘Islamic terrorism’.

The chief aim of Jihadwatch is that of ‘correcting popular misconceptions about the role of Jihad and religion in modern-day conflicts’.

This has meant reducing the inherent complexities of the Islamic concept of Jihad to a singular understanding of the term: Jihad is a Muslim Holy War against the West. Some of the contributors to Jihadwatch are among those who have made the most prolific contributions towards cementing the dangerous theory of a clash between Islam and Western civilization.

With the announcement by President Nasheed on 21 November 2009 that he was seeking advice on whether or not the Maldives should ban places of worship for other religions, the Maldives provided Jihadwatch with just the kind of material to spread their message of Islam as an enemy of human freedom and civilization. The article itself, and the comments left by visitors, make interesting reading for the government, and for the purported religious readers that currently seem to hold sway over what happens in the country.

Clash of civilisations

The issue here is not that the Maldivian government should let its policy be informed by the output of a website such as Jihadwatch. After all, it is such advice and thinking that informed the policies of the previous U.S. administration that led the world into the disastrous ‘War on Terror’.

No, the reason why being watched by Jihadwatch should be of concern to the Maldivian government is because it raises the question of how the Maldives ended up being involved in this ‘Islam versus West’ debate at all.

If President Nasheed is seeking ‘advice from religious scholars on Islam’s position on allowing non-Muslims to worship in an Islamic community’, he would also do well to seek advice on how to deal with the dangerous issues that the country will have to face once it finds itself well and truly caught up in the so-called ‘clash of civilisations’ debate.

The most pressing issue here is that the Maldivian government should realize the direction in which these ‘religious leaders’, with their proposals for introducing intolerance into Maldivian laws, is taking the country.

If the government fails to recognize the implications of allowing them to lead the Maldives into the maelstrom of the dangerous Islam versus the West debate, the nation will soon find itself in deeper waters than those that threaten to force it under rising sea-levels.

Imported

For centuries the Maldivians have been Muslims. Its constitution has always dictated that to be a Maldivian citizen, one has to be a Muslim. Yet, until now, it has managed to avoid being predominantly identified as an ‘Islamic state’ – extremist or otherwise – in western security discourse. Even in the immediate aftermath of 11 September 2001, the Maldives escaped from being grouped into either of the two camps into which the former US administration divided the world: ‘either you are with us [the West], or you with the terrorists’.

This is no small achievement, for a nation of 300,000 people who have been Muslims by law since 1153 AD. How did the country manage to distance itself from being typecast in this crude manner?

By practicing Islam peacefully. By being Muslims who were not dictated to by the diktats of sects and factions within Islam. By adhering to the tenets of Islam that make it a religion of peace. By being united in their faith in a manner that was uniquely Maldivian.

The Maldives has escaped war, ethnic conflict and civil strife in this war-torn world precisely because its people have been united in their belief and practise of Islam in a manner that has been unique to their own cultural and social identity.

In the last eight years or so, however, a particular brand of Islam has been imported into the country by persons whose underlying motives the government has failed to question and whose activities the government has left unchecked. The number of ‘learned clerics’ whose methods and sources of learning no one knows, have mushroomed with breathtaking rapidity.

The Muslims of the Maldives and their unique identity have been marauded by the force of the dubious religious rhetoric that now reverberates in its parliament and its public sphere.

Thought-revolution

There has been a thought-revolution in the Maldives the force of which has affected the Maldivian people as profoundly as Mao’s Cultural Revolution affected the people of China.

The government needs to question how this silent yet so starkly visible revolution happened without protest, how a people’s identity has been taken away so completely, how they have been so easily persuaded into leaving centuries of cultural norms and ingrained ways of practicing their faith for methods and practices that have been imported en masse from other cultures, from certain sects within Islam.

The last government and the barriers it had set up against intellectual development is just one of many reasons. But there is more, and the government needs to ask the right questions and find the answers, if it is to halt the relentless regression towards disaster that the Maldives is currently caught up in.

If the Maldives continues along this path of radical change, it is going to come under more than just the watchful eye of those trying to blame Islam and its teachings for all the woes of the world. The saddest development of all is that a country such as the Maldives, which until now has been a shining example of peace, among Muslim nations is now providing ammunition for those who are perpetrating the belief that Islam is engaged in a war against the West.

