Month: December 2009

Contracts to be terminated for 12 resorts under development

The ministry of tourism has announced plans for 55 islands leased for resort development, including terminating the contracts for twelve of the islands.

Speaking at a press conference today, Tourism Minister Dr Ahmed Ali Sawad said that the ministry was taking action because of the lack of progress in development of many islands.

Sawad said that in some cases work had not even begun.

After identifying the islands, Sawad said that contract talks would be held with the relevant parties.

“The ministry has decided that if the situation calls for it, the ministry will go into joint ventures on the development of some of these islands”

Sawad said that the government would not be initiating a new bidding process for the selected islands for but look for new interested parties.

“The government is not entering into these joint ventures to facilitate, not to do business,” he said.

The ministry said that if they do proceed with these joint ventures the government would have a 10 to 15 per cent stake.

Part of the joint venture plan calls for the ministry to draw up a work schedule and have quarterly inspections to make sure that the parties follow the plan.

Of the remaining islands, Sawad said 20 islands still had time to begin development and salvage the contract.

Work has been on going on for the remaining 23 and the ministry would be checking progress.

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Protests outside parliament as parties face off

Supporters of both the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) protested outside parliament today while MPs remained deadlocked over the decentralisation bill.

Protesters from the two rival parties gathered behind police lines on opposite ends of the road with megaphones and loudspeakers, responding to each other’s taunts.

Like the four previous sittings, today’s sitting was also called off, making it the third consecutive day of cancellation following heated rows between MPs.

Competing protests

The DRP side of the road
The DRP side of the road

“Abdullah Shahid – resign! The corrupt deputy speaker – resign,” chanted the large group of MDP activists behind police barricades.

They called on MPs to pass the legislation with the government’s proposed model of dividing the country into seven provinces.

The opposition dominated committee selected to review the bill voted to scrap provinces, prompting MDP to propose over 700 amendments to reverse the changes.

A DRP protest led by a small group of supporters outside the president’s office was disrupted by police.

But the DRP activists gathered outside parliament to continue the protest.

“Ganjabo [pothead] – resign! Beer drinker – resign! Kenereege [President Mohamed] Nasheed who has hijacked the People’s Majlis – resign!” they hollered.

MDP side of the road
MDP side of the road

Meanwhile, on the other side, MDP supporters accused the former government of ignoring the atolls in favour of concentrating development in Male’.

“Give us 40 per cent of the resources in our area and we won’t come here to beg for healthcare, for a harbour, for housing,” yelled the activist with the megaphone.

Ahmed Shareef, 36, a senior DRP activist, told Minivan News opposition supporters were protesting because the government’s division of the country into seven provinces was unconstitutional and intended to weaken the people.

“The MDP members in Majlis have been working to rob the people of their rights,” he said. “I condemn it strongly. The people’s representatives should not be acting that way.”

MPs watch on
MPs watch on

During the parliamentary debate, opposition MPs argued grouping three or four atoll into a province was unconstitutional as 21 administrative areas were clearly defined in the appendix.

While the constitution required atoll councils to be elected from within the atoll, they said, the government’s bill would elect a province council with unequal representation.

But, MDP MPs argued the constitution left the model of decentralisation up to legislation to be passed by parliament, while economies of scale would not be possible if decision-making powers were devolved to single atolls.

Brutality?

Shareef said the police employed force and used pepper spray to disrupt the DRP protest outside the president’s office.

All three activists who were taken into custody have since been released.

MDP parliamentary group leader
MDP parliamentary group leader

“They took us by force without any warning, used pepper spray on us and put us in handcuffs,” he said, showing bruises on his body.

He added the current government was “dictatorial” and needed to be changed.

Shareef said the protest will continue tonight when parliament is scheduled to restart at 8.30pm.

‘Malini’ Ibrahim Ahmed, 41, an MDP activist, said he was disappointed with the way police handled the protest.

“They used force, they used pepper spray and cuffed people’s hands behind them,” he said.

But, he added, all MDP activists taken into custody were shortly released.

Police Sergeant Ahmed Shiyam said a number of people who refused to comply with orders were taken into custody, but no one was arrested.

