Day: February 3, 2010

Yameen files civil court case against Thasmeen over debt collection

The civil court has confirmed that the leader of the People’s Alliance (PA) Abdulla Yameen has filed a court case against Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, the recently elected leader of PA’s coalition partner, Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP).

The court said the case was regarding ‘debt collection’, but was unable to reveal the amount being sought. The case was filed on 31 Jan and the submission fee paid today, the court stated, adding that a judge would now be assigned to the case and a hearing scheduled.

Yesterday Yameen spoke to newspaper Miadhu claiming the elections process within the DRP was “not free and fair”, and that it was undemocratic that the party’s leader should be automatically selected without an election. Miadhu noted that Yameen’s own party had elected him as leader uncontested.

Yameen said today that the court case was “a civil case with no bearing on a political arrangement”. He said he “wished the coalition well” and did not want anyone “especially the media” to politicise the matter.

In late December Yameen denied that the relationship between the two coalition parties was strained, telling Miadhu that any problems within the coalition were the “wishful thinking” of the MDP.

DRP member Mohamed Hussain ‘Mundhu’ Shareef said while he assumed the issue of the court case between the two leaders would be discussed by the party’s council, “this issue does not concern me as a DRP member.”

“The bottom line is that Yameen has filed a case against Thasmeen, not that the leader of the PA has filed a case against the leader of the DRP. It has nothing to do with the parties.”

The coalition agreement, Mundhu noted, was “a parliamentary coalition agreement, not a fully-fledged coalition.”

He said he did not expect the court case to damage the public’s perception of the coalition, an alliance which gave the two parties a working majority in the 2009 parliamentary election.

“We just heard the headline, we’re not sure where its coming from, or why they felt the need to go ahead with a court case,” Mundhu said.

When the Congress meets later this month, “Thasmeen is going to be the leader – that’s basically a fact,” he noted.

Former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom endorsed Thasmeen as his successor to the DRP leadership during a speech announcing his retirement from politics last week.

DRP spokesman Ibrahim Shareef said the court case “means nothing” and was furthermore “a private matter”.

Yameen’s comments regarding the fairness of the party’s selection of leadership were “his own private opinion”, Shareef stated, and as for the health of the coalition, “there are some difficulties but they are not major concerns.”

Spokesperson for the rival MDP party Ahmed Haleem Zaki speculated that the court case was “politically motivated.”

“Yameen wants to become a leader,” Haleem said. “He has a lot of experience during the last government and is a very qualified guy. He is very educated and has a good mind, and is very determined: he has played a sometimes very dirty role in politics. Thasmeen isn’t popular in the Maldives – he has 6-7 members in parliament, but a lot of financial problems.”

In November last year Thasmeen and several members of his family were questioned by police over issues raised during an audit of the Bank of Maldives (BML).

According to the report by Auditor General Ibrahim Naeem, loans totalling Rf1 billion taken out by Fonadhoo Tuna, a company owned by Thasmeen, and luxury yachting company Sultans of the Sea, connected to the party leader, had yet to see any repayments.

Together the loans accounted for 13 per cent of the total amount loaned by the bank in 2008. Naeem commented at the time that defaults on bank loans issued to “influential political players” could jeopardise the entire financial system of the country.

In early December the civil court ordered Sultans of the Seas to pay over Rf654 million (US$50 million) in unpaid loans, fines and accumulated interest to BML over the course of one year.

Thasmeen had not responded to Minivan News’ requests for comment at time of press.

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DRP MP Alhan Fahmy says he will join MDP “if I join a party”

Former Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Alhan Fahmy has announced that if he becomes affiliated with another political party during this administration, “it will be the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).”

The MP for Seenu Feydho was suspended from the DRP after he voted against the party during a no-confidence motion against Foreign Minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed, after he elected to renew diplomatic ties with Israel.

The party’s disciplinary committee suspended Alhan from the party for six months and requested he apologise to DRP members, which he refused to do. He was threatened with expulsion if he failed to comply.

Today Alhan told Minivan News he believed the country was divided between two major political parties, “and all the others are paper parties.”

He said he was not currently a member of any party, but added that it would “not be long” before he joined one.

”I haven’t decided when, but I will be joining very soon,” he said.

Alhan said he had no interest in joining the DRP under “the current leader”.

Ahmed Thasmeen Ali was yesterday elected DRP leader by default after no one else in the party stood against him.

DRP spokesman Ibrahim Shareef said Alhan’s “excuses” for expressing interest in joining MDP were “not acceptable.”

“He is still a member of DRP. If he is jumping to MDP he is betraying his party members and the people of the country” he added.

MDP spokesman Ahmed Haleem said the MDP would “welcome Alhan into our party”, adding that the jump was “very close to happening.”

Haleem said that Alhan was the DRP’s “best politician.”

DRP MP Ahmed Mahloof said that he would be “very pleased” to see Alhan join MDP, because he had “betrayed the DRP.”

”If he jumps to MDP that would make him a political prostitute,” Mahloof said, noting that Alhan was currently not a member of the party.

DRP MP Abdulla Mausoom said that everyone “has the right to join any party”, but added that he did not want to comment on this particular case.

MDP MP Easa said the MDP would welcome Alhan to the party, if he chose to join, noting that Alhan “was one of the best performers in the parliament.”

”Our parliamentary group will be very strong if he joins,” Easa said.

MDP MP Moosa ‘Reeko’ Manik said that Alhan would be a major loss to the DRP.

”If the DRP think jumping from one party to another is a bad habit, why did they accept Umar Naseer?” he asked.

