Category: Society & Culture

Islamic Foundation donates food aid to Somalia

Islamic Foundation of the Maldives (IFM) has donated vital food aid to over 80,000 victims of famine in the drought-stricken Somalia.

In a press statement released today, the religious NGO claimed that the food aid which included rice, flour, sugar, dates and cooking oil was handed over to 84,040 Somalis. Most recipients were women, children and the elderly.

According to IFM, food items worth Rf365, 203 (US$23,683) were equally distributed among 10,050 households belonging to the four worst hit areas: Bay, Bakool, Lower Shabelle and Banadir.

During the last quarter of 2011, an IFM official went to Somalia and dispersed the aid with the help of Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), the statement noted.

The UN has officially declared six parts of Somalia to be suffering from famine amid the worst drought in east Africa for 60 years.

“The Somalia crisis is everybody’s responsibility and Somalis need support now. We cannot afford to wait or we will let down the Somali people,” said Mark Bowden, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Somalia.

According to Bowden, more than half of Somalia’s 10 million people who are in dire need of help “will die without assistance”, while tens of thousands, including children, have already died of starvation.

The drought in East Africa has put an estimated 11 million people at risk. Suffering decades of relentless conflict, Somalia is the worst-hit country in the region.

Somalia’s south are experience the worst cases of famine, particularly the regions of Lower Shabelle, Middle and Lower Juba, Bay, Bakool, Benadir, Gedo and Hiraan, where the UN says an estimated 310,000 now suffer from acute malnutrition.

Meanwhile the UN has appealed for $1.5 billion for 2012, warning that the humanitarian crisis gripping millions of Somalis will persist for the coming months.

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Government lifts week-long ban on resort spas, massage parlors

The government has lifted a controversial nationwide ban on spas and massage parlors with immediate effect while it awaits a ruling from the Supreme Court over the legality of spa operations and sale of pork and alcohol in resorts.

The announcement was made by President Mohamed Nasheed during a press conference today at Kurumba Island Resort, the country’s first resort which opened in 1972.

The week-long ban, which has made headlines in both local and international media, was lifted “because the government does not want the economy to suffer any damage during the time Supreme Court takes to come to a decision,” President Nasheed said.

Sale of pork and alcohol would also continue while other goods and services “such as casinos” demanded by the tourists, said Nasheed, would be allowed under the Contraband Act of 1975 until a judicial declaration is reached.

As the Maldivian constitution states that “Islam shall be one of the basis of all the laws of the Maldives” and prohibits the enactment of any laws “contrary to any tenet of Islam”, Nasheed said that the Tourism Ministry requested advice on legality of spa operations and sale of pork and alcohol at the recently-concluded ‘Islamic Scholars Symposium.’

However the scholars recommended that the government seek a judicial declaration, he revealed. Nasheed urged the apex court to settle the dispute in the near future.

Asked if the ban was necessary, Nasheed responded that the move was prompted by allegations made at the December 23 ‘Defend Islam’ demonstration.

Nasheed also dismissed opposition parties’ contention that the government should bear full responsibility for the economic consequences, arguing that “in a democracy, it is difficult to decide who’s responsible”, though conceding that the tourism sector’s reputation has been damaged in the process.

“We wanted to impress upon everyone where the opposition’s demands were ultimately going to end,” Nasheed explained.

The government’s ultimatum “woke the nation from its slumber and sparked a healthy national debate about the future direction of the country,” he insisted.

“The extremist demonstration on 23 December attracted a sizeable crowd. But their radical demands awoke the silent majority who categorically reject extremism,” Nasheed said.

The reason Maldives tourism industry have flourished for years, said Nasheed, is because the sector has been “free from religious fundamentalist demands.”

Referring to controversy over allowing Israeli airlines to operate flights to the Maldives, President Nasheed said that the tourist arrivals would be adversely affected “if we start saying that only certain nationals or certain airlines can come to Maldives,” noting that a sizable portion of tourists were Jewish.

