Day: September 23, 2009

Dear Editors,

I wish to point out some serious factual errors in the article “The Paateys: Heroin Addiction in the Maldives” dated January 13, 2005

“After your first few uses of Brown Sugar, the body will builds up a tolerance to the drug, which means you need to take more and more to get the same high you did on your first go” = not everybody necessarily develops a tolerance.

“If you voluntarily go to the Narcotics Control Board and report that you have a problem you won’t go to jail, but you’ll be put under house arrest until a place is available at the Maldives’ only rehab clinic and there you will be held for up to a year.” = volunteer cases are handled with top priority and they are sent almost on the same day as they come in. Usually the delay is on the volunteer’s part or the family’s wish, for the volunteer to spend a day or two getting ready for the trip.

And in the case that there is no space for a volunteer in the rehab center, which I haven’t come across, quiet honestly, I don’t see the reason why that person should be put under house arrest and hopefully you are aware of the fact that NNCB (previously NCB) has no such authority to put people under house arrest!

The other factor is that, people rarely stay in the rehab for a year. They are usually out in 6 months or so. The length depends on the progress of the client.

“The only rehabilitation centre in the Maldives has been described as more of a jail than a rehab centre.” = I wonder whether you actually talked to people who have been to both the Jail and the Rehab? Only such a person could tell you the differences.

“Drugs councillors are usually recruited between the ages of 17-20 and many are school drop-outs. They are approached by the Narcotics Control Board, who, after sending them on a counselling crash-course for 6 months, will let them loose on the patients. I don’t see how you can properly train a drug-addiction councillor in six months, especially if they are dealing with serious cases of addiction” said the drugs councillor.

= When recruiting counsellor’s for NCB, the position is advertised in the newspapers. It is clearly stated that they should have had at least C grade passes in at least 2 O/level subjects, and a pass in Dhivehi and Islam (minimum D). Is that what you call school drop outs?

I was one of the first five counsellors recruited to be trained as a drug counsellor and I had 4 A/level passes at that time. I dare you to name one person who is currently employed by NNCB and who is a counsellor. Of course I don’t mean for you to include a couple of counsellors who, finished their Rehab term and because of their good behaviour and commitment to the on going treatment and their interest in the field of counselling were given chances, Yes these kids were school dropouts, they were also “drug addicts”, but NCB takes the initiatives to give these kids a second chance to be productive citizens. It would be nice for you to appreciate that too.

And yeah the “crash course” yeah, initially they do undergo, a 6 month course but you forgot to mention the training follow-ups. they are sent to the nearby regions for further training courses, namely to Malaysia, Singapore, India and Sri Lanka and New York.

Training to become a counsellor takes a lot of time and studies. perhaps you are mistaking the trainee counsellors for the counsellors? NCB only gives the job of a counsellor for degree holders. I only got that job title after I finished my first degree. The other relevant designations are , counsellor trainee, assistant counsellor gr1, gr2, and counsellor gr1, and gr2. So next time, please don’t choose to “diss” on the people who are
trying hard to get something done!

The care available to those who are able to get a place at the rehab centre is also far from sophisticated. The ‘treatment’ is to go ‘cold turkey’, which essentially means locking a patient in a room without access to any drugs and where the patient is unable to commit suicide. = Clients are never locked up. True, when we didn’t have a detoxification center (which you have not mentioned in your article), clients were only given mild pain killers and other relevant medication.

I am just wondering whether you are even aware of the existence of a Detoxification center? Are you aware that NCB has had its own psychiatrist (not counting the frequent visits from Dr. Eswaran – the IGMH psychiatrist). NCB also has its own clinical psychologist. There are four counsellors with bachelors degrees (two currently studying for masters degrees), two assistant counsellors with diplomas, two trained from the famous Daytop in New York and others trained from Pengasih/Malaysia and four from Pertapis /Singapore. A lot of them had undergone training in TTK hospital in India, and from NIMHANS/ Bangalore, India and the rest from countless little training programs.

It is always disheartening for me to see, us the people who work in the field, constantly blamed for everything under the sun.

You have mentioned a lot of good stuff in your article such as the social problems. But a good article gets bad because of factual errors in it.

