Month: November 2009

Dear Editor,
Nihan and Ali Waheed seem to be a bit naive. I suspect that the “rat” is not Alhan. Alhan seems to be a member of DRP who would do anything for his party leaders. He was the guy who proposed the unfair bill on benefits for former Presidents.
In an interview after the vote Alhan declared his undying affection for his party leader and deputy leader. At the last DRP rally we saw the deputy party leader pleading with members not to blame Alhan, claiming that any divisions within the party will be a win for MDP.
We should also remember that at a recent MDP rally President Nasheed offered to delay the corruption cases and investigations if the opposition would help him on the no-confidence motion. We have also heard that the deputy leader DRP and two of his family members were taken to the police for questioning. We have also heard that MDP has threatened to make life difficult for MPs who supported the no-confidence motion and to reward those who vote against it.
It is only logical that MDP would have made similar threats and offers to the deputy leader of DRP.
So putting two and two together I feel the real rat is not Alhan.

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MPs from the main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) lambasted Alhan Fahmy, an MP from their party, at a rally last night, after he voted against party lines in a no-confidence motion against the foreign minister.

At the rally, DRP MPs spoke out against Alhan calling him a “rat”.

Speaking to Minivan News today, MP Ahmed Nihan said Alhan’s decision to vote against the party was the “biggest surprise” of the day. “I didn’t expect him to do that,” he said.

Last month, the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party-People’s Alliance (DRP-PA) coalition submitted a motion of no-confidence against Dr Ahmed Shaheed over the government’s decision establish ties with Israel.

Shaheed narrowly survived yesterday’s vote; out of 73 MPs in attendance, 37 MPs voted in favour of the motion. 39 votes were needed for the motion to pass.

But in a surprise move, DRP MP Alhan Fahmy went against his party, arguing he had met with Shaheed and found the DRP’s allegations to be baseless.

Nihan said Alhan had told the DRP parliamentary group about his meeting with Shaheed the day before the vote.

He added he had tried to persuade Alhan to vote along party lines, arguing that many of the documents offered up by Shaheed were probably fabricated.

After the opposition submitted the no-confidence motion, Shaheed made public copies of agreements for diplomatic ties and other documents, proving the former government had decided to normalise relations with Israel in June 1994.
An angry crowd of DRP supporters protested outside Alhan’s residence from 12pm onwards today.

At the rally, Nihan and Thohdhoo MP Ali Waheed called on the DRP to take action against Alhan.

“He defied the party rules, the three-line whip so obviously there has to be some kind of action…he won’t be removed from the party without being given the chance to defend himself,” said Nihan.

He added that Alhan had betrayed the party and it would have been better to abstain from voting.

“I don’t believe it’s a big blow politically to the party because Shaheed was made to explain in front of the whole Majlis yesterday about establishing ties with Israel. It was DRP who won yesterday, not MDP,” he said.

But, said Eva Abdulla, an MP from the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), parliament’s rules of procedure had clear guidelines on questioning ministers during question time.

“Surely that would’ve been a good starting point and much less resource-consuming?” she said.

Alhan told Minivan News today that he was still a member of the DRP and had no plans to defect to MDP. He further said the opposition should not submit no-confidence motions for political reasons.

On the DRP rally, he said he had spoken to Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, the party’s deputy leader, and asked him to try and stop other MPs from speaking out against him with such “hatred” and “emotion”.

“They can take action against me. The council has a due process and has the authority even to expel me from the party after they study the case,” he said.

At the rally, MPs also said that two independent MPs, Mohamed Nasheed and Ibrahim Muttalib, had also reneged on their decision to support the vote.

Nihan said although the motion was initiated by DRP, it was “tremendously” supported by Nasheed.

“He was there to help us beyond the formal talks and gave us support…we are quite shocked. It’s immature behaviour,” he said. “I thought he was totally engaged, even Muttalib.”

Nasheed told Minivan News he did not wish to comment.