The government’s decision rests on a decision made by parliament on recommendations by its National Security Committee, he said.

The December 23 religious rally organised by a coalition of NGOs and opposition parties was the “biggest use of religion as a political tool” in Maldivian history, Nasheed contended.

“We all must know such fundamentalist demands will damage the Maldives tourism industry’s [image] in the international community,” he said. “News will not always reach the international community in the way we prefer.”

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GMR and government to seek “win-win situation”: Razee

Infrastructure company GMR has said it will deduct revenue received from collecting a US$25 (Rf385.5) Airport Development Charge (ADC) from every passenger departing on an international flight from the concession fee to be paid to the government.

GMR informed Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) last Thursday of its decision. MACL officials had not responded to inquiries at time of press.

GMR planned to begin collecting the ADC at midnight on January 1 this year as per its contract with the Maldives government. Revenue was expected to amount to US$25 million (Rf385.5 million) in 2012, and would be put towards the ongoing development of Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA).

However, a Civil Court ruling in December blocked the ADC on the grounds that it was identical to an existing Airport Services Charge (ASC) of US$18 (Rf277.56). The company’s shares on the Mumbai stock exchange subsequently fell 7.57 percent, India’s Economic Times reported.

The government subsequently appealed the case to the High Court. Meanwhile, GMR is not collecting the ADC.

Economic Development Minister Mahmoud Razee said that the concession agreement between GMR and the government assured each party a certain level of income.

“Because the ADC was included as revenue, until the matter is resolved any money that was going to be received from the ADC should be deducted from what GMR owes the government,” Razee explained.

Razee said that the Ministry of Finance will work with GMR and the government to resolve the matter, adding however that much of the decision rests on a verdict from the High Court.

He added that the related Amendment of Collection of Airport Tax (international travelers) Act 7/78 Bill is also before the Parliament, which is currently in recess until March.

Razee was optimistic about the outcome, however far in the future.

“The contract between the government and GMR allows for certain changes which are mutually respected and agreed upon by both parties,” Razee observed. “They will reach a win-win situation, even if some revenue is lost.”

GMR previously noted that the payment of a development fee was “a common concept in many airports globally”, particularly as a part of concession agreements where airports are privatised.

“The reason for the inclusion of ADC in many global concession agreements is to address the funding needs to meet the investment model required to upgrade and develop new airport facilities at significant costs,” GMR stated.

The company further claimed that the charge was included in the concession fee proposed between GMR and the government in 2010.

Meanwhile, in April India’s Supreme Court ruled against the charging of airport development fees which are not approved by India’s Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA). However Delhi airport, developed by GMR, continued to charge the fee as GMR had obtained permission to collect the sum in 2010.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for INIA’s new terminal on December 19, President Nasheed said he wished to assure GMR that the government was “200 percent behind your contract, and every single other contract the government has signed with any other foreign party in this country. Not just contracts signed by our government, but also contracts that any ruler of the Maldives has signed with any party. We will honour it.”

The public response has not been so positive. Following GMR’s closure of duty-free shop Alpha MVKB, company CEO Ibrahim Shafeeq organised a protest under the slogan “Go GMR Go!” The protest was held on the grounds that the company was “demonstrating our opinions and dislike of what GMR has done to us and to get public responses,” Shafeeq told Minivan News at the time.

Kulhudhuffushi-South Independent MP Mohamed Nasheed also proposed an amendment to the Business Registration Bill in a bid to reserve airport shops and services for local ownership and “clip GMR’s wings”.

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Police arrest five suspects in Addu City gang rape

Police have arrested five suspects for allegedly gang-raping a 17 year-old girl in Addu City after midnight last night.

A police spokesperson told Minivan News that the incident occurred at about 1.00am.

“Police received information about the incident at about 1.50am,” he said. ”Police are now investigating the case.”

In addition to two minors aged 17, the other three suspects were aged 19, 20 and 23, police said.

According to local media reports, the victim was abducted and taken to an abandoned house while she was on her way to work.

