Month: December 2009

TVM asked to ‘take measures’ against poll staff

The Maldives National Broadcasting Corporation (MNBC) has asked Television Maldives (TVM) to investigate its poll on religious freedom and take measures against those responsible.

Speaking to Minivan News today, Ibrahim Khaleel, managing director of MNBC, said the board has asked Mohamed Asif, deputy director general of MNBC currently in charge of running TVM, to look into the matter after opposition Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) accused the government of attempting to establish other religions in the Maldives.

“I’ve asked Asif to investigate how it happened, and if anyone is responsible, to take measures [against them],” he said. “He will investigate to see if it happened the way they said it did, and take measures based on the findings.”

The poll asked whether freedom of religion should be allowed in the Maldives; the investigation will look into how the topic was chosen and for what purpose, Khaleel said.

In a press release on Monday, the DQP condemned the poll as unconstitutional and accused the government of attempting to introduce religions other than Islam into the Maldives.

The former coalition partner claimed the poll on Sunday night was part of “a devious scheme” intended to show that other religions could be practiced in the country.

The party referred to article 10 of the constitution, which states that Islam shall be the state religion and the basis of all the laws in the Maldives.

Khaleel said he has since watched the show and it was clear that the DQP had taken the poll out of context.

“The discussion was about differences of opinion within Islam, like different sects, and to what extent it should be allowed,” he said.

Two religious scholars, MP Dr Afrashim Ali of the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party and Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, state minister for Islamic affairs, were on the programme.

“If something unconstitutional was being talked about, I find it hard to believe these two scholars would stand by and let it happen,” said Khaleel.

He added it was apparent from DQP’s press release that they did not watch the programme.

Khaleel said it was “regrettable” that a political party was acting “irresponsibly” in issuing such press releases at a time when freedom of speech was in its infancy.

He denied the DQP’s allegation that the poll was taken on orders from the president’s office.

Mohamed Afruh Rasheed, producer of the show, told Minivan News it focuses on “controversial social issues” that were not being openly debated in society or suppressed.

Some of the issues discussed in the programme have included the rights of expatriates and neglect of the elderly as well as press freedom.

The results of Sunday night’s poll were 14 per cent in favour and 82 per cent against.

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President departs to Haa Alif

President Mohamed Nasheed left for a tour of several islands in Haa Alif atoll this morning.

Yesterday, Nasheed met with residents of Maarandhoo and spoke about the importance of establishing a transport system in the region.

He promised a transport network would be up and running within the next two months.

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Maldives defeats India 2-0 in quarterfinals

The Maldives beat India 2-0 in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) cup, taking them to the semifinals against Sri Lanka this Friday, Haveeru reports.

Ahmed Thoriq scored the first goal in the 15th minute after a pass by Ali Ashfag (Dhangadey). The score remained 1-0 at half time.

In the second half, the Indian team lost one of their strikers, Balwant Singh, who was sent off for an awkward dive.

The second goal was scored in the 82nd minute by Fazeel Ibrahim (Oppo).

The match was held at Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

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Cabinet withdraws islands from resort development

The cabinet withdrew 39 islands selected for resort development from the list of 64 on Tuesday, according to Haveeru.

Although the 39 islands had been leased out for resorts, no construction work had yet been carried out.

Tourism Minister Dr Ahmed Ali Sawad said the government had decided to give additional time to resorts where construction was underway but had not reached a decision on islands where construction had not yet begun.

Sawad said the government was authorised to take action against lessees if they did not adhere to their contracts even if an advance payment had been paid.

He added the government’s intention was to ensure that the leased islands were developed as tourist resorts.

“We have to take all the necessary steps to ensure that the development of the resorts proceeds,” Sawad said. “We also have to see which parties have the financial means to do it. They have to be given the opportunity.”

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Illegal eateries closed

The Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) has closed seven eateries commonly patronised by expatriate workers, Miadhu reports.

Health inspectors said several eateries were being operated without registration while others had low levels of hygiene.

Three of the eateries complied and closed shop, while four had to be closed with police assistance, the
MFDA said. The managers of these establishments were also taken into custody.

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Drug smuggler crashes motorcycle into police

A suspected drug smuggler attacked police in an attempt to escape, crashing his motorcycle into several officers, Haveeru reports.

Police claimed 22 year-old Ismail Saeed of Feydhoo Suvaasaage was attempting to smuggle drugs to Seenu atoll Feydhoo when he was stopped by Gan police. Saeed allegedly accelerated, colliding with an officer and injuring both parties.

A search discovered 14 small packets and seven foil packages containing suspicious substances, police said.

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EC fines nine parties

The Electoral Commission has fined nine parties for failing to submit reports in line with 2005 political party regulations, reports Miadhu.

The People’s Party (PP) , Maldivian Social Democratic Party (MSDP), Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), Adhalat Party (AP), National Alliance (NA), Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and Jumhooree Party (JP) were issued fines of Rf20,000.

The  Islamic Democratic Party (IDP) and Maldivian National Congress (MNC) were fined Rf30,000.