President Nasheed fought long and hard for a democratic government in the Maldives, and made personal sacrifices to achieve the goal. He has been busy attempting to bring about much needed reforms.

But, he is showing himself to be extremely weak in facing up to the forces that are impeding his progress. It is time for President Nasheed and his government to realize that if he fails to stand up to these agents of conflict and intolerance, the loss will not only be to his political ambitions but to the nation that he has promised deliverance from dictatorship.

It is laudable to try and save the nation from going under when the sea levels rise; but the ability to hold cabinet meetings underwater is not going to help stop the nation from sinking into troubled waters once it gets caught in the crossfire of the ‘War on Terror’ and the advocates of a clash of civilizations between Islam and the West.

Munirah Moosa is a journalism and international relations graduate. She is currently engaged in research into the ‘radicalisation’ of Muslim communities and its impact on international security.

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

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MoU signed for wind farm in Northern Province

Northern Utilities signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) yesterday with Swedish company Madsen Consulting to set up a wind farm in the Northern Province, helping the Maldives move closer to achieving carbon neutrality.

Abdul Matheen, managing director of Northern Utilities, said Madsen Consulting would install a single 75kw turbine in Lhaviyani atoll Hinnavaru early next year to carry out a feasibility study for the region.

“We will collect real data from the turbine and after we will decide how many wind turbines to install on how many islands,” said Matheen, adding that the study would last between four and six months.

He explained the project would be built, owned and operated by Madsen Consulting while Northern Utilities would distribute the energy to the islands.

In March, President Mohamed Nasheed unveiled ambitious plans to make the Indian Ocean archipelago the first carbon neutral country in the world by switching from diesel to renewable energy and offsetting carbon emissions.

Matheen said that previous studies revealed the Northern Province was the best in the country in terms of potential for capturing wind energy.

On why the utilities company had kept the signing from the media, he said, “We sign so many MoUs…people aren’t interested to hear that anymore. But hopefully it’s the beginning of a larger project.”

Hinnavaru Councillor Adam Yoosef said he was pleased with the possibility of a wind farm on his island.”It’s very good because it will reduce the cost of electricity. It will be affordable to the people,” he said.

Adam said he believed going carbon neutral was a positive step as the Maldives as a low-lying country was vulnerable to climate change.

“In which case it’s the best thing we can do, and if we do it other countries might do the same,” he said.

In 2007, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicted rising sea levels of up to 59cm would submerge many of the Maldives’ 1,192 coral islands.

Earlier this month, the Maldives signed two MoUs for feasibility tests for wind farms elsewhere in the country.

The first was with British company Falcon Energy to carry out a feasibility study for a 75 megawatt wind farm in Gaafaru in North Malé Atoll, with the test to be conducted by GE Energy over a period of one year.

If successful, the wind farm could potentially supply energy to the whole atoll including the capital Malé, Hulhulé International Airport and 24 resorts as well as supply 40 per cent of its electricity.

At the ceremony, President Mohamed Nasheed said he believed the Maldives would achieve its goal of going carbon neutral by 2020, earlier than expected.

The second MoU was with Indian company Suzlon, Asia’s largest wind turbine producer, to conduct a feasibility study for a 25 megawatt wind project in Addu atoll.

At a the Vulnerable Climate Forum this month, the Maldives and ten other countries vulnerable to climate change adopted a declaration vowing to green their economies ahead of the United Nations climate change conference in December.

The declaration further called upon other countries to voluntarily commit to going carbon neutral.

Next month, world leaders will meet in Copenhagen at the UN talks to thrash out a successful to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.

Discussions have so far stalled with many pessimistic about reaching a legally binding treaty until next year.

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STO opens up sale of shares

The State Trading Organisation (STO) has begun the sale of over 100,000 shares to the public today under the government’s privatisation policy.

Speaking at a press conference, Aishath Shaffana Rasheed, secretary general, said 138,472 shares will be up for sale from today to 10 January 2010.

When the sale of shares is complete, the share of the public in the company will increase from 7.71 per cent to 20 per cent and the government’s share in the company will be reduced from 92.29 per cent to 80 per cent,” she said.

She added the company aimed to eventually reduce the government’s share to 50 per cent.

