Day: December 22, 2006

According to a new survey, twenty five thousand Maldivians have immigrated to Male’ from the outer atolls over the last five years.

The study, which was based on the 2000 and 2005 censuses, revealed that people who chose to move to Male’ did so for a variety of reasons.

The main reason was that the capital offered many more services that were simply not available in the atolls. These include everything from health and education facilities to trade and occupation outlets and even entertainment.

Despite the fact that services are improving throughout the atolls, the recent study shows that the number of people flocking to Male’ has not decreased as a result. Analysts have also predicted that the trend will continue in the future.

According to the latest census, more than 100 thousand people are currently living in Male’- a 25,000 person increase since 2000. The new data makes Male’ the most densely populated capital in the world when compared to available land.

As a result, in addition to Male’, Maldivians have also begun moving to Vili-Male’ and Hulhu-Male’, which are both a short boat ride away from the capital.

The influx has sparked significant development.

Hulhu-Male’ will reportedly house 50,000 people by the completion of its first stage of development, which is estimated to finish in 2020.

Planners have also estimated that over the next 15 years, about 15 per cent of the country’s inhabitants will migrate to Hulhu-Male, and by the time development is finished, approximately in 2044, over half of the current population of the country will be able to live there.

According to Miadhu News, a large number of people have already begun spending “hard earned” money to buy flats in houses in Hulhu-Male’ because of the island’s ideal location.

One such person, who was interviewed by the publication, was Mohamed Ali. Ali, who is originally from an island in the north, said he was one of many Maldivians who were eager to obtain land near the capital.

He was quoted as saying: “I gain a lot of money from my carpentry work. I saved a lot of it to buy a small house or a flat in Hulhu-Male’. I am really grateful for it.”

Ali went on to say that two other people from his island received land in Hulhu-Male’ and that many more were looking to move there.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

It did not take long after the mention of the word democracy in the Maldives for the notion of “spin” to come along.

The government was quick to sign up PR firm Hill and Knowlton, part of the massive WPP media empire, to help public relations. They now have a ‘strategic communications unit’ and are very careful to manage their message in the most effective way possible.

As democracy grows, and the shackles of media control slowly come loose, the government will realise it cannot control journalists, only its own message to them. The MDP must realise the same, and should have done so for the case of 10/11.

I do not take issue with the point that the MDP has appeared to have lost ground after 10/11. It has. I take issue with the fact that it actually has lost ground. It has not.

The government has controlled people’s perception of the issue very cleverly, and has many believing that the MDP was weakened by 10/11, and is now splintering. Foreign Minister, Dr. Shaheed was reported to have said in Haama Daily recently that he could not bring the Commonwealth diplomat, Musa Hitham, to the country to oversee talks, because the MDP was splitting. That was classic spin straight out of the Hill and Knowlton handbook.

That Ibrahim Ismail (Ibra) has resigned to form a new party is not a symptom of MDP weakness. It is a consequence of the development of a democratic mentality amongst Maldivians, who now want to express themselves through greater political association. In fact, as the man himself argues, his new party actually weakens the government’s stance, and opens up a new front for attack. If, as many expect, Ibra comes out representing businessmen, his party will form a very wealthy and influential new front.

The only MDP split they need to be concerned about, is between the parliamentarians and the new shadow cabinet. Acting Party President, Zaki, says the split will allow the MPs to focus on their work in the Majlis while the shadow ministers deal with policy and press. The MDP needs to ensure that is true, in order to maintain unity.

But, spin and verbal legerdemain aside, the MDP has benefited from the 10/11 experience. To show its strength, it has flexed its muscles but not used violence. That gives it a strong stance in talks with the government – “power is nothing without control,” as an iconic TV advert for tyres once said.

The MDP have shown they can bring people on to the streets. They have also shown they can control them, calling off the protest at the last minute and ensuring it did not go ahead. That shows potential power, and discipline.

The government, on the other hand, has emerged red-faced, smiling sweetly and trying to persuade foreign diplomats it had no choice but to arrest more than a hundred people. The fact they did so is key. It has left the regime looking far more repressive than the international community feels comfortable with, and also clearly shaken by the threat of protest.

Releasing prisoners in dribs and drabs, it looks like a naughty child returning stolen sweets to Mummy. As numerous statements and reports spill out condemning the arrests and detentions, the government’s moral authority has been hit. They are working hard to put that right, and nearly every headline coming out of the Strategic Communications Unit currently features the words, “human rights.”

That is not to say diplomats are not concerned about the MDP’s behaviour. The MDP does need to exercise restraint and impose discipline on itself, as the UK High Commissioner, Dominick Chilcott, said. But he also pointed out: “Democracy makes societies more united…it releases pressure…it is a safety valve.” Unless the safety valve is turned on, it is a real concern that people will become impatient and look for alternative means of provoking real reform.

That must not happen. One way of preventing it is through a consolidation of party politics. It is time for more ideology. The political parties must start expounding their political visions. It is time for the inflammatory rhetoric to stop, and the policy building to begin.

The other criticism made in the aftermath of 10/11 is that it caused the New Maldives ministers to be sidelined. There is some truth in that, but it will prove to be only temporary, as the government needs them – they are the personification of its commitment to democracy.

Without them, there is no-one to assure the international community there is political will on the government’s side to usher in democracy. They are the masters of spin, and the credible face of the regime, so their symbolic status is huge. Without them, nobody will really believe that the cabinet is committed to democracy.

So as November disappears into the past, the Maldives is left with a new political landscape, which is broader and more inclusive. It will mean more political parties and the development and discovery of what a right to political association really means. That, in turn, will give further strength to the democratic process to usher in change.

The MDP has derived power from popular support. It has derived moral authority from its restraint. They are big bargaining chips in future negotiations. Now, with that strong footing, it must show it has the wit and the expertise to rule.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)