In the early stages of the protest, when MDP supporters sat down in front of parliament, police forcibly moved them back, picking off a number of activists in the process.

Resisting arrest
Resisting arrest

One man was taken into custody after he accused an officer of using pepper spray without provocation. “You watch out, I’ll beat you up,” he said.

The riot police immediately jumped on the man, citing regulations which empower police to arrest anyone who threatens an officer of the law.

Cancellation

Starting off today’s sitting, Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim said MPs could either vote on the amendments or the government could withdraw the legislation.

While MDP had requested negotiations and submitted proposals, he continued, the DRP has refused to engage in discussions.

Negotiations were ongoing between the MDP and the Speaker, he said.

Some MPs have recommended calling a public referendum to decide the issue of provinces.

After numerous points of order, Nazim called out the names of five MDP MPs who refused to sit down, invoking the power of the chair to remove them from the chamber.

But, all MDP MPs were on their feet and protesting loudly, leading Nazim to cancel the sitting.

Mid-Fuahmulah MP Shifaq Mufeed, Baarah MP Mohamed Shifaz, Hoarafushi MP Ahmed Rasheed, Machangoalhi South MP Mohamed Rasheed and Ihavandhoo MP Ahmed Abdullah were ordered to leave the chamber.

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Forced labour and discrimination rife in the Maldives, claims report

Forced labour is a “serious problem” in the Maldives and a sign that the government is not fulfilling its obligations as a member of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), claims a report into the country’s labour and trade union policies by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

The report, produced for the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in October, found a “relatively large number of forced labour-type situations among migrant workers and female domestic workers in the Maldives.”

“Domestic workers, especially migrant female domestic workers, are sometimes trapped in situations of forced labour and are in many cases forbidden from leaving the employers’ home through threats and other means,” the report said, citing figures from the 2009 report of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives.

“It is estimated that the number of migrant workers has almost tripled during the past five years and there are more than 80,000 migrant workers in the country, equivalent to
around 26 per cent of the population. While many are not in a situation to be defined as bonded labour or forced labour, many other labourers from neighbouring countries pay
large sums as commissions to receive employment in the Maldives and often are not in a position to quit their job before they have paid back the sums of money borrowed.”

“I think there’s some truth in it, particularly with female workers from Sri Lanka and India finding themselves in situations where they are not being paid, or not able to limit their working hours,” said President of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) Ahmed Saleem.

Children were particularly at risk, the report noted, with some of those migrating to Male from the outer islands for educational purposes finding themselves forced to work as informal domestic workers in exchange for accommodation and food.

“The house work done by such children is not voluntary in the cases where their continued stay in such houses depends on such children obediently doing house work as required by the owners of houses,” the report found, adding that child labour was also reported in the fishing industry.

Saleem said he had not heard of such practices in the fishing industry, but noted that when people living on the islands sent children to study in Male “many places will provide food and pay expenses, and in return the [child] may feel obliged to do work.”

There were many advertisements for such arrangements in local newspapers, he observed.

Workplace discrimination

The report also lambasted the government for failing to implement the prohibitions in the Constitution and Employment Act against workplace discrimination, especially regarding women.

“Women face discrimination at the workplace and in society, a problem which the government has failed to address in any satisfactory way,” the report said.

“At certain workplaces it is not permitted to get married or pregnant as this would lead to a termination of employment or change of job, and the complete absence of child care facilities forces many women to leave their job once their first child is born.”

Aishath Velezinee, member of the Judicial Services Commission, questioned whether this occurred and noted that the Maldives’ lack of childcare facilities stemmed from the culture historically relying on extended families for this purpose.

“Until lifestyles and ways of living began to change, there hasn’t been a need for it,” she said.

As for sexual harassment, another area highlighted in the report, “it exists but there is also a bill being drafted. I would say the state is addressing the issue.”

Discrimination based on sex was similar to that based on perceived cultural and profession hierarchies, she said.

“People don’t seem to understand the concept; they see [discrimination] as a cultural thing. It is a big issue: we don’t seem to understand the discrimination as it is meant in the Constitution or as it is expected in a democratic country.”