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Customs plan to introduce drug dogs

Maldives customs have begun discussions over whether to introduce drug-sniffer dogs to the Maldives, reports Miadhu.

The newspaper reports that the customs has recently been trying to upgrade its capacity to the scan of goodsimported into the country.

Last year Maldives customs seized almost 13 kilograms of illegal drugs.

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MTCC lowers ferry terminal parking charges

Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) has decided to reduce the motorcycle parking fee at the Male-Villingilli and Hulhumale’-Male ferry terminals, reports Miadhu.

Miadhu reported that MTCC decided to change the parking fee because a lot of customers had requested to lower the fee.

The fee MTCC charged at the first of January was Rf360 (US$28), and has been reduced to Rf185 (US$14).

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CSC to take finance ministry to court over salary dispute

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) has announced it will take the finance to court to resolve the on-going civil servant salary dispute.

“We will go to the judicial courts and claim for the amount reduced from the salaries of civil servants,” the CSC said today in a statement.

The CSC said that receiving “full payment for their work” was a right for all civil servants, and advised them to be patient and continue working.

Press secretary for the president’s office Mohamed Zuhair said he preferred the dispute be resolved through discussions.

”I advise the CSC not to take the matter to court as first option,” he said, claiming that “some people are trying to use this situation as a political weapon.”

Zuhair said the government would defend itself if the CSC filed a lawsuit against it.

A senior staff member at the attorney general’s office today said staff would continue striking until their salaries were restored, even though the CSC has said it would not support strikes.

He gave the government three options: “restore the salary, agree to give us the money we have lost after the government’s economic condition stabilises, or reduce working hours,” he said.

He claimed the government had no legal action standing in court over the matter.

”We are planning to go to the courts, or to wait until the dispute between the CSC and the finance ministry ends,” he added, noting that only a few staff at the AG’s office presented for work today.

The finance ministry had not responded to Minivan News at time of press.

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Reduce your carbon footprint – and your electricity bill

Mariyam Wafa, 25, lives in a two bedroom flat. By changing the light bulbs in her sitting room to energy saving bulbs, she claims her electricity bill dropped by Rf200.

In most homes lighting accounts for 10 to 15% of electricity bills. Simply changing to energy saving light bulbs can save up to 80% of the energy of normal bulbs.

“We can’t give an exact figure for how much you can save as no studies have been done in Maldives, and different brands and lights differ,” says Ahmed Rauf, engineer of STELCO.

However he says it’s always better to buy trusted brands ‘to avoid getting a 10 watt bulb instead of the 5 watt one as mentioned, because we have come across such cases.”

At a time when Maldivians are paying high prices for the electricity they consume, unlike before when STELCO was largely subsidized by the state, it makes sense to look into ways to reduce household electricity consumption. The Maldives has also pledged to become the first carbon neutral country, and suddenly the issue of one’s own carbon foot print comes into play.

Renewable energy: long term benefits

Vice president Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan has been using solar water heaters since 2003.

“We haven’t used any electricity for heating water in the last six years – the heated water from the solar heaters is enough for the usage of a couple,” says Dr Waheed.

The solar-heated water is used for washing, cooking and showering.

“On top of that, there has not been any need for maintenance work also.”

Dr Waheed envisages a future where the vice president’s residence is completely powered by renewable energy.

Ibrahim Ali works in his family-run business Renewable Energy Maldives (REM), and says solar panels can be used with or without electricity from the grid.

“You could either opt to use [just] solar panels by saving energy to a battery for use during the night time, or switch to normal electricity during night and use solar panels during the days only,” he explains.

One house that uses a grid-connected solar system is Maafanu Sunny lodge.

“We have cut about 50% off our electricity bill since the installation,” says a resident of the house.

“We are using it on one floor of the building and it caters for the electricity needs of our family of six.”

The system is programmed to automatically switch off at night and use normal electricity during the night time.

Ibrahim acknowledges that it is expensive to install solar panels. But he reasons if you take into consideration the 15 year lifespan of the panels and the cost of electricity, “it is worth it.”

“Switching to solar air conditioners is very possible in Male. For a three room apartment it costs around Rf23,000 to install,” he says, explaining that this would typically cut energy consumption by between 30% to 70%.

He takes the case of Happy Mart: “Their electricity bill hovered around Rf5000 before they made the switch. These days the maximum figure on their bill is Rf 2000.”

Though some houses and businesses are opting for solar powered air-conditioners, the demand for solar among residents in Male’ remains low.

“We have installed them in uninhabited islands and resorts,” he says.

He says the price of the panels remains a problem, largely because of the 20% import duty President Mohamed Nasheed has promised to waive but has yet to do.

Reducing the bill

Rauf from STELCO says simply changing a few habits and making an informed choice when buying electrical equipment can reduce a person’s electric bill.

“A room should be properly insulated and have curtains on windows if air-conditioning is used.”

He also says maintaining an optimal temperature throughout instead of minimizing it once you come in from outdoors will consume less energy.

“People oversee the fact that ceiling fans also waste a lot of energy if left on when nobody’s in the room.”

Appliances on standby mode are other culprits: “Computers and other things could be turned off at night time.”

Rauf recommends buying fridges with the right capacity, as “a 400 litre fridge is enough for a family of six.”

“Make sure you don’t put any hot items in it.”

Changing to a steam iron and making sure that its less than 1200 watts, and ironing clothes in one go are other ways to make sure less energy is consumed.

“A little more attention to all this minimizes the consumption of electricity.”

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