The price of a share is Rf400 (US$31) with a face value of Rf50 (US$3.8) and an individual can buy a minimum of five shares, she said, while foreign investment companies will not be eligible.

Although a maximum amount has not been set, she added, under company regulations, an individual cannot own more than five per cent of the company’s shares.

Forms for the purchase of shares will be available from the STO head office and has to be submitted at the Bank of Maldives or its designated branches and mobile teams.

The purpose of selling STO shares is to reduce the government’s share and implement the government’s privatisation policy, she said.

Last year, STO handed out Rf65 (US$5) in dividends.

Shahid Ali, STO managing director, said the pro rata [in proportion] allotment of shares would ensure that all persons who apply for shares will be able to purchase even if the applications exceed the number of shares available for sale.

Mobile teams will visit the islands without bank branches to allow people to purchase shares, he said.

Farooq Umar, chairman of the STO board, said the five per cent ceiling will be a safeguard against companies purchasing more shares than the general public.

STO was established in 1964 to import essential food items, but has since diversified into areas such as energy and trade in consumer electronics.

The provisional income statement for the quarter that ended on 30 September shows that the company made a gross profit of Rf120.1 million (US$15.6 million) in the third quarter and Rf352 million (US$27.3 million) so far this year.

STO was registered in the Maldivian stock exchange in 2001.

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Rf11.9 billion budget proposed to parliament

A Rf11.9 billion (US$926 million) projected mid-term budget for 2010 with a Rf4 billion (US$357 million) deficit was proposed to parliament by Finance Minister Ali Hashim today.

Presenting the budget, Hashim said unlike previous budgets, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has confidence that next year’s budget could be implemented.

With government revenue projected at Rf7.3 billion (US$568 million), he said, the deficit for 2010 will be Rf4.6 billion (US$357 million).

“To plug this deficit, we have proposed estimated foreign aid of Rf1 billion (US$77 million) for the various projects in the budget, an estimated Rf384 million (US$29 million) from foreign loan assistance, an estimated Rf1.3 billion (US$101 million) from privatising government companies and an estimated Rf1.9 billion (US$147 million) from selling treasury bills through the MMA [Maldives Monetary Authority],” he said.

Revenue and expenditure

Rf11.9 billion budget proposed to parliament

Measures to increase government revenue included the introduction of corporate taxation in 2010, he said, urging MPs to pass the taxation legislation before the end of the year.

Further, a GST (goods and services tax) will be imposed on tourist resorts and hotels in the final quarter of 2010, he said, which is expected to bring in Rf358 million (US$27 million) in revenue.

Hashim said introducing taxation was important to stop the “ad hoc” means of raising revenue.

He added the IMF, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) had repeatedly urged the government to institute sustainable sources of revenue.

Expenditure on travel, capital and recurrent costs has been reduced in the budget, he said.

He added expenditure on salaries for state employees was also reduced and revenue had to be increased beyond Rf7 billion to review the reduced salaries of civil servants.

The policy of creating “a small government” will be implemented in 2010, Hashim said, and funds for redundancy packages for laid off employees was included in the budget.

Further, a loan programme with assistance from the World Bank will begin in early 2010 to provide education and business loans for dismissed staff.

Surplus

By the IMF government finance statistics measure, the deficit for 2009 was 26.1 per cent.

But, said Hashim, if the mid-term budget was implemented, it would decline to 14.8 per cent in 2010, 2.4 per cent in 2011 and reach a surplus in 2012.

The structure of the budget was agreed upon after consultations with the IMF, he said, and included recommendations by the IMF, ADB and World Bank to solve structural problems in the economy.

The recommendations include reducing expenditure and size of the government, introducing targeted subsidies and transferring debt with the MMA to government bonds.

Further, he said, the IMF will provide a balance of payments loan to maintain foreign currency reserves, while the ADB and World Bank will provide loans for budget support.

Tourism

“In 2009, the Maldivian economy, especially the tourism industry, was severely affected by the global economic recession that began in the middle of 2008,” he said. “However, we have started seeing signs that the downturn is coming to an end.”

While tourist arrivals were expected to decline by 11 per cent in 2009, he said, arrivals picked up during the middle of the year.

The revised forecast for about 643,000 tourist arrivals in 2009 would be 5.9 per cent lower than the previous year, but 5.1 per cent better than the previous forecast.