Newspaper Haveeru reported that a man who drove her to work was involved in the rape and took her to the abandoned house.

In a similar case reported in Addu City during November’s SAARC summit, a police officer was arrested on charges of raping a married woman with two other men.

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MATI sues as government seeks Supreme Court legal counsel on spas, pork and alcohol

The government has asked the Supreme Court for a “consultative opinion” on the legality of spa operations and sale of pork and alcohol in resorts, claiming that legal clarity is needed to properly address the current controversy involving Islam and the tourism industry.

The government last week ordered resorts to shut down their spa operations, and announced it was considering a ban on pork and alcohol. The announcements were made in response to five demands made during a demonstration organised by a coalition of NGOs and opposition parties on December 23 to ‘Defend Islam.’

Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) meanwhile filed a case at the Civil Court yesterday challenging the Tourism Ministry’s order to shut down massage parlors and health spas in resorts.

Speaking to local media, Attorney General Abdulla Muiz said, “We believe that the people have expressed genuine concerns over the circular issued by the Tourism Ministry ordering resorts to close down their spas.

“Investors will have confidence when they are clear of the judiciary’s position on these issues.”

The Attorney General was unavailable for comment at time of press.

Although the import of alcohol and pork to the Maldives is allowed under a regulation, there is no regulation or set of guidelines specific to spa operations in resorts.

The State, however, claims that Article 15(a2) of the Goods and Services Tax Act clearly stipulates that spas are legally accepted in the Maldives as tourism goods.

Under the article, “goods and services supplied by diving schools, shops, spas, water sports facilities and any other such facilities being operated….at tourist resorts, tourist hotels, tourist guest houses, picnic islands, tourist vessels and yacht marinas authorised by the Tourism Ministry” are tourism goods.

Officials at the Supreme Court and President’s Office were unavailable for comment today.

MATI Secretary General Sim Ibrahim Mohamed was unable to comment on the case in the Civil Court, but said that the government’s decision had incurred “irrevocable damage” to the tourism industry and had become a “legal issue to which we are trying to find legal clarity.”

“We are trying in the lower courts while the government has filed at the Supreme Court to see what this is about. We need to know whether the Maldives can legally provide tourism services within the confines of the constitution,” he explained. “A lot is riding on the court verdicts.”

Sim conceded that the verdicts would not close the discussion. “As to whether the public or the opposition parties will accept the verdict is not for us to say. They will have to weigh their own agendas against what is good for the economy at the moment,” he said.

Former Attorney General and lawyer representing MATI, Aishath Azima Shukoor, said the case addressed two key points: that the government’s decision to close the spas violates the contracts it holds with resort operators, and that the timing is unconstitutional.

Shukoor pointed out that the contracts between the government and resort operators include a clause entitling the operators to the peaceful operation of land leased. She maintained that the government had violated the agreement by closing operations without presenting any substantial reports, investigation or evidence justifying the action.

MATI has also applied for an injunction. If granted, resort spas would be allowed to operate until the court case is concluded.

Shukoor said MATI was hoping for a hearing on Wednesday, January 4, but that nothing has been confirmed.

Complaints that the tourism industry compromises the Maldives’ status as a 100 percent Muslim nation have brewed for some time, but the protests in “defense of Islam” in December 2011 threw officials into the crucible of religion, politics and tourism currently before higher and lower courts.

Article 10 of the Maldivian constitution states that “Islam shall be one of the basis of all the laws of the Maldives” and prohibits the enactment of any laws “contrary to any tenet of Islam”.

Although members of the coalition defending Islam originally called for the closure of “the spas and massage parlors and such places where prostitution is conducted”, as well as a reversal of a policy which permits the sale of alcohol on areas declared “uninhabited islands” – such as in Addu City and Fuvahmulah were the government plans to build city hotels – the government’s all-or-nothing response has driven those members to alter their position.

After telling a gathering of thousands that “The only road we must follow is based on Allah’s callings,” Jumhoree Party Leader and tourism tycoon Gasim Ibrahim sued the government when it closed spa operations in five of his Villa Hotels resorts over allegations of prostitution.