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The opposition Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) alleged yesterday the ruling party threatened two of their MPs to ensure they voted against the no-confidence motion against Foreign Minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed yesterday.

The DQP said it regretted the decision made by Riyaz Rasheed and Hassan Adhil to vote against the party line.

“They told the party leaders that senior MDP leaders from the president himself threatened them with unimaginable restrictions on their businesses if they participated in the vote and told them they would get benefits for their businesses if they did not participate in the vote of no-confidence against Dr Ahmed Shaheed,” said a statement from the party.

The statement said the party regretted such “wicked and dictatorial” behaviour from a government that came to power promising democratic, good governance.

“The party believes that if today’s vote of no-confidence against Dr Ahmed Shaheed was successful there is no doubt that the ‘brutal rule’ of President Nasheed that is unprincipled and outside of legal bounds could have been brought within the bounds and the path would have been paved to hold the government accountable,” it concludes.

Last month, the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party-People’s Alliance (DRP-PA) coalition submitted a motion of no-confidence against Shaheed for allegedly misleading the public over the government’s decision to renew diplomatic ties with Israel.

Shaheed narrowly survived yesterday’s vote; out of 73 MPs in attendance, 37 MPs voted in favour of the motion. 39 votes were needed for the motion to pass.
In a text message to Minivan News today, MDP MP Eva Abdullah said the DQP needed to do some “soul-searching” if their own MPs had decided to vote against them.

“Also Adhil and Riyaz were clearly not going to be manipulated into entertaining an obviously flawed judgement in tabling this motion in the first place and this is precisely what Riyaz expressed yesterday on the floor,” said Eva.

During yesterday’s sitting, Riyaz said he suggested parliament looked into the details of diplomatic relations with Israel when a motion without notice on the issue was debated last month.

“I said then that as the People’s Majlis we have the power and authority to find out to what extent these ties had been established,” he said.

He called on the government to issue a statement to clear the issue up as it was a serious concern and he did not want to waste parliament’s time.

Riyaz said it was questionable whether the vote of no-confidence against Shaheed was justified, adding there were other cabinet ministers who were more deserving of removal from office.

He added he was among the MPs that campaigned to hold the government accountable and in this case parliament should have studied the matter before the vote.

“I know Dr Shaheed very well. I can’t believe that he would do something that would lead to Islam being wiped out from among us,” he said.

Addressing members at the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Nasheed said the Maldives would make use of diplomatic ties to assert its support for an “independent and sovereign” Palestinian homeland.

“We believe dialogue and constructive engagement serve the cause of peace better than ostracism and isolation,” he said.

At the sidelines of the Assembly, the Maldives signed three Memorandums of Understanding with Israel to collaborate in health, education and tourism.

The announcement sparked outrage among opposition and religious groups. Speaking to MPs yesterday, Shaheed denied full diplomatic ties had been established with Israel.

He further offered copies of agreements for diplomatic ties and other documents proving the former government decided to normalise relations with Israel in June 1994 under three phases.

Shaheed argued the no-confidence motion could only be justified in cases where a minister had committed a serious crime or grossly neglected his duties and the opposition’s motion did not cite specific examples to back up their claims.

Shaheed said MPs could have either questioned him at parliament, summoned him to committee or sent him a letter to clear up their questions on the issue before resorting to a vote of no-confidence.

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President Mohamed Nasheed has said a Maldivian ruler would no longer be able to govern the country as a false republic under a facade of democracy.

In his address to the nation on Republic Day, which also marks the one year anniversary of the first democratically elected government, the president said that a democratic republic was the solution to the slavery and oppression of history.

“Therefore, God willing, no Maldivian ruler would be able to govern a republic in name only,” he said. “That uncivilised tradition was washed away from these shores by you, by the beloved people of Maldives, by Dhivehin.”

Meaningful change

In his opening remarks, the president said it was fitting to look back on the lead-up to the inauguration of the country’s first democratic government on 11 November 2008.

