Month: February 2010

President tells IMF economic reforms will continue

President Mohamed Nasheed has informed the IMF that the government will continue its program to reduce public sector expenditure.

He met with the IMF’s Deputy Director for the Asia Pacific Region, Dr Kalpana Kochhar, at the President’s Office yesterday.

President Nasheed noted that the government has an agreement with the Civil Service Commission to reduce salaries due to the “extraordinary economic circumstances facing the country.”

The president also discussed the proposed taxation reforms which is being considered by the People’s Majlis.

Dr Kochhar assured the president of the IMF’s support for the government’s manifesto program.

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Maldivian students recruited to wage jihad, confirms Vice President

Vice President of the Maldives Dr Mohammed Waheed Hassan has told Indian media that young Maldivians are being recruited by militant groups in Pakistan and Afghanistan to wage ‘jihad’.

The Indian Press Trust (IPT), among others, also reported that Waheed had claimed an increasing number of young Maldivians “are embracing a version of Islam which is more strict than the traditional Islamic values [of the Maldives].”

The vice president is currently visiting India, which recently signalled its willingness to increase defence cooperation after reports that extremist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, believed responsible for the Mumbai attacks in November 2008, was active in the Maldives.

At the time, Indian news portal Rediff.com reported Indian intelligence bureau sources as saying the group had “nearly 1,000 operatives active in the Maldives”.

Indian media reported that Waheed had asked for the country’s assistance in preventing the passage through India of young people suspected to be attending radical institutions.

“Some of these people are going to Pakistan and Afghanistan and are waging jihad. We want these people back,” he told PTI. “These are students and it is very easy for them to say they are going to pursue education.”

Presidential Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair said the vice president’s comments were based on “certain statistics from education authorities, police and Pakistani authorities.”

“This government estimates there are 200-300 unregistered [Maldivian] students in Pakistan,” Zuhair said.

“The government has made a point of checking up on any student travelling to Pakistan and making sure that what recruiters have told their families is accurate, and that the institutions are recognised by the Pakistani government,” he said.

However, “students are leaving the Maldives with the good intentions of obtaining an Islamic education, but are being told to bypass the government’s legislation and monitoring [processes].”

There was a requirement for someone travelling abroad to study to register with the government, he said. “In the latter stages of the previous government [unregistered] students would be brought back once they reach Colombo,” he noted.

The government was developing a range of Islamic scholarship programs for students at registered institutions in countries like India and Malaysia to try and address the issue, Zuhair explained.

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Turtles killed for their eggs in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll

Two sea turtles have been discovered dead on the beach of Laabadhoo island in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll, cut open for their eggs and left to rot on the sand.

Sixty-nine year old Abdulla Saeed from Fares-Maathodaa found the turtles on the beach. The first was found on 4 February. It had been cut open for its eggs. From the size of the maggots found on the corpse, Saeed estimated it had been killed 48 hours earlier.

He found the second turtle on 6 February. Its corpse was still fresh, suggesting it was killed overnight.

Saeed believes the turtles were killed by islanders of Maathoda on Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll, and despite the illegality of killing turtles, it is still a relatively common practice in his region.

Aya Naseem, a marine biologist, says many islands kill turtles for their eggs.

“People have no idea of the harm they are causing,” she says. “They just see it as another way of getting food.”

Ali Rilwan from the NGO Bluepeace says the organisation has reports of turtles being killed, but “we normally hear of this happening for their meat, not eggs.”

Both turtle meat and eggs are considered delicacies in the Maldives, but killing turtles is prohibited by the law. Collecting the eggs from the beach is legal in all but 11 islands, according to Rilwan.

The turtles come up to the beach overnight to lay eggs during their egg-laying cycle. Saeed says the ”turtles would come to lay eggs once every 13 days,” and this can happen four to five times during each cycle. The turtles will not lay eggs again for another six to eight months.

Even though it is legal to harvest eggs from the beach, Saeed says the unlaid eggs are almost only yolk, unlike the eggs laid at the end of the cycle which can be hard and stony. He added that “islanders in the region love to eat short eats made from turtle eggs.”

“They do not even wait for it to lay eggs,” he said. “They do this just for the pleasure of killing.”

Even on the islands where it is illegal to harvest the eggs from the beach, “there are no warnings…and it’s not properly managed,” says Rilwan.

With sea turtles being on the endangered species list, and their eggs and meat considered delicacies, there is a looming struggle between tradition and the environment.