Even in the Supreme Court, she said, junior staff were made to take off their shoes and either wear slippers or go barefoot to protect the soft marble floors while senior staff could wear shoes.

The report also noted that women were prevented from working at many resorts because of their remote locations, as it was not considered socially acceptable for young unmarried females to stay on resorts for long durations.

“Traditionally women are disadvantaged in the Maldives, particularly in the application of Shari’a law in matters such as divorce, education, inheritance, and testimony in legal proceedings,” the report said, a state of affairs Velezinee admitted was “true”.

Saleem however observed that the Maldives treated women far better than other Islamic cultures, “where many [women] would describe themselves as slaves and sex objects.”

“Maldivian women have had voting rights since time immemorial. I’m not saying anything is perfect, but I think we have done more than other Islamic countries,” he said.

Collective bargaining

Furthermore, the report claimed that the Constitution and Employment Act contained no provisions allowing workers to collectively bargain, and despite the presence of active workers’ organisations such as the Tourism Employees’ Association of Maldives (TEAM) and the Teachers’ Association of the Maldives (TAM) the country had yet to formally recognise any trade unions.

“Strikes have been suppressed and encountered violent reactions from the the police [in the past],” the report said, observing that “freedom of association is still far from common practice.”

The right to collective bargaining “should be integrated [into the Constitution and Employment Act] now the Maldives is a member of the ILO,” the report urged.

“It must be the primary priority of the Maldives to ratify and fully implement the eight core ILO conventions and bring its labour law and practice in line with international labour standards.”

Saleem agreed: “Everyone knows the Employment Act needs changes. The Labour Ministry has said it will look at the recommendations we made [on the subject], but it has been two months. It’s time the government made it a priority – the Labour Minister has a lot of work to do.”

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Sunfront staff attacked in latest mugging

Days after the violent mugging of businessman Campus Didi, another attack occurred in Male’ last night.

The manager Mohamed Rashaad Adam and an employee of the Sunfront store on Majeedhee Magu had closed up for the night and were on their way home at around 11.30pm.

The men were carrying the day’s takings in cash with them in a small bag.

Speaking to newspaper Haveeru, Adam said that they were attacked by a group wielding box cutters.

In the ensuing melee’ the staff member was badly hurt when he was punched in the eye.

Sergeant Ahmed Shiyam from the Maldives Police Service confirmed the story to Minivan News.

“Around six people attacked the two Sunfront employees, but they didn’t manage to get away with the money,” he said.

However both men received various injuries and the staff member was flown to Sri Lanka for treatment.

When asked if the incident was related to the attack on Campus Didi, Shiyam said: “It is too early to make a connection and we are still investigating both cases”.

He urged shop owners to be vigilant when handling money.

“If shopkeepers are concerned when moving such large quantities of cash around they should immediately call the police who will assist them,” he said.

The Sunfront attack is the latest in a series of similar attacks on businesspeople carrying large sums of money after closing up shop.

If anyone has been a victim, or knows anyone who has been a victim of such attacks and would like to tell their story to help others avoid a similar incident, please contact Minivan News.

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President receives thousand-letter appeal for ban on alcohol sale

Over a thousand letters requesting a ban on the sale of alcohol in inhabited islands were submitted to the president’s office today by a coalition of NGOs campaigning against revised regulations to grant liquor licenses to tourist hotels.

Speaking to press outside the president’s office, Mauroof Zakir, spokesperson for the coalition, said the NGOs had decided to send a letter to the president and create a petition.

“These are only the letters we got in a short period of time,” he said. “It’s not just from the civil society associations, but from the public who are not involved in the associations.”

He added the members of the public who sent the letters wanted to show that they did not want alcohol sold in inhabited islands.

“The letter mainly notes the dangers of selling alcohol in inhabited islands and [is intended] to show that the public does not support this,” he said.

He said the NGOs did not believe the government has listened to their concerns.

Revised regulations

Queuing up
Queuing up

Last month, the ministry of trade and economic development revised regulations on the use and import of alcohol to authorise its sale in tourist hotels with 100-beds in inhabited islands.