“It was the day that the rulers of the past 30 long years and the way they ruled changed,” he said. “It was the moment in the nation’s life when it changed from one state to another.”

The reason the change was possible was because the public seized the moment, he said.

There were many reasons Maldivians longed for change, he continued, and it would not have come to pass if people prioritised material benefit.

“Unless citizens want a meaningful change more than material gain, human history has not shown that a long autocracy could be changed to a democracy,” he said.

Maldivians yearned for a philosophy that placed human dignity and honour at its centre and longed to be free from fear and anxiety.

“Today it is one year since we began the journey towards this meaningful change,” he said. “However, Maldivians have longed for this meaningful change for hundreds of years.”

As time passed, it became an unattainable goal, he continued, and they could not free themselves from the clutches of power-hungry rulers and their devious designs.

“Hopelessness and despair” came to reign and people came to believe that slavery was freedom, he said.

A new day

The president said he wished to assure all citizens that he would carry out his responsibility and would not waver in surmounting the obstacles in his path.

He added that the new administration would do all it could to consolidate democracy and ensure that only compassionate governments would follow.

The essential rights and freedoms of the new constitution existed in the old one as well, he said, such as the right to an attorney.

“Until those in power vow to govern fairly, a law that is written down would not be of much benefit to the people,” said Nasheed.

Further, he said, an administration intent on good governance would not use the lack of legislation as an “excuse” to not work for the well-being and benefit of the public.

“One thing I know for certain is that there are thousands of people in this country who long for justice and their rights,” he said. “But, understand, the change you the people brought to this country is not a small and ordinary change. This day last year was not just the day that a presidential term ended and a new one began.”

He added the hardest task at hand was bringing the country back on track after years of inequitable and unjust practices.

“Therefore, it is not just individuals that we have to get justice for,” he said. “Finding justice for this country is a higher, loftier responsibility.”

Just as individual liberty and basic rights are guaranteed, he said, what the government was doing was ensuring justice for the country.

Growing pains

There has never been a government in Maldivian history except the current one that ended a year without arresting political prisoners, said Nasheed.

The new government has a vision that will last for generations, the president said, and it took the responsibility upon itself because it had the intelligence, sincerity and courage.

The change that was envisioned would only be possible when people change from a tribal mindset to “stand tall to the nation’s true height”.

The president concluded his speech by expressing confidence that the Supreme Court and parliament would mature and develop.

“It will hurt when new teeth grows,” he said.

In the introductory remarks, Home Minister Mohamed Shihab said the country was in “a bitter state” when democracy was won.

“The democratic Maldives inherited a devastated and despairing generation, a weakened and indebted economy, a poor and impoverished people,” he said.

He added the first responsibility of the first democratic government was rescuing the country from a “deep pit”, establish freedom, justice and mechanisms for a compassionate government.

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Dear Editor
It was big blow to the DRP and PA coalition and a clear win to the ruling MDP and its coalition. Congratulation to Dr Shaheed and thanks to MPs who are in line with MDP.
There are failed politicians in our small society who are still at the ground level of our political ladder. I would say Dr Hassan Saeed is one of them.
The review on the no-confidence vote taken in the parliament against Dr Ahmed Shaheed, showed that the architect of the no-confidence motion was Dr Hassan Saeed from Gaumeee Party. He (DrHassan) designed it and made the DRP/PA coalition including his own MPs as players. However, the design collapsed without any gain.
The clear evidence is Gaumeee Party’s immediate announcement about their own two MPs Riyaaz (Thaa MP) and Adil (feydhoo MP) who didn’t take part Shaheed’s no confidence vote. These two MPs kicked a blow on Dr Hassan’s face.
Regards,
Anonymous

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The Civil Service Commission has denied claims by the finance ministry that Rf1 billion (US$77 million) was injected into budget in June due to incorrect information provided by the commission.