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President Mohamed Nasheed gave an impassioned speech at the UN summit on climate change at New York yesterday, urging international action against global warming rather than just empty pledges.

The president, who followed US President Barack Obama in speaking order, said from his observations, once the dust of the rhetoric had settled at climate change conferences, “sympathy fades, indignation cools, and the world carries on as before.”

“We in the Maldives desperately want to believe that one day our words will have an effect, and so we continue to shout them even though, deep down, we know that you are not really listening,” he said.

Nasheed said developed countries must acknowledge their historic responsibility for global warming and accept emission reduction targets consistent with an average temperature increase below 1.5 degrees celsius.

Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said if climate change continued unchecked, global temperatures would rise by up to 6.4 degrees celsius within a century, leading to frequent cyclones, heat waves and heavy rains.

World leaders convene at the Danish capital in December to hammer out a successor to the Kyoto Protocol in what is widely perceived as an eleventh hour attempt at keeping the worst consequences of climate change at bay.

Responsibility

Despite several high-level meetings so far this year, negotiations have stalled between the developed and developing world. While countries such as India and China argue the onus of curbing emissions is on rich, industrialised nations, the latter are loth to commit.

Speaking yesterday, Nasheed said developing countries must play their part under the “principle of common but differentiated responsibility”. The transfer of technological know-how and finance from rich nations to poor was further essential in achieving global cuts to emissions.

“I would argue that the threat posed by climate change is now so acute, the science so clear, the solution so apparent, and the cost-benefit analysis of action and inaction so alarming, that such horse-trading and brinkmanship must be left in the past,” he said.

Failure to reach broad agreement in Copenhagen would be morally inexcusable, economically short-sighted and politically unwise
Ban Ki-Moon
UN Secretary-General

Addressing members yesterday, both the US and China expressed similar commitment to cutting emissions. Obama said while developed countries such as the US were responsible for taking the lead on climate change action, the developing world must also cooperate.

Further, the global recession should not be used as an excuse for complacency. “Unease is no excuse for inaction…Each of us must do what we can to grow our economies without endangering our planet, and we must do it together. We must seize the opportunity to make Copenhagen a significant step forward in the global fight against climate change.”

Likewise Chinese President Hu Jintao said his country was committed to tackling climate change.

“We will endeavor to cut carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by a notable margin by 2020 from the 2005 level,” he said. “Second, we will vigorously develop renewable energy and nuclear energy. We will endeavor to increase the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 15 percent by 2020.”

Time to act

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon who opened up the meeting stressed the urgency of tackling climate change, which if unchecked would result in the Arctic being ice-free by 2030.

He said he was moved by the eloquence of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and the impact that climate change will have on their future existence.

Yesterday, AOSIS unanimously passed Nasheed’s call for their declaration to be framed in positive rather than negative language to emphasise what can be achieved. The declaration calls for a cap in temperatures of 1.5 degrees as well as financing to help islands adapt to global warming.

“Climate change is the pre-eminent geopolitical and economic issue of the 21st century,” continued Ban Ki-Moon. “It rewrites the global equation for development, peace and prosperity. It will increase pressure on water, food and land…. reverse years of development gains…. exacerbate poverty…. destabilise fragile states and topple governments.”

While, many thought tackling climate change was an expensive undertaking, he added, failure to do so would wreak inestimable damage.

The UN secretary-general added a successful new deal must commit to ambitious targets, help vulnerable countries, have financial backing and be equitable to the needs of developing countries.

“Failure to reach broad agreement in Copenhagen would be morally inexcusable, economically short-sighted and politically unwise,” he said. “We cannot go down this road. If we have learned anything from the crises of the past year, it is that our fates are intertwined.”

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The government plans to revamp taxes and rent from tourist resorts to revitalise the industry, Tourism Minister Dr Ahmed Sawad has said

Speaking to Minivan News today, Sawad said the current fixed costs of bed tax and lease rents served as a disincentive to investors.

Under the government’s proposed scheme, tourists will pay an ad valorum tax instead of a fixed bed tax. This means tourists will pay a percentage of the room rate rather than the fixed rate of US$8 per bed.

Last month, Eugene Radilesku, a consultant from the International Monetary Fund, said the government needed to capitalise on revenue from the tourism industry. For a hotel room that ranges from US$200 to US$500 per night, he said, the government only earned about US$8 in revenue.