But the regulations were withdrawn shortly afterwards, following a public outcry and opposition from the Islamic ministry.

The regulations were sent to a parliamentary committee for advice and consultation, which has since approved it.

Meanwhile, a bill proposed by Independent MP Ibrahim Muttalib to ban the sale of alcohol in inhabited islands was rejected by parliament, with MPs arguing it was unconstitutional as it would indirectly authorise its sale.

Article 10(b) of the constitution states no law contrary to any tenet of Islam shall be made or enacted.

The economic development ministry has argued that the regulations were revised to revoke over 800 liquor permits to expatriates, which has created a black market for alcohol in the capital Male’.

The permits will be revoked in favour of allowing the sale of alcohol to foreigners under strict supervision, they said.

Under the regulations, hotels with over 100 beds would be allowed to have a bar that is not visible from outside and would only serve foreigners.

Furthermore, it will be illegal to keep alcohol in mini-bars at the hotels on inhabited islands or sell it anywhere apart from the hotel’s main bar.

Maldivians cannot be employed at the bar and all employees of the bar must be registered with the economic development ministry after a police check.

An inventory of the alcohol in storage and daily sales must be maintained and made available to police on their request, while CCTV cameras must be mounted in the storage room at the hotel.

The people’s representatives

Mauroof Zakir
Mauroof Zakir

Speaking to Minivan News today, Mohamed Zuhair, president’s office press secretary, said MPs on the parliamentary committee would have taken the religious implications of the regulations into consideration and the NGOs should respect the will of the people.

“We always respond to letters that are sent to the president’s office,” he said. “But, while we respect the NGOs, they too have to respect the decision of the people, and that is the decision of the People’s Majlis,” he said.

Zakir said parliament rejected a bill on outlawing the sale of alcohol in inhabited islands by “making excuses and misleading the people”.

“But, we learned that the regulations were withdrawn on the order of President Nasheed when it was first publicised,” he said. “We believe President Nasheed will do this on the request of citizens to fulfill his campaign pledge to close all doors to drugs and that he will he will close this door as well.”

Sheikh Ali Zahir, a member of the fiqh academy, said the letters were “very respectfully” drafted and “begs” the president to not enforce the regulations.

“We hope that we will get a good reaction and that he will give a response,” he said. “We hope very much that he will fully respond to our appeal to protect the beloved Muslim communities of the Maldives.”

The coalition now includes over 80 NGOs and associations, he said.

Zahir said the coalition believes the “majority” of Maldivians would support the appeal as Maldivians are 100 per cent Muslim.

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NGOs slam special needs bill

Several NGOs have criticised the recently-passed bill protecting the rights and providing financial assistance to people with special needs.

The bill, which was passed on 21 December, states that disabled people will receive financial benefits of Rf2000 a month. In addition, persons found mocking people with disabilities could be fined from anywhere between Rf5000 to Rf10,000.

However NGOs such as Care Society have strongly criticised the bill.

Sidaatha Shareef from Care Society said “this bill is not in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) that the Maldives has signed.”

The UNCRPD is an international human rights convention pushing a rights-based vision addressing issues concerning people with disabilities.

The Maldives signed a UNCRPD act in 2008. According to this Act, a country must have a specialised bill that focuses on the rights of people with disabilities.

“The term ‘special needs’ is a very board category. We wanted this bill to be specifically for the rights of people with disabilities,” continued Sidaatha.

“We’re not trying to downplay other issues, they are just as important, but we want to get rid of the confusion caused by the bill. People with special needs and people with disabilities are very different.”

Care Society said a revised bill was important because people with disabilities were a marginalised group, and therefore it was important to make sure a proper bill was passed that would give rights to these groups.

Sidaatha also said that in the future “we must carefully think about signing such conventions such as the UNCRPD.”

Former minister of gender and family Aishath Didi said that providing monthly financial assistance was not enough.

“We need to focus more on prevention and screening,” she said. “Screening during the first three months is crucial in early detection of disabilities, and once detected the proper assistance needs to be provided.”