A press release issued by the CSC yesterday states that the commission worked together with the finance ministry and sought its advice through all the stages when the pay scheme for civil servants was restructured in February.

“The two sides did not carry out the work only at a technical level. The highest level on both sides was involved,” it reads. “Both sides examined all the accounts and knew the figures. A surprising figure did not emerge in the accounts either then or now.”

The finance ministry reportedly told parliament’s finance committee that it added the Rf1 billion because of incomplete information about civil servants when the pay scheme was restructured in February.

According to local daily Haveeru, Finance Minister Ali Hashim and State Minister Ahmed Assad told the committee last week that the ministry was not given complete information on temporary staff and employees hired on a contract basis.

“So when we came to the middle of the year and evaluated the salaries again, we believed the projected figure right now is what we estimate for this year,” Hashim told MPs.

Assad said Rf4.2 billion (US$326 million) for civil servants’ salaries was estimated from the discussions with the CSC, but when the information was cleared up, it increased to Rf5.2 billion (US$404 million).

The corresponding figure for 2008 was Rf3.3 billion (US$256 million).

Assad said a list of employees who were paid obtained by the ministry did not tally with the CSC list.

He added the ministry learned in June that the actual figure needed would exceed Rf4.2 billion as the information provided by CSC did not include contracted employees and others.

MPs severely criticised the government after its projected costs turned out to be inaccurate. An error of 23 per cent in the estimates was hard to believe, they said, and records of payments to employees should be available at the finance ministry and Bank of Maldives.

Responding to the criticism, Assad said he believed such an error should not have been made and the information was provided by the CSC.

He added the lack of an accurate registry of government employees was “shameful”.

The CSC press release states that the commission informed the finance ministry of 30,334 employees when the pay scheme was restructured and estimated that Rf3.35 billion had to be spent on salaries and allowances for 11 months.

It adds that there were 29,334 civil servants when the CSC enforced pay cuts on 1 October due to the special economic circumstances.

“In June this year, Rf275.82 million (US$21 million) was spent on these employees (the employees that were working in June),” the press release states. “This means, when the calculations are done based on that for 11 months, the expenditure will be Rf3.03 billion (US$233 million).”

Therefore, it adds, Rf321.93 million (US$25 million) would be left over from the estimated figure of Rf3.35 billion (US$260 million) the CSC gave to the finance ministry at the beginning of the year.

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Poor maintenance and management of supplies at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) in the past led to waste of over Rf10 million (US$778,200), Mohamed Zubair, the hospital’s CEO revealed.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Zubair said the hospital’s material management system was not properly utilised when the board took over in June and equipment at storage did not tally with the system.

“Our system shows that about Rf10 million has been wasted on medical supplies and other related items,” he said, adding the waste could be reduced when the system was properly used.

He added about 95 per cent of the work on tallying the items has now been completed.

“We are now working on establishing the material management system, that is storing and medical supplies, up to ISO certified standards,” he said. “This is necessary to reduce waste.”

Health Minister Aminath Jameel said information was not easily available in the past.

“For example, with supplies, they didn’t know what was in the warehouses,” she said. “There’s a lot of equipment that we got after the tsunami. So, we have found out in the past year that there’s a lot of equipment in different warehouses. In Male’ and the atolls. There was a lot of waste.”

She added a lot of equipment in storage was unused.

While there was a lack of resources in some areas, the health minister said, unnecessary purchases had been made for others.

Further, she said, the new government had to pay over Rf18 million (US$1.4 million) from this year’s budget for inherited unpaid bills.

The ministry had to postpone various projects due to budget constraints, she said.

Zubair said the hospital purchased a new CT scan machine in October, adding it would greatly assist in diagnosing heart diseases.

Among problems faced by the hospital in catering to the public was excessive leave-taking by staff, he said.

Although it negatively impacted the hospitals productivity, he said, IGMH had to give the leave under the Employment Act.

Zubair said IGMH had 500 nurses, but 60 per cent were on leave most of the time. “So we’re able to use about 250 or 230,” he said.

