Day: November 4, 2010

Resorts to face fines and suspensions for future ‘wedding ceremony’ foul ups

Resorts that break aggressive new regulations governing ‘symbolic wedding ceremonies’ in the Maldives will be fined up to Rf 1 million (US$78,000).

Depending on the nature of the breach, the Tourism Ministry will also have the discretion “to cancel the license granted under this Regulation and to temporarily withhold the permission granted to operate to such resort.”

The government raced to introduce the new regulations after a video of a couple being insulted in Dhivehi by 15 complicit resort staff at Vilu Reef Resort and Spa surfaced on YouTube, and quickly made headlines around the world.

The 15-minute video of the ceremony was uploaded on on October 24 2010 by a member of staff. Vilu Reef Manager Mohamed Rasheed told Minivan News at the time that the staff member who uploaded the video did it as “a joke”, without “realising the seriousness of the potential consequences”.

Earlier this week, President of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed rang the couple degraded in the Vilu Reef  incident to apologise on behalf of the nation, and invite them back to the Maldives at their convenience as his personal guests.

Non-Muslims are unable to get married in the 100 percent Islamic Maldives, but many tourists pay for elaborate ‘renewal of vows’ ceremonies, often requesting a ‘Maldivian flavour’ to the proceedings.

The new regulations governing such ceremonies state that these ceremonies must now be conducted under the supervision of a resort’s senior management.

“If the tourist chooses to hold their ceremony in a language that is unknown to them, the resort must provide the tourist with a translation of the ceremony in a language they understand,” the President’s Office said in a statement.

Furthermore, “the attendees to the symbolic marriage ceremony shall not engage in any disrespectful activity either actively or verbally while the proceedings are ongoing.”

The regulations also state that “The attire of the participants from the resort organising the symbolic marriage ceremony, the decorations used, the embellishments used to enrich such ceremonies in the form of
entertainment that may be organised and any tunes and songs which may be used during such ceremony, shall be used in a manner compatible with Maldivian culture.”

Resort management must also keep an audio or video recording of a ceremony for one year, if the tourist agrees, and provide it to the Ministry of Tourism on request.

“Tourists frequently say the Maldives’ warm hospitality is the main reason they keep coming back to the country,” said the President’s Press Secretary, Mohamed Zuhair.

New regulations in full (English)

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Women’s rights and treatment of migrant workers needs improvement: UN review

The Maldives should take steps to address the rights of migrant workers and improve on issues relating to women’s rights, matters among 130 recommendations for the Maldives made by other UN member states at the Universal Periodic Review (URP) held in Geneva on November 3.

The Universal Periodic Review is a state-driven process that reviews the human rights records of all 192 UN member states every four years, based on submissions by the government, the UN and stakeholders (including NGOs and a country’s Human Rights Commission).

Eleven states recommended that the Maldives seek to improve its treatment of migrant workers, while seven states, including Algeria, Mexico, Palestine, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Philippines and Ecuador recommended that the Maldives ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Worker and Members of their Families (ICPMW).

The Maldives was this year placed on the US State Department’s human trafficking watch-list, with exploitation of foreign workers rivaling fishing as the second most profitable sector of the Maldivian economy after tourism, according to conservative estimates of the number of Bangladeshi workers showing up at their commission in Male’ after being abandoned at the airport by unscrupulous employment agents.

Furthermore, according to information from the Maldivian Democracy Network, 23 member states recommended the Maldives take steps to combat violence against women, and remove its reservations to the Convention of the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), as well as combat traditionla stereotyping of women through education and legislation.

Child rights were also discussed, and 14 states recommend that the Maldives improve legislation to ensure the rights of children born out of wedlock, withdraw reservations to the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC), prevent underage marriages and the practice of having concubines, and expedite the passage of the Juvenile Justice Act.

At the Working Group Session 49 states offered suggestions, including strengthening the independence of the Human Rights Commission (HRCM), criminalising human trafficking, strengthening the judiciary, developing a professional code of conduct for judges and providing training in human rights, increasing efforts to end discrimination against people with disabilities, and ensure that the new Penal Code was consistent with human rights.

UN member states noted particular progress in the Maldives in areas such as freedom of expression, freedom of association and assembly, the right to vote and to choose one’s leaders, and torture prevention.

However areas of particular concern were identified as women’s rights, children’s rights, freedom of religion, penal reform, judicial reform, and the practice of public flogging.