Didi also mentioned the importance of including things like speech therapy in the bill.

The bill is currently with the president who has a week to ratify it before it becomes law.

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Comment: Why some people like DRP and hate the MDP

My first assignment at university, back in 1997, asked me to look into why people voted the way they do.

I remember feeling quite ill-prepared to answer this question because I had never experienced voting in its true democratic form. After all I grew up in the Maldives.

However, I came to realise that it boils down to a combination of personal characteristics, particular circumstances and the choice of leaders, as well as the image of these leaders put across to the public.

In 2008, faced with a choice between the DRP and the MDP, it is not difficult to see who someone such as I would pick.

I am (relatively) young, and as such I am prone to taking risks. I feel comfortable with a changing world. I have a tertiary education from a western institution. I am starting off in life, have no family who relies on me to provide for them, have no business that I have poured my heart and soul into, and feel confident that I have the skills to make it in life. My philosophy to change is summed up by the other iconic saying of our time: “Yes we can!”.

You don’t have to be Don Draper to realize which product I’m buying.

But what continues to fascinate me is the support that the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party still holds among the people. It also fascinates me just how much hatred some people have for the MDP.

I refuse to believe that these people are all crazy. After all, some of these people are intelligent, educated and perfectly reasonable people.

So let me try and outline some categories of people who may find it ‘logical’ to support DRP and what you may feel if you belonged to any of these categories:

  • Direct beneficiary of DRP in power:

You are someone (or are a family member of someone) who was a direct recipient of benefits under the DRP.

This does not mean that these benefits were through corruption – but just run-of-the-mill influence or power that came to you because you believed in the vision and message of the party and supported it since its inception. And let’s face it, this is the same reason why a generation of people who are in places of influence because of the MDP now may support MDP in the future.

  • Democracy ain’t so hot after all:

You simply prefer the harmony that existed when democracy was not around. You are not necessarily taken in by all this talk of democracy and human rights because it has meant the disintegration of the social harmony and fabric that existed under Gayyoom. Now, every other day, there are demonstrations, strikes, and some kind of nuisance on the street.

These days people are just so angry at each other. Families, friendships, sports-clubs, marriages, relationships have all been affected quite adversely by the rise of democracy in the country.

I mean things were just so much better when people didn’t talk politics and talked about the movies or joked about their families or something equally harmless. Life was hard enough without all these politics on the street.

Worse of all, democracy has not delivered the instant benefits that it promised. You just want things back the way they were, and to go on with your life leaving the government to do what it did, even if it was doing it badly.

However, now that democracy (in all its messiness) is around, who do you blame for this? Why, the people who started doing these demonstration on the streets after all – the MDP.

After all, if it wasn’t for the MDP we wouldn’t have protests on the street. We would have a serene parliament that never debates. In fact we wouldn’t have parliament at all, especially on our TV screens. We would have songs and movies and entertainment, interrupted occasionally by a ‘riddle’ we can answer by SMS.

  • MDP are incompetent:

You do not believe the capabilities of the existing government are sufficient for leadership. You question the leadership ability of President Nasheed and his team. You regard them as those, who even with good intentions, simply do not have the intellectual firepower to pull all this off.

Your worst have suspicions come true because the MDP have rewarded positions of power to cronies and activists. For every qualified person in the administration, you see two hacks who had more talent at throwing stones than conducting policy. You secretly feel that the leader of our country and the majority of his cabinet should at least have a PhD, but may not quite say this out loud for the sake of being accused of elitism.

  • MDP are liars selling false hope for the sake of power:

You think that the MDP are peddlers of populist dreams who have promised things that they (or anyone without divine help) cannot actually deliver, simply for the sake of coming to power.

Inter-island transport network? This has never been done in the Maldives so why should it work now?

A modern real-estate market in the outer islands of the Maldives? These seem like wishful thinking to many people – even to reasonable people.

A carbon-neutral Maldives when 100% of our existing power-plants are diesel?

US$1 billion in aid in 2010? That’s seem like a little too much – especially if you fall into the category above.