Following discussions with India’s Shri Chitra Institute, he added, the hospital has secured three placements for Maldivian neurosurgeons and cardiologists.

The lack of a cardiologist at the hospital has lead to increasing complaints from the public.

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The Islamic Democratic Party (IDP) has asked the Elections Commission (EC) to remove 5,044 people who signed for the party last year from its official registry.

Speaking to Minivan News yesterday, Umar Naseer, leader of the party, said the party received over a 100 complaints from people claiming they did not sign for the party.

“So the committee decided to remove the whole batch,” he said. “This is because the same team collected the signatures from all over the country in 2008.”

He added the team could not provide adequate explanations to the questions raised by the committee.

Umar said he estimated the removal of the new members would leave just over 1,000 members in the party.

Mohamed Hassan Manik, vice-president of the party, told Minivan News yesterday that Umar acted unilaterally and his behaviour was “unacceptable”.

“He did it on his own using staff from his company,” he said. “The party’s national council has to approve or have a say in the matter according to the party’s regulations.”

The EC does not have to process the request since it was done in violation of the party’s rules, he said.

But, Umar denied the council had to be informed. “There’s a management committee formed to oversee matters of party members. It does not have to inform the council,” he said.

Umar said the decision was made after the party received a letter from the EC asking for verification of its membership to allocate funds for next year’s budget.

“So we felt the time had come to make a decision,” he said.

In August, a resolution to dissolve the party proposed by Umar was rejected by six out of nine council members.

Umar said yesterday that plans to dissolve the party are still ongoing and he will propose it again at the party’s next congress.

He added the party’s regulations stipulated that a congress must be held every year.

Following the resolution, Umar has been active with the main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party and told Minivan News at the time that he made the decision after the party failed to win a seat in the parliamentary election.

“The present party system in the Maldives is set now,” he said. “There are two major parties and there’s no future for smaller parties such as ourselves, so there’s no point in keeping a party for the sake of it and using public funds.”
Hassan Manik told Minivan News that six members out of the national council’s 11 signed a letter calling for Umar’s resignation.

Manik said yesterday that the council was still seeking his resignation.

In late August, Umar changed the locks of the party’s office, leading the council members to call him a “dictator”.

But, Umar told Minivan News he decided to close the office because he did not want to use public funds to run the party any longer. “We spend more than Rf12,000 (US$900) on electricity, Rf4,000 (US$300) on rent and Rf2,000 (US$160) on cellphone bills,” he said.

Manik said the IDP president had indicated he would join DRP. “Umar Naseer’s fear is that without him, IDP will attach itself to MDP and attack him,” he said.

The party had no plans of joining the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party, he said, and would instead focus on holding the government accountable.

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Foreign Minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed has narrowly survived a vote of no-confidence initiated by the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party-People’s Alliance (DRP-PA) coalition.

 
Of the 73 MPs in attendance, 37 MPs voted in favour of the motion, two abstained and the rest did not participate in the vote. A majority of the full membership of parliament, or 39 votes, was needed to remove the foreign minister.
The DRP-PA coalition has 35 MPs. The independents who voted in favour of the motion were Eydhafushi MP Ahmed “Redwave” Saleem, Guraidhoo MP Ibrahim Riza, Kurendhoo MP Ahmed Moosa and Kudahuvadhoo MP Ahmed Amir.

As speaker, Keyodhoo MP Abdullah Shahid of the DRP could not vote, while Feydhoo MP Alhan Fahmy of the same party joined the MDP MPs and other independents in not participating in the vote.   

The two MPs who abstained were Kulhudhufushi South MP Mohamed Nasheed, an independent, and Maamigili MP Gasim Ibrahim of the Republican Party.
Presenting the motion, Thohdhoo MP Ali Waheed of the DRP said it was based on allegations that the foreign minister misled the public regarding ties with Israel and placed his personal interest first.