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Police summon second DRP deputy leader for questioning

Police have summoned the Dhivehi Rayyihtunge Party’s (DRP) deputy leader MP Ali Waheed for questioning about his involvement in the protest outside the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) base and president’s residence on 28 January.

Umar Naseer, another deputy leader of the DRP, was summoned for questioning yesterday about his involvement in the protest.

Waheed notified the media he had been summoned shortly before 3pm, and said he would “face the press” afterwards.

He said he had remained silent during questions about his involvement, and about the comments he made to the media about police cooperating with the protesters.

When the police asked him whether he would like to investigate the incident in which he was hit by a stone during the protest, he replied ”no”.

After the questioning concluded Waheed said he had reported three cases to the police and asked them to investigate.

”The first thing I reported was that during the protest a person from the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) – ranked higher than sergeant – used abusive language [against the protesters],” he said.

”Secondly, why that night when MPs asked for police protection were they ignored?”

Thirdly, Waheed said he asked police to investigate an MDP MP who allegedly demanded police stop handcuffing a protester outside parliament during a protest over the decentralisation bill.

Waheed added that it was “really dangerous” for armed police to use abusive language and “threaten people.” He did not mention what was said.

Press Secretary for the President Mohamed Zuhair said the government did not believe that the MNDF used abusive language while controlling the protest.

”That was really a dangerous protest by DRP,” he added.

He said it was all right for Waheed to remain silent, but said that ”the police begin such a questioning session of an investigation only after they have collected evidence and proof.”

”As the police is investigating the case we better not comment,” he added.

Spokesperson for Maldivian Democratic Part MDP Ahmed Haleem said also did not believe the MNDF had used abusive language, and furthermore claimed that when MPs asked for police protection the police provided it.

”I was watching the protest very closely,” he said.

Sub Inspector of police Ahmed Shiyam said police were not commenting on whether they would investigate the three cases reported by Ali Waheed.

In a statement police issued on 2 February police said they would launch an investigation of the demonstration outside MDNF and the president’s residence.

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Man arrested for child abuse and attempting to rape his mother

A 28 year old man from the island of Kolamaafushi in Gaafu Dhaalu atoll was arrested by police for allegedly abusing an eight year old boy on Friday and later trying to rape his own mother that evening.

Police Sub Inspector Ahmed Shiyam confirmed that a man from Kolamaafushi had been arrested in connection with the two crimes but said at the moment police were unable to provide further details as the case was under investigation.

Police atoll commander for Gaafu Dhaalu atoll, Ali Mustafa, said the man was arrested last night around 10:30pm and had a recent record of child abuse. Mustafa said police discovered the man hiding on the beach of Kolamaafushi.

An official from the island office reported the man to police after he was called to the house in the course of his duties and discovered him lying on a bed naked with the child, watching TV.

Before he was arrested by police the man attempted to sexually assault his mother, the official said.

The woman jumped out a window and escaped to a nearby house, pursued by her son.

”[He] ran after her naked and tried to enter that house,” the official said, ”but a man from the house protected the woman.”

The neighbour was injured in a scuffle with the man, he said, while the woman suffered scratches to her neck.

Deputy Minister for Health and Family Mariya Ali said the ministry had received a report of one of the two incidents “but ‘would not like to mention which one.”

”These types of cases been occurring for a long time,” she said, ”but people have been very hesitant to inform [the authorities].”

She said to prevent such incidents from happening the ministry needed the help of the community.

”In every case there is someone from the community who know about it,” she said.

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Comment: Coronation not Congress

Whether it was reverence for the wishes of former leader Gayoom, or whether it was a lack of respect for democracy, the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party’s decision not to hold a competitive election to choose their new leader is a fatal mistake. Lacking a clear democratic mandate leaves Thasmeen’s leadership stillborn.

Gayoom anointed Thasmeen as his successor to lead the main opposition party the day he announced his retirement from active politics. Thasmeen was sworn in as leader of the DRP last week, at the party’s congress. No other party member stood against him.

Thasmeen is no doubt pleased he didn’t have to go through the hassle and uncertainty of an election to become the country’s main opposition leader. But he will be forever hampered by his democratic shortfall.

Thasmeen’s democratic deficit means that people will constantly question his authority. After all, what leverage does an unelected leader have? What legitimacy does he have to impose his will upon other party members? Why should party members follow his orders?