Sawad said the lease rent for islands will also be changed from a fixed rate to one that is varies with the area of land.

All resorts will be subject to the changes, said Sawad. “We have very high lease rents and this creates a very high room rent, which is a vicious cycle. This will also encourage investors to continue development of resorts under construction.”

There are currently 58 resorts under development.

The new structure would also lower investment and enable resorts to make profits sooner, resulting in more mid-range resorts, said Sawad.

The government planned to submit a bill on ad valorem tax to the next session of parliament, he said, along with legislation to replace lease rents and extend the lease period from 35 to 50 years and beyond.

Dr Abdullah Mausoom, opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP for Kelaa, said the party’s views will be made known at the parliament floor when the bill is debated.

“One thing I have learned is that there is not enough consultation with stakeholders,” he said. “It’s very important that stakeholders in the tourism industry, who will be the most impacted by this, are consulted.”

He added DRP will be meeting with the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) to discuss the matter.

Mohamed “Sim” Ibrahim, secretary general of MATI, told Minivan News today that the government gave a draft of the ad valorem tax legislation to the association today.

“There are several proposals the government has put on the table,” he said. “We have to see which of these is best for the country.”

The government needed to consider the impact on the industry, he added, and the introduction of taxes should be gradual.

“We can’t talk about quick solutions and knee-jerk reactions,” he said.

Sim said he did not think ad valorem taxes would lower the cost of investment. “I think it will be higher. It is much easier now because you know exactly what you’re paying and how you’re paying.”

But, he added, the government was consulting with MATI and other stakeholders in the industry.

“There is a process of exchange of opinions and ideas,” he said.

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The Adhaalath party has accused the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) of opposing the Islamic ministry’s plans to establish a religious TV channel using Zakat funds for political reasons.

A strongly-worded press release issued on Sunday states that the Adhaalath Party welcomes religious scholars from political parties criticising policies to hold the government accountable.

“But the Adhaalath party will speak out against anyone who seeks to use religion as a weapon to conceal personal motives,” it reads.

It adds that the DRP press release was intended to deceive people and undermine Maldivians’ faith in Islam.

A press release by the DRP last week stated that, according to the Qur’an, the Zakat fund can only be spent on eight categories of people, including the destitute, the poor and needy, those who collect alms, those in debt, wayfarers, converts, to liberate slaves and to promote Allah’s cause.

While the DRP statement interpreted the last category as funds for supporting holy wars or jihad, the Islamic ministry has said it extends to the propagation of Islam.

Establishing a television channel, building mosques, paving roads or arranging funerals for the poor from Zakat funds was prohibited in Islam, it continued, calling on the government to halt its plans to use the funds to build prayer rooms in schools and set up a television channel.

Last month, Islamic Affairs Minister Dr Abdul Majeed Abdul Bari said promoting the cause of Allah or Fi Sabeelillah did not only refer to jihad.

Bari said Rf2 million (US$156,000) was spent to establish an Islamic TV channel from the Zakat fund under the principle of Fi Sabeelillah.

“We did not say we are spending the Zakat fund allocated for poor and needy,” he said. “We decided to spend funds allocated for Fi Sabeelillah. We made the decision based on Fatwas issued by Islamic scholars.”

The Adhaalath Party press release refers to the Fiqh Sunnah of Sheikh Sayyid Sabiq, which states that Zakat funds can be used to pave roads, provide food and water and medical treatment for pilgrims.

Quoting the Fiqh Sunnah, it adds that the funds could be used to build military hospitals and finance social projects.

Further, Fi Sabeelillah includes training religious scholars to preach Islam and find converts in the manner of Christian missionaries as well as build religious learning centres.

The al-Azhar University in Egypt spends Zakat funds on pocket money for its students, the press release continues, adding that the DRP leader and his colleagues would have received this money when they were studying in Egypt.

“Therefore, if they are saying that Islam does not allow using these funds for a noble purpose, they are talking about some other religion,” it reads.

In the past, Zakat and welfare funds were misappropriated to spend on relatives and associates of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the Adhaalath party press release alleges.

It goes on to urge members of DRP to repent and “confess to their crimes before the people”.

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