  • The MDP leadership is dictatorial and undemocratic themselves:

Deep down you are a democrat at heart and feel strongly about the ideals of representative government. You feel that President Nasheed is pushing things in the wrong direction and acting in direct conflict with the constitution of the country.

This is a completely reasonable opinion to have, but you cannot also hold this and support DRP. That would be a tad bit hypocritical and downright silly. This however is completely justifiable if you are an ‘independent’ follower of democracy in its true forms espoused by the great political philosophers of time.

  • The MDP philosophy is wrong:

You oppose the center-right philosophy of the government. Rather than a free-market state that makes you responsible for your own well-being, you feel (deep-down) that the government should take care of its people – it should provide jobs in a protected public sector so that everyone has a decent guaranteed salary. You don’t care, nor do you want to care, about how the state gets its money. It should just provide us with healthcare, schooling, housing, jobs, TVs… the whole shebang if possible.

If probed a little deeper, you would say that the economic vision of the country should be that the tourism sector of the economy – just like the oil and gas sector is in Saudi Arabia – and the state should play the role in distributing the benefits of that tourism sector to the public.

Our tourism market has functioned well enough even with a few people getting very rich – and the ‘benefits’ this country has seen in the last 30 years are because of this economic model. Sure you would like change, but that change should be gradual and planned – like on a roadmap. Evolution, not revolution, is what you would have preferred.

In a sense, it is the strangely soothing tale of the state playing a truly paternalistic role in its most literal sense – acting like a benevolent father.

He/it rewards those who accept his/its wisdom and vision, while punishing those who misbehave and question its/his authority.

While this is old-fashioned, we must admit that like all fathers, there is a genuine appeal in having someone to look over us. This I believe is the reason why (in some mass pseudo-oedipal complex) the support of DRP is stronger among women of a certain generation.

My point in conducting this analysis is primarily to take the level of discussion in our political sphere to a more intelligent and hopefully beneficial level.

Firstly, I hope it gives those on the yellow-side (MDP) of the political divide something to think about on how to successfully challenge those who oppose them. No doubt, those in the first category cannot really be converted because they are the unwinnable masses, but the concerns of those in the other categories can and should be addressed.

The MDP must show these people that they are capable, that their ideology of self-help center-right compassionate economic conservatism (borrowed from their friends at the ‘New’ UK Conservative party) is a winning philosophy. They must turn their dreams into a reality.

However, for those on the blue-side (opposition and DRP side) of the divide, I hope it gives you a moment of reflection to see quite why it is that you hate the MDP so. If you fall into the first category – perhaps its time you looked into ways in which you fashion your life around having a beneficial outcome irrespective of whoever is in power.

However, for those of you who fall into the other categories – I hope it sheds light on quite why you hate the MDP so, and ask yourself how you can help your party (the DRP) to outline a better vision for our country.

The MDP claim they are center-right – so what is the philosophy of the DRP? Surely it cannot be that of a paternalistic state, which is outdated and unsustainable.

I say this because before you know it, we will once again be asked to choose our leaders. And when you do, I hope you will at least take a minute to ask yourself why it is that you are inclined to vote in a certain way. You will do this country a world of good by that small act.

All comment pieces are the sole view of the author and do not reflect the editorial policy. If you would like to write an opinion piece, please send proposals to [email protected]

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National carom tounament – wrap up

The 20th National carom tournament has come to an end.

The men’s singles title was won by Hussain Neeshaal. Neeshaal defeated Ali Niyzaaz in the final by two sets, the third successive national title he has won.

The women’s singles final was won by Aishath Shaaznaa. Shaaznaa defeated Aishath Fianaaz by two sets, the sixth consecutive title Shaaznaa has won.

The mens team event was won by Club Mecano and the womens team event was won by Faafu Nilhandhoo Club Shaababu.

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Police hold awareness program in Noonu Atoll

The Noonu Manadhoo police have visited all the houses on Noonu Kendhikulhudhoo to increase awareness of how to reduce crime.

During the trip the police asked people what sort of crime was happening on the island. The police also gave people information on how to contact the police, how cases were investigated and how the police in Noonu Atoll operated.

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