Upon realising that the protests had prompted the UK to issue a travel advisory, and after refusing to answer an inquiry about rumors that Taliban members had entered the country to participate in the protest, religious Adhaalath Party said it “calls on the international community to visit Maldives without any fear, assures that there is no terrorism in the Maldives, and that it will never give space to terrorism in this country.”

The statement further assures the international community that Maldivians are capable of protecting tourists.

Speaking to Minivan News today, Adhaalath Party chief spokesperson Sheik Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed did not wish to comment on an ongoing court case but called on the government to take national decisions slowly.

“Maldivian people have no problem with the tourism industry. The Maldives is the best country in the Islamic world with dealing with non-Muslims. Doctors, teachers, all are living here in Maldives and we have nothing against them. The thing is social problems are increasing daily, and people are concerned,” he said.

Minivan News asked whether it was worth risking the tourism industry in the name of Islam.

“Everyone knows the tourism industry is the backbone of our national economy. That’s why no one wants to damage any side of the tourism industry in the Maldives. I am 100 percent sure there is no prostitution in the tourism industry here. It is very professional, it is the most famous tourism industry in the world and is accepted by the international community. Why would we want to attack ourselves?”

Shaheem recommended that the industry foster alcohol-free resorts to develop the nation’s economy and add variety to the tourism sector. “In 2011 there was a project with a company from Dubai trying to do an alcohol-free resort. And I know there are resorts not selling pork,” he observed.

Minivan News asked whether it was acceptable for the government to support resorts which do sell alcohol and pork.

“This is a religious issue, and it is in the Supreme Court, so I can’t talk about this issue,” Shaheem said, adding that he could not say whether the court verdicts would settle the matter.

The Tourism Ministry announced earlier this week that it was considering revising the ban on spa operations in resorts.

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DQP requests action against President, Tourism Minister as Maldives image shifts from glam to grit

Minority opposition Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) has requested Maldives Police Service to take immediate action against President Mohamed Nasheed and Minister of Tourism Mariyam Zulfa for ordering all resorts to close down health spas.

In a letter, DQP alleged that the government officials were conspiring to damage the Maldives’ image as a popular holiday destination.

The party’s statement added that the government’s “irresponsible” action is making headlines in the international media.

Police confirmed that they had received the letter, and would deliberate the matter.

DQP officials had not responded to inquiries at time of press. DQP Leader Hassan Saeed told local media this week that the government’s actions were causing “irreparable damage” to the tourism industry, from which “it would not be easy to come out of even after 25 years.”

An official at the President’s Office however argued that the opposition should bear responsibility for the fallout from December’s mass protest to ‘Defend Islam.’

“The opposition has been whipping up, and in some cases financing, extremism for months and spreading lies saying the government wants to introduce other religions. They can’t now complain about the economic damage they are ultimately responsible for.”

While resort reviews and booking services still make the first page of a Google search on the Maldives, headlines noting spa and resort closures amidst religious extremism and political turbulence have lately joined the mix.

Today’s Google searches for “Maldives”,”Maldives spa” and “Maldives resort” pulled a news feed exclusively addressing the political-religious whirlwind of the last week in which the government announced it was closing resort spas and considering a ban of pork and alcohol in response to popular demands favoring Islamic policies.

Over 229 articles are listed from leading outlets including UK’s The Guardian, India’s The Hindu, global Agence France Presse (AFP), and the BBC.

In keeping with the Maldives’ fame as a tourist destination, the headlines are eye-catching.

Global feed Associated Press (AP) ran the headline “Maldives closes hundreds of luxury resort spas,” while Sydney Morning Herald vigorously announced that “Sex claims force luxury resorts to close spas”.

Zimbabwe Metro simply stated “Maldives bans all spas after religious protests”, and Argophilia Travel News sardonically wrote, “Maldives spa ban: ulterior motives perhaps?”