The EC also revealed that of the fines it has previously issued, only the People’s Alliance paid on time.

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MDP numbers boom while DRP declines: EC

A sustained recruitment campaign in the atolls has led to a surge in the number of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) members.

The party welcomed 5,000 members in the last few months, taking its total membership to 28,995 as of 10 December 2009. At such a pace the party will soon overtake the 30,215 tally of its rival, the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), which recorded a slight decline according to President of the Elections Commission Fuad Thaufeeq.

The grassroots MDP campaign involved establishing network coordinators for every atoll and enlisting existing members to recruit others, explained MDP registrar general Ahmed Shahid.

“We’re not going to stop until we’re on top,” Shahid said. “We have a further 600-800 applications currently processing, and there are many more coming in from the atolls. However the weather has been bad over the last few months and we’ve had some trouble collecting the applications.”

Despite the overall gain the party had also lost some members, he admitted.

Dr. Mohamed Mausoom, Secretary-General of DRP, questioned the recruitment tactics of the MDP.

“They have appointed island councillors to recruit members, paid for by the state. But despite this they’ve only gained 5000 members,” he said.

Mausoom suggested that the number of new “sincere” MDP recruits was no more “than about 2,000.”

“The rest of them – although they are yellow on the outside, their heart is blue,” he speculated, suggesting that in some cases people were being pressured to join the party in order to keep their jobs.

“There’s no direct instruction, but [in the case of some government workers] it can be ‘sign up [to the MDP], or quit,'” he alleged. “This is the type of environment people are working in. I really can’t say what the MDP is up to anymore, but we have noticed many of their members signing up with us.”

The MDP’s gain was irrelevant, Mausoom said, because “as a proportion of the voting population, political membership numbers are not significant in the country.”

If the MDP overtakes the DRP, “it will be a joke”, he added. “The Maldivian population are among the most politically educated in the world; if you walk around Male and you’ll find hardly anyone who voted for MDP.”

In the May parliamentary elections, MDP won a total of 48,000 votes or 31 per cent of the vote, while the DRP and its coalition partner People’s Alliance won a combined total of 47,400 votes.

DRP won a total of 39,000 votes or 25 per cent.

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Authorities warn of looming AIDS pandemic

The Health Ministry has warned of the spread of AIDS in the Maldives after an expatriate prostitute tested positive for HIV.

At a press conference yesterday, Dr Ahmed Jamsheed Mohamed, senior medical officer at the centre for community health and disease control, said prostitutes from neighbouring countries were working in the Maldives on tourist visas.

“We have some evidence now that expatriate women who came to the Maldives without a work permit on a tourist visa are involved in prostitution,” he said. “We learned that one of them was HIV positive.”

While the authorities required  medical checkups for expatriates who apply for work permits, he said, foreigners on tourist visas were not tested.

246 foreigners on work permits have been sent out of the country after testing positive since 1995, an average of 15 a day.

He added the authorities discovered the expatriate prostitute was HIV positive when she applied for a work permit.

Jamsheed said it was likely that there were more prostitutes with HIV who work at massage parlours and appealed to the public to be aware of the risks of visiting local brothels.

Prostitutes from China and Russia working in Sri Lanka often come to the Maldives when their tourist visa expires, he continued, while prostitutes in the Maldives visit Sri Lanka to re-enter the country on a new tourist visa.

“There’s a rotating group between Ceylon and Maldives,” he said. “We believe there must be a lot of HIV positive people among them.”

If AIDS begins to spread in the country, he added, there was no reason to believe it could be controlled.

Jamsheed said HIV in the Maldives was like a ticking time bomb: “Everything necessary for the disease to spread exists among us.”

A recent survey on AIDS revealed all the behavioural risks contributing to the spread of HIV, such as promiscuity, prostitution, homosexuality, rape, child abuse and sharing needles, were “widespread” in the country.

Jamsheed said responsibility had to be taken at an individual, societal and government level to avoid the country “reaching that critical stage”.

Although the survey was based on a small sample of the population, since its release one Maldivian had been found HIV positive and it was likely that more would be discovered. There are over 30 Maldivians with HIV, according to estimates said Dr Jamsheed.

Of the 14 people with AIDS known to the authorities ten have passed away, three are undergoing treatment while the others’ condition had not deteriorated to require treatment.

Asked whether recommendations in the study, such promoting the use of condoms and making clean disposal syringes available to drug addicts could be implemented in the Maldives, Jamsheed said both strategies have been successfully deployed overseas.

“The question is whether they can be brought in to our society with our Islamic principles and values,” he said, adding that the National AIDS Council had to discuss the issues.

Dr Ali Nazeem, in charge of treating HIV patients, said more voluntary counselling and testing centres (VTCs) would be established in the near future, while testing was already available in regional hospitals.

Testing is currently available at ADK hospital and the police VTC.

He added the centres will maintain anonymity and the test results would be confidential.

Earlier this week, drugs NGO Journey opened a VTC with more than 20 volunteers to offer counselling.

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