Day: October 15, 2009

A bill on establishing a Maldives Broadcasting Corporation proposed by Kulhudufushi South MP Mohamed Nasheed was sent to a seven-member ad hoc committee for further review with unanimous consent today.

Presenting the bill, Nasheed, former information minister, said the purpose of the bill was to bring Television Maldives (TVM) and Voice of Maldives (VoM) under one parent company and establish a legal framework for a free and independent state media.

“[The objective is] to establish a public service broadcaster that originates from the people, serves the people, is controlled by the people, run with the people’s money, and ultimately is accountable to the people,” he said.

He added the legislation will ensure that coverage is fair and balanced and free from undue influence from the government, political parties or entrepreneurs.

It specifies how the company will be formed, its objectives, its organisational structure, essential characteristics as a public service broadcaster, public aims, the role of the director’s board, how members should be appointed and the role of parliament.

Nasheed said he first submitted the bill under the former government but parliament at the time did not manage to pass it.

“I’ve drafted this bill in compliance with the standards set by an international organisation that helps establish and develop public service broadcasting in the Asia Pacific region,” he said. “It is commonly known as AIBD.”

He added the legislation incorporated standards set by international press freedom organisation Article 19.

Parliamentary approval

Most MPs commended and praised Nasheed for the well-drafted legislation.

Opposition MPs and some independents accused the government of using state media to “spread propaganda” and stressed the importance of ensuring editorial independence.

“While such an important bill is being debated on the Maldives broadcasting channels that reach the largest number of people, it is regrettable that Television Maldives cut off Majlis live after the questions to the minister,” said Thohdhoo MP Ali Waheed of the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP).

He added that it underlined the importance of passing the legislation as soon as possible.

MPs of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) objected to parliament appointing the board of directr’s and making them directly answerable to parliament.

Madaveli MP Mohamed Nazim said giving authority over the corporation to parliament would not ensure that it was free of political influence.

Dhidhoo MP Ahmed Sameer said politicians were not on the board of the public broadcasting service of the United States.

Sameer questioned the rationale behind allowing parliament to appoint members to the board of directors. “Why is it that STELCO’s board is not appointed by [parliament]? Or STO’s board?” he said.

Inguraidhoo MP Hamdhoon Hameed of the DRP pointed out that the arts and culture policy of the MDP manifesto stated that a board approved by parliament should oversee state media.

Thulhaadhoo MP Nazim Rashad, an independent, proposed allowing the government to nominate members for the board to be approved by parliament.

Propaganda

Some opposition MPs said people no longer watched TVM because it was biased in favour of the ruling party.

Mulaku MP Abdullah Yamin of the People’s Alliance said Rf200,000 (US$16,000) a month was being spent from “the people’s money” for a show called “Hope and Reality” to sell the government’s policies.

Thulusdhoo MP Rozaina Adam said TVM recently recorded interviews with her, DRP MP Ahmed Nihan and MDP MP Mohamed Mustafa and omitted hers in favour of balance, but TVM’s “Raaje Miadhu” (Maldives Today) programme had just one DRP member flanked by two or three MDP members every night.

Gemanafushi MP Ilham Ahmed said MPs of the DRP-PA coalition met with TVM officials and employees the night before and they expressed support for the bill.

Ilham said he expected them to oppose the legislation. “But what we saw was completely different. They said we want, want, want to work independently.”

Henveiru South MP Hamid Abdul Gafoor of the MDP said the bill was submitted “prematurely” as there should be legislation to establish laws and guidelines for broadcasting.

Vaikaradhoo MP Ali Arif, an independent, proposed an amendment to section nine(c), which states that providing a platform for a plurality of views was among the public aims of the company.

Arif proposed adding the phrase “political views” to the clause.

Fares-Maathoda MP Ibrahim Muttalib proposed amendments to include programmes that disseminated Islam and prohibit those that were un-Islamic.

He proposed abolishing section nine(c) as it could lead to pluralism and different opinions in the country.

Eydhafushi MP Ahmed “Redwave” Saleem seconded the amendments.

Responding to MPs concerns after the debate, Nasheed said allowing parliament to appoint members would prevent one political party from dictating to or dominating the board as parliamentary decisions were made following public debate and negotiation.

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Independent institutions are “making excuses” to avoid lowering salaries and allowances of its employees despite agreeing that economic circumstances warranted reducing expenditure, Ahmed Assad, state minister of finance, said today.

Addressing press, Assad said it would not be too hard for institutions to find legal reasons for avoiding the pay cuts.

At a meeting at the president’s office yesterday, the heads of independent institutions informed the president of legal issues that might arise in reducing salaries.

“If you want to find an excuse, there won’t be anywhere that you can’t find it. They might say, we have made contracts with people,” said Assad. “But, in truth, contracts are made with everyone, regardless of what kind of job he is in.