Clicking beyond the headline, readers worldwide find content ranging from skeptical to sensationalist.

In their reports, America’s CNN today reported that “honeymooners and international hotel owners” were caught in “an acrimonious showdown over religious between the government and opposition parties”, while Mail & Guardian Online pointed out that the Maldives “reputation as a paradise holiday destination has come under pressure from a minority of religious fundamentalists who are growing in influence.”

Rather than ignoring the demands of the ‘Defend Islam’ demonstration on December 23, CNN observed that “the government raised the stakes” by issuing an order to close all massage parlors and spas.

Tourism accounts for approximately 70 percent of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) indirectly; a significant portion of resort profits are earned from spa services.

Although the stories do not always present an accurate picture of the situation, they are ubiquitous.

Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) Secretary General Sim Ibrahim Mohamed said the industry “has serious problems with people not understanding what is going on.”

Sim said that the situation was generally “murky, with one thing leading to another and another”, and added that “most of our communication is in Dhivehi–press conferences, press releases, notifications, debates. It’s very difficult for the international community to report accurately because they don’t understand our language.”

Stepping back from the details, Sim explained that tourists trying to book a relaxing holiday are not soothed by a media storm at the destination, particularly when it involves certain hot-button words.

“Fundamentalism, radicalism, extremism–since 9/11 these have been very sensitive words. And they don’t go very well with tourism.” Sim added that the industry has suffered “many booking cancellations” in the past several weeks.

The media flurry is also being addressed by those inside resorts. The blog Maldives Resort Workers, which allows resort employees to express their opinions on a carefully-manicured industry, noted in the post “The media circus continues” that Maldives’ formerly polished profile is gradually becoming dark and contorted as the issue drags on.

“What is not so funny in these political manuevering is: the negative publicity this generated across the media despite the high value tourism we have. The administration clearly needs to dismiss their spin doctors who didn’t warn them about this media storm,” wrote one commentator.

Religious Adhaalath Party, one of the parties which had organised the mass protest against the alleged anti-Islamic agenda of the current administration, has also expressed concern that the media coverage is “damaging” the Maldivian people.

“I don’t want international media to treat Maldives poorly, I want them to do their job carefully and justly. You can’t see any country like Maldives in Islamic world, so why would we want to damage these people? These are Muslim people and they like moderate views,” said chief spokesperson Sheik Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed.

Shaheem yesterday told CNN, “We respect tourists…we are very happy with the tourism industry in the Maldives.”

Adhaalath Party previously released a statement inviting tourists to visit the Maldives and promising protection, after the UK released a travel advisory.

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Male City Council begins Primary Health Care program

President Mohamed Nasheed has today launched the “Primary Health Care Program” of Male City Council, which aims to facilitate immunization and other health services to children below five years of age.

In its first step the program will conduct a survey to determine the total number of children below five years of age living in capital Male’, Mayor Maizan Ali Manik said during the program launch at Vinares house in Machangoalhi district.

To inaugurate the program, President Nasheed visited that house and helped the children living there fill out primary health care forms.

City council officials are expected to visit every household in Male’ during the survey.

Speaking to the press, the President said the 11-seat council, which consists of nine ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) councillors, is now mandated with the important task of managing primary health care in Male’.

The primary health care program has not been “managed properly” in Male’, though the islands have been running the program successfully, he added.

Under the program, the council will be responsible for recording children’s height, weight, and other health indicators, the President observed.

Mayor Manik reiterated the importance of the initiative, adding that the council has decided to open Primary Health Centers (PHC) in Male’s four districts, as well as nearby Villingili and Hulhumale.

He added that the centers will help “reduce the current pressures faced by the hospitals” as parents can take their children to the paediatricians at the health centers instead of going directly to hospitals.

“The parents can bring the children here. The doctor at the center will recommend if further consultation is required from hospitals”, the Mayor explained.

He added that centers will provide immunization, vaccination and free consultations, among other health services.