“[It was submitted] because we have seen behaviour from Dr Shaheed in formulating the country’s foreign policy and implementing it that did not befit a government minister and because we see that he has put his personal interest above the nation’s to remain as a minister by any means possible,” he said.

At a press conference on 15 September, he continued, the foreign minister said the government was in the process of establishing ties with Israel and he did not see any reason not to pursue it.

But, Waheed said, on 25 September it was reported in the international media that the Israeli foreign ministry had confirmed that diplomatic relations had been established and important agreements had been signed.

“So far the Maldives’ foreign ministry has not issued a statement about this,” he said.

Waheed said although Shaheed told Haveeru Daily on 7 October that diplomatic relations would not be established without properly explaining the matter to the public, the foreign ministry had issued a press release 16 days before about agreements that were signed with Israel.

“Arab-Islamic countries and especially OIC [Organisation of Islamic Conference] countries will definitely not approve of the Maldives establishing such ties with Israel,” he said.

He added establishing ties with Israel would compromise national security and lead to terrorist organisations targeting the Maldives.

Defence

In his statement, Shaheed denied that full diplomatic ties had been established with Israel.

As the motion was sent to the foreign ministry on the afternoon of 27 October, he said, the minimum 14-day notice stipulated in the constitution had not been given.

“On 17 November, 2007, regarding the motion of no-confidence against the attorney general, the speaker of the parliament at the time ruled that it could not be accepted as it was submitted without a substantial reason,” he said.   

While a precedent had been set, he continued, it was questionable why the motion was tabled.

Shaheed said a vote of no-confidence could be justified only in cases where a minister had committed a serious crime or grossly neglected his duties.

The opposition’s motion did not fit the criteria as it does not back up the allegations with specific examples or clarify how his personal interest was prioritised, he said.

The only agreements signed with Israel were Memorandums of Understanding for assistance in tourism, agriculture and health, he continued, while the claim that the Israeli foreign ministry announced that ties had been established was untrue.

A statement on the Israeli foreign ministry website stated that the agreements were an important “first step to normalise relations”, he said.

Shaheed offered copies of agreements for diplomatic ties and other documents that prove the former government decided to normalise relations with Israel in June 1994 under three phases.

The three phases were allowing Israelis to travel to Maldives, announcing opening up of trade and establishing full diplomatic relations. 

Shaheed further offered copies of a research that showed that countries that established diplomatic relations with Israel did not face terrorist attacks.

Other small countries such as Micronesia that vote with Israel at the UN have not been attacked, he said.

Further, he added, 27 countries in the OIC had diplomatic ties with Israel.

Concluding his statement, Shaheed said it was regrettable that MPs had neither questioned him nor summoned him to a committee to clear up the allegations before submitting the motion.

“Whether or not Maldives has established ties with Israel is clear in black and white,” he said. “It does not leave any room for debate. It can be cleared up by a single phone call, a single letter or a single website.”

Debate

During the debate, MDP MPs and some independents severely criticised the opposition for submitting a motion based on unfounded allegations.

Most MPs said the motion was politically motivated and was intended to hamper the government.

Opposition DRP-PA MPs spoke about the atrocities committed by Israel against the Palestinian people.

Ungoofaru MP Dr Afrashim Ali and Vili-Maafanu MP Ahmed Nihan quoted verses from the Quran that cautioned against friendship with Jews and Christians.

Ali Waheed said if Shaheed was strapped to a polygraph test, the machine would blow up.

Alhan Fahmy, who voted against the party line, said he met the foreign minister and found that the allegations were untrue.

The opposition’s activities should be more responsible and since the president was empowered to formulate the foreign policy, the no-confidence vote should be against him.

“The reason we show should be acceptable,” he said. “Today, I don’t believe that this reason is valid. This is a very sad day in my political career as I have to talk against the party that I sacrificed for.”

He added that seeking a motion of no-confidence against the foreign minister did not amount to holding the government accountable.

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