“A contract does not necessarily have to be written. A verbal contract is legally accepted as a contract as well. So they can continue giving excuses to any degree. That is not really the issue.”

Speaking to Minivan News yesterday, Fuad Thaufeeq, president of the Elections Commission, said although the Civil Service Act empowered the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to reduce civil servants’ salaries, said Fuad, there was no such law for independent institutions.

“In fact, the Employment Act says it can’t be done,” he said. “That is our main concern.”

Muaviz Rasheed, the vice-president of the Anti-Corruption Commission, said the commission drew up contracts with its employees for five years and did not anticipate having to reduce salaries so soon.

Discriminatory pay

Assad said it was worth noting that civil servants and their counterparts in various commissions who do the same work do not get the same pay.

“My question is while a civil servant hired by the Civil Service Commission, a janitor, gets Rf4,000 (US$311) with Rf3,100 (US$241) salary and Rf1,000 (US$77) service allowance, I don’t know on what principle a worker at some commission should get Rf11,750 (US$914),” he said.

He added he was not referring to the pay of technical staff such as commission members.

“What is the difference between an administrative employee who works at customs and an administrative employee at parliament or at the president’s office or some place called public works?” he asked.

Regardless of the job title or the work place, he continued, all the employees did the same type of work and were paid out of the government’s budget.

The Employment Act states that there should not be any difference in pay for people who do the same work, he said.

Finance Minister Ali Hashim said the ministry will have meetings with all independent institutions individually next week.

“First of all, some independent institutions questioned whether there were special economic circumstances or not,” he said, adding he was happy to learn that they have accepted it now.

Hashim said the ministry preferred that the institutions propose the cuts themselves after reviewing their budgets.

Consensus

Assad said the finance ministry was very glad that former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was giving up 20 per cent from his monthly state benefits.

A bill on privileges and protection for former presidents that stipulates Rf75,000 (US$6,000) in monthly allowance and Rf50,000 (US$4,000) in housing allowance was passed by parliament this week.

Gayoom announced yesterday that he would take a cut of 20 per cent from both allowances.

“This means that the leader of the opposition party has accepted the circumstances have arisen,” said Assad.

Further, he continued, the Civil Service Commission had also accepted that the country’s economic situation was exceptional.

“So now we have accepted this from all sides,” he said. “So why are you [independent institutions] hesitating?”

Since there was no longer any doubt, the question that remained was determining the percentage of reductions to be made, he said.

The government introduced a raft of austerity measures in August, such as pay cuts of up to 20 per cent for political appointees and cutting back on foreign travel, to alleviate the budget deficit.

Following deliberations at the cabinet, the government also requested the Civil Service Commission (CSC) reduce salaries of civil servants. Pay cuts of up to 20 per cent for civil servants came into effect this month.

The CSC agreed to the pay cuts on the condition that independent institutions enforced a similar reduction for its employees.

Fuad said CSC President Dr Mohamed Latheef mentioned the condition at the meeting.

“We want to make pay cuts as well to cooperate with the government, but we want to do it under the law,” said Fuad. “We cannot take these measures without a law for it.”

Hashim said the ministry has revised its forecast of Rf7 billion (US$544 million) of income this year to Rf5.8 billion (US$451 million).

“As you know, import of goods to the country is falling and the government income from it will be lower,” he said. “And taxes from tourism, or lease rent, are also lower.”

The salary reduction for civil servants will be in place until the government’s revenue exceeds Rf7 billion.

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A team of independent experts has conducted a capacity assessment on the Human Rights Commission Maldives (HRCM), recommending the institution remove the proviso in its regulations which stipulates all members must be Muslim.

Speaking to Minivan News today, Chris Sidoti from the Asia Pacific Forum said he hoped the recommendation would not be overplayed as the constitution already mandated that only Muslims can be citizens of the Maldives.

The team of four, including delegates from UNDP and the office of the high commissioner for human rights in Geneva, made two further recommendations after shadowing the HRCM for the past two weeks.

They advised the commission to open up the nomination of its members to the public and non-governmental institutions. At present, names are proposed by the president and approved by parliament.

A third recommendation involved changing the commission’s regulations to allow for greater engagement at an international level.

HRCM President Ahmed Saleem said, “The recommendations in the draft are very valid and well thought out.”

Sidoti said if all three recommendations were fulfilled, the HRCM would receive international accreditation, allowing it to participate fully in all human rights forums.

He added the changes would improve the Maldives’ chances of getting elected to the UN Human Rights Council.

Sidoti praised the commission’s efforts over the past three years, which have seen the institution grow from four employees to around fifty.

“Within such a rapidly changing climate and despite the geography of the country and lack of higher education, these commissioners have produced a very good organisation with very good staff,” he said.

On the financial constraints currently faced by the HRCM, Sidoti said that while the commission was not legally obliged to comply with the government’s request, he was positive the institution would want to “contribute as much as anyone”.