The new leader’s legitimacy problem is compounded by the fact that the DRP congress also decided that the party leader will automatically become the party’s candidate in the 2013 presidential elections. Overruling Umar Naseer and Aneesa Ahmed’s proposal to hold primaries, 841 delegates out of 882 attendees voted for the proposal by the party council to make the DRP leader its presidential candidate.

This decision will have incensed many members of the opposition. Umar Naseer might have magnanimously declared after winning the vice presidency that he was giving up the idea of presidential primaries for the sake of unity, but he may well change his mind as the 2013 presidential elections near, particularly if Thasmeen is judged to have been a weak leader. As the presidential election date draws closer, expect more members than Umar to clamour for party primaries.

Younger politicians will not only grumble about Thasmeen democratic deficit, they will be disillusioned as well. After all, what future do they have in a party where the top job is decided not by democracy but by a political fix between party grandees in Alivaage?

And of course, there is the issue of Gayoom himself. Gayoom crowned Thasmeen instead of another would-be successor, Yameen. Instead of being a respected leader on his own right, Gayoom therefore owns Thasmeen. He is the kingmaker, and though Thasmeen is the default leader, it will be Gayoom who will yield the power behind the throne.

Those who reject my line of argument need only to look to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. When Tony Blair quit office in 2007, Gordon Brown became Prime Minister uncontested because nobody in the ruling Labour Party stood against him for top job. But the new Prime Minister’s lack of a democratic mandate started to undo his premiership within weeks.

Brown’s tenure in office has been bedeviled by plots, schemes and coup attempts emanating from within his own party. There have no fewer than four attempts to get rid of Brown’s since he took office – some of the plots were led by his closest former allies. If Thasmeen is interested to know how he will fare as the new king of the DRP, he need look no further than 10 Downing Street.

Nothing gives a leader greater legitimacy than a clear democratic mandate. President Nasheed – who won a clear mandate from the people in competitive elections widely deemed free and fair – is secure in his job. Even those who dislike Nasheed’s policies or personality, nevertheless respect the process through which he was elected.

Thasmeen, on the other hand, will be considered fair game by anyone in the opposition who feels they could do a better job. Plots to overthrow him, actions to undermine his leadership and backbiting comments designed to damage him will likely become commonplace.

Few in DRP will respect Thasmeen – crowned without proper election, without competition and without debate. The DRP’s disdain for democracy has torpedoed Thasmeen’s presidency before it has even begun. You can almost hear his rivals sharpening their political knives.

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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Maldivians ready to open up the economy, says president

Maldivians are starting to see the benefits of opening up the economy for private investments, said President Mohamed Nasheed, speaking at the Regional Export Awards presentation ceremony of Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) of India, held at Kurumba Maldives yesterday evening.

President Nasheed said until recently the Maldivian economy has been very centralised and heavily regulated, and this had “prevented growth, repelled investment and thwarted people’s aspirations.”

The president mentioned the reforms in the Indian economy, which he said were strengthening the country’s economy and lifting millions out of poverty.

Highlighting the importance of foreign investment, he mentioned the benefits of the agreement with Apollo Hospitals of India, which are investing US$125 million to reform Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH).

He said the government has successfully attracted foreign investors to invest in housing, electricity and energy programmes, and how private investors are at the forefront of the new transport system that will connect all inhabited islands with ferry services.

The Maldives Partnership Forum IV, a conference giving international investors the chance to visit the country and invest in its development, will be held in March.

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Maldivian woman confesses to drug use in Sri Lankan court

A Maldivian woman and her Sri Lankan husband have confessed in a Sri Lankan court to using illegal drugs, reports Haveeru.

The couple confessed when presented with evidence against them by police.

A Mount Lavinia court has issued an order to extend the police custody until 5 March. The couple were arrested on 19 January.

Drug crimes in Sri Lanka attract heavy sentences, including life imprisonment and the death penalty.

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Police arrest man with eight packets of suspected drugs

Police have arrested a man discovered with eight large packets of suspected narcotics.

The 37 year old man, Ali Shukoor from Kulhudhufushi in Haa Dhaalu atoll, was arrested during an operation conducted by police to arrest drug dealers in the atolls.

The Maldives Police Service is currently investigating the case.

Police also seized 17 packets of alleged drugs in Sinamale’ during a special operation by Galolhu police station.

Police reported they have found suspected narcotics in Sinamale’ three times recently.

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