The program follows the implementation of the Aasandha universal health insurance scheme, under which Maldivians will receive up to Rf100,000 of free health care per year. Government officials have said the scheme now holds the government to a higher standard of health care.

During the primary school admission process last year, the Ministry of Education observed that an increasing number of children were not properly vaccinated.

Parents are required to submit a vaccination report with the school application form when their children enroll in grade one, at the age of seven.

Following the Ministry’s observation, public health experts stressed the importance of a comprehensive primary health care initiative to ensure proper immunisation of children.

Speaking today to Minivan News, Public Health Programme Coordinator for the Center for Community Health and Disease Control (CCHDC) Dr Fathmath Nazla Rafeeq welcomed the city council’s initiative as an important move to provide easy access to vaccination  and monitoring.

She noted that the Maldives already has a record high vaccination coverage rate in the region, adding that the health centers will help “sustain the coverage”.

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High Court overturns Criminal Court suspension of MP Imthiyaz

The High Court yesterday ruled that the suspension of lawyer and MP Imthiyaz Fahmy for six months by Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed for alleged contempt of court in February 2010 was unlawful.

The ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP for Maafanu North had appealed the decision in May 2010.

The three-judge panel of the High Court found that the suspension violated principles of procedural fairness and due process for declaring persons in contempt of court.

The judges noted that while the suspension was reported in local media the following day, Imthiyaz was not officially informed of the sanction until March 9, 2010.

Existing regulations however required that contempt of court must be declared either immediately during proceedings or established in a separate trial after offering the opportunity for the contemnor to answer the charge of contempt.

Speaking to Minivan News today, Imthiyaz observed that Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed faced multiple allegations of misconduct and political bias.

“Whatever do you expect again from a judge whom in fact the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has decided to take action against for his ethical misconduct?” he asked.

“This judge has a history of such issues. And never have I heard of a judge other than this judge who was in contempt of court by calling his own court ‘a political campaign camp’. One fatal flaw in the judiciary is that judges like him still sit in court.”

In 2005, then Attorney General Dr Hassan Saeed forwarded to the President’s Office concerns about the conduct of Abdulla Mohamed after he allegedly requested that an underage victim of sexual abuse reenact her abuse for the court.

In 2009 following the election of the current government, those documents were sent to the JSC, which was requested to launch an investigation.

“A good judge would always work towards priding himself on his ability to make good quality decisions but Judge Abdulla Mohamed seems to pride himself on something else,” Imthiyaz contended.

“In fact, if anything goes well in his court, it happens quite by chance.  And this is inevitable since the independence of judges was not well served by the vetting process that took place in August 2010 by the JSC. There are in fact criminal convicts sitting in courts as judges. The amended constitution does not allow for kangaroo courts like this.”

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Juvenile Court acquits minor of terrorism charges over Himandhoo confrontation

The Juvenile Court has acquitted a minor charged with terrorism in the wake of a violent confrontation in the island of Himandhoo in Alif Alif atoll between a breakaway religious group and security forces.

The confrontation occurred in 2007 after police and military were dispatched to the island to shut down a private mosque and arrest suspects in the Sultan Park bombing incident.

Juvenile Court Spokesperson Zaeema Nasheed confirmed that the case was concluded today.

“This morning the case was concluded that he was found innocent,” Zaeema said. “He had been charged with terrorism.”

More than 50 people were arrested in the aftermath of the clashes in Himandhoo after islanders donned red motorcycle helmets and armed themselves with batons and knives to defend the Dhar al Khuir mosque on 6 October 2007. Police and soldiers were searching for suspects in the Maldives’ first Islamic terror investigation following a bomb blast in Sultan Park that injured 12 tourists.

On 2010 February 9, senior members of the current administration met with 16 people arrested and sentenced for the Himandhoo protest to inform them that President Mohamed Nasheed had decided to commute their sentences under the Clemency Act.

The confrontation in Himandhoo left one policeman with a severed hand while four others were injured. An officer was also held hostage by the group, who surrendered to the army after a last warning to evacuate the mosque by force.

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