The growth rate of the tourism industry slowed by 4.8 per cent in 2009, he said.

But, he added, since the industry has showed signs of improvement towards the end of the year the projected growth rate for 2010 is six per cent.

Further, it is expected to expand by 8.7 per cent in 2011 and 9.1 per cent in 2012.

Construction

As a result of the declining tourist arrivals, the dollar shortage and decreased capital investment, the construction industry was projected to contract by 16.8 per cent in 2009.

But, said Hashim, with the healthy forecast for the tourism industry and development of islands leased in 2004 expected to begin next year, the construction industry is projected to grow by 3.4 per cent in 2010.

Fisheries

Fisheries began to decline in 2006, with a 22 per cent contraction in 2007 and 7.7 per cent in 2008.

“In 2009, fishing is now expected to decline by 26.7 per cent. However, as the price of oil has fallen in 2009, it is now estimated that fisheries will improve in 2010,” said Hashim. “In 2010, the growth of the industry is expected to be maintained at 10 per cent.”

Balance of payments

Hashim said the balance of payments current account deficit was expected to be 25 per cent of GDP for 2009, compared to 51 per cent in 2008.

But, with imports expected to increase in 2010, the deficit is projected to widen to 28 per cent.

Export earnings in 2010 are projected to rise by 18 per cent with higher earnings expected from oil re-exports and new fisheries products.

The gross reserve was expected to climb to US$299.1 million in 2009, including the sale of US$100 worth of government bonds.

With tourism revenue expected to rise along with proceeds from privatisation and foreign assistance, Hashim said, the gross reserve was projected to be US$331.6 million at the end of 2010.

Deficit spending

The revised total expenditure for 2009 was Rf12.1 billion (US$941 million), the finance minister said, of which Rf6.2 billion (US$482 million) was government revenue and foreign aid.

Expenditure exceeded revenue by Rf5.9 billion (US$459 million), which was to be plugged by Rf1.1 billion (US$85 million) in foreign loans, Rf637 million (US$49 million) in loan assistance and Rf4.1 billion (US$319) expected from the sale of treasury bills and bonds.

At today’s sitting, a 15-member ad hoc committee was approved to evaluate the budget and present a report.

The budget debate will take place on 1 December.

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Government submits right to information bill

A right to information bill was submitted to parliament this week to ensure the government conducts its activities in a transparent and accountable manner, according to the president’s office.

Deputy Attorney General Abdulla Muizza told Minivan News today the bill was “very similar” to the current right to information regulations, noting the right was enshrined in the constitution.

Article 29 of the constitution stipulates that everyone has the freedom to acquire and impart knowledge, information and learning.

While the right to information regulations exist, Muizzu said an Act would be “more effective” and have “more weight”, adding that regulations have to be reviewed every year.

“Regulations can also be changed at any time by a three-member panel in parliament but an Act requires all of parliament to be changed,” he said.

Ali Shamaan, the editor of Hafta weekly, said the bill will compel government offices to provide information.

“Legal action can be taken against those who refuse, whereas under the regulations, there was no legal recourse,” he said.

The right to information regulations were adopted by presidential decree last year after a bill on the issue was rejected by parliament in 2007.

Shamaan said the 2007 bill had “serious flaws” as it was proposed by a “30-year-old dictatorship” that did not have any intention of providing information.

“But in the last few years of the Maumoon government, a circular was sent to all government offices asking them to provide information to media,” he said.

He added that the incumbent government had told offices to make information available and was confidence MPs would vote for the bill.

The right to information regulations came into effect in May but have been severely criticised by journalists, who have argued they hamper rather than ease access to information.

Under the regulations, all information must be provided within 30 days, which the Maldives Journalism Association (MJA) has argued should be shortened to 21 days.

The MJA further criticised provisions in the regulations which allow government institutions to extend the period from 30 to 60 days on a number of grounds such as if the information is not considered ready for publication.

The regulations have also been criticised for their numerous exceptions. Information can be withheld if, for example, it relates “to a third party, is a trade secret or goes against a prior agreement”.

In a UNESCO sponsored report published last month, Toby Mendel, senior legal counsel at Article 19, an international organisation that advocates for freedom of expression, said the regulations did not, appear to be implemented in practice or used by either citizens or civil society as a means of accessing information.

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