The ministry of finance has requested the HRCM impose pay cuts for all employees in line with its cost-cutting measures. This month all civil servants had their salaries reduced by up to 20 per cent, while political appointees had their reduced in September.

But at a meeting with President Mohamed Nasheed yesterday, the heads of six independent institutions said there was no specific law which empowered them to reduce the salaries of their employees.

The human rights experts met with the home affairs committee yesterday, requesting their assistance in implementing recommendations, said Independent MP for Kulhudhufushi South Mohamed Nasheed, chairman of the committee.

The question of the HRCM’s financial independence was raised at the meeting, he said, adding once parliament had approved the commission’s budget, the government’s only responsibility was to “write the cheque”.

“They wanted us to bring amendments to reflect full financial independence,” he said.

Nasheed said MPs would now complete a report and submit it to the floor for approval. Further, once parliament adopted the new rules of procedure, a human rights committee would be established, providing a platform for debate on the HRCM’s findings.

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British MPs from the Conservative Party pleaded the case of the Maldives at the House of Commons yesterday, urging the UK government to dig deep into its pockets to help the country out if its financial quagmire.

Addressing Ivan Lewis, the British state minister at the foreign and commonwealth office, MP David Amess said the UK Department for International Development (DFID) – which aims to reduce overseas poverty through aid – had offered relatively little support to the fledgling democracy.

The MP noted that since 2005, DFID had not provided aid to the Maldives, which as a lower-middle income country was not considered a priority. Further, bilateral aid to the Maldives from other UK official sources totalled £103,000, he said.

“Although it is not of the world’s poorest countries, it is one of the lowest lying and as such is one of those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change,” said Amess, adding rising sea levels threatened livelihoods, infrastructure, food security and health.

In 2007, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicted rising sea levels of up to 58cm would submerge many of the country’s 1,192 islands by the end of the century.

“Two-thirds of the country disappeared momentarily into the Indian Ocean and when the sea withdrew, it took 62 per cent of the country’s gross national product with it,” said Amess.

“Electricity, communications and freshwater supplies on many islands were destroyed by salt water. Such disaster scenarios have the potential to multiply exponentially as a result of climate change and rising sea levels.”

Adaptation and mitigation

Amess said the Maldives required financial assistance to fund adaptation and mitigation strategies as well as technology development and capacity building. The cost of the country’s adaptation programme adopted in 2007 is an estimated US$100 million, he said.

Referring to President Mohamed Nasheed’s announcement to make the country carbon neutral within a decade, he recommended the British government rewarded nations, which had shown clear leadership in climate change matters.

In March, Nasheed unveiled plans to make the Maldives the first carbon neutral country in the world by switching to renewable energy and offsetting carbon emissions. Amess said the decision presented British companies with a wealth of business opportunities.

Next up was MP Richard Spring, who spoke to the state minister about the Maldives’ difficult fiscal position. Relative to its size, he said, the country had a large budget deficit which could be easily addressed by DFID.

“This is the youngest democracy in the world and in the Commonwealth, and we owe a great deal to it,” said Spring.

A third MP, Gary Streeter, pointed out that aside from being a democracy, the Maldives was also a Muslim country. “If its government and democracy were allowed to fail, it would send a bad signal to the wider world and…Britain ought to ensure that it succeeds,” he said.

The Maldives government has close ties to the British Conservative Party, which helped the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) with campaign advice, training and resources ahead of the presidential election last year.

Earlier this week, President Mohamed Nasheed spoke at the Conservative Party’s annual conference, underscoring their shared centre-right ideology.

“Genuine”

Following the MPs’ impassioned plea, the state minister said the British government was committed to helping the Maldives through a transitional moment in its history.

Lewis said he welcomed Amess’s “genuine” interest in the Indian Ocean Archipelago. “I hope that he [Amess] continues to enjoy many a holiday in what is a beautiful country,” he said.

At the height of the British MPs’ expenses scandal in May, the British newspaper, The Independent on Sunday revealed that MPs were travelling on hundreds of trips a year at the taxpayer’s expense.

While the trips did not break any rules, the paper described some, such as junkets to the Maldives, as “questionable”.

Lewis said that while the British government recognised the Maldives’ financial difficulties, it was unable to give preferential treatment and the country would be subject to the same criteria for aid as all others.

He added, however, that the government had advised the Maldives to approach international financial organisations such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and provided technical assistance with its application.

Earlier this year the government had provided a fiscal policy advisor to help the Maldives in its negotiations with these institutions, he said.

As a board member of the IMF, he continued, the government would ensure the necessary resources are contributed for economic stability and development in the Maldives.

“We will use our influence with the IMF to get the right outcome, providing that the bidding process and the application meet the necessary business standards,” said Lewis.

He further advised the Maldives seek financial assistance from the UN framework convention on climate change adaptation fund due to become operational in early 2010.

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