Foreign Minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed, who presented the government’s UPR report, said he “had come to Geneva to listen and discuss, rather than to defend”, and was keen to take the recommendations of the international community back to the Maldives.

Dr Shaheed identifed the 10 greatest human rights challenges facing the Maldives as dealing with past human rights abuses while not putting the future at risk, democratic consolidation, strengthening the rule of law and fighting corruption, improving law and order and strengthening the capacity of the judiciary, promoting gender equality, responding to extremist religious views, and dealing with drug abuse and related criminality.

Overall, member states noted that the Maldives had made “remarkable progress”, and commended the enthusiasm with which the Maldives had compiled its submission, noting that the country remained one of the success stories of the international human rights system.

Dr Shaheed said the government would hold consultations on his return to the Maldives, and suggested a dedicated UPR debate be held in parliament as well as a cabinet session and public hearing.

“A few years ago it would have been inconceivable that a liberal democratic Maldives, with a Constitution guaranteeing the full enjoyment of human rights, would have been represented here on this podium. That we are here is down, without any doubt, to the bravery, vision, belief and determination of the Maldivian people. Whatever happens in the future, it is my firm view that what they have achieved over the past few years is truly remarkable,” Dr Shaheed said.

Read the Maldives’ UPR submissions (English):

Government, UN, Stakeholders (includes HRCM)

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Tourism and transport ministers appointed

Local media reported today that Adhil Saleem has been appointed Minister of Transport while Dr Mariyam Zulfa has been appointed Minister of Tourism.

Saleem is presently the State Minister for Economic Development, while Dr Zulfa runs a Maldivian law firm, Duckham & Co.

The government has yet to officially confirm the appointments, however when contacted by Minivan News Dr Zulfa said she was “humbled” and “honoured” to be considered for the role.

“With the grace of Allah, I shall do my best,” she said.

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Hulhumale taxi drivers protest introduction of MTCC ‘express’ taxis

Taxi drivers and those have applied for taxi licenses demonstrated in front of the Hulhumale Development Corporation (HDC) today.

The crowd of 25 held placards condemning the decision by HDC to allow the Maldives Transport and Contracting Company taxi’s to offer transfers from Hulhumale to the Hulhule Airport island.

The demonstration lasted for an hour and a half, before the drivers were called into a meeting with the management of HDC.

The Issue

Ahmed Riza, who has been driving a taxi in Hulhumale for the last four years, asks “Why should a company be allowed to provide transport to Hulhule, while the taxi drivers who are working here is not allowed to provide that service?”

The demonstraters main point of contention was as of last week, the MTCC has been operating vehicles from Hulhumale to the Hulhule airport, while local taxi drivers are not permitted to do so. They say this will result in a loss of income for them.

“Before they were just operating the cars with just the company name, but now they have taxi boards, and it says ‘express service’.”

Riza reasons that since Hulhumale and the Hulhule airport is connected by a causeway, taxi drivers like him should be allowed to transfer people to the airport.

“There are people here who have applied for licenses for driving taxis, but instead HDC has gone ahead and given taxi boards to a company.”

Riza says the cars, which are used for the transfers, are even providing trips internally in Hulhumale and depriving the taxi drivers of business.

“The other day I caught a car taking a sack of coconuts, and the driver said it was his personal trip.”

The fact that MTCC is using cars is another factor that Riza and his co-workers are not happy about.

A previous service provided Maldives Airport Company Limited (MACL) used buses.

Providing a service

“MTCC only provides transfers for passengers and their luggage from Hulhumale to the terminal of choice at the airport,” says Hawwa Huzeyma, Head of the Transport Department of MTCC.

She says the company does not provide taxi services internally in Hulhumale. MTCC is the company that provides transfers to the airport for Male residents, and she says they are providing that service to Hulhumale residents now.

“We were asked by Maldives Airport Company limited (MACL) to provide that service, which they had been providing before.”

The company uses both buses and cars for their express service.

Deputy Managing Director of HDC Suhail Ahmed says some concerned taxi drivers met with him a week ago.

“They were asking to be given permission to provide transfers to the airport, I told them that I will discuss it with MACL and give them an answer today.”

MACL does not provide free access to Hulhule Airport and only authorised vehicles are allowed in.

“For security reasons and because there is such high traffic at the airport MACL has restricted access to the airport and I conveyed this to the demonstrators,” he said.

At the moment 14 taxis are licensed to operate in Hulhumale, and the demonstrators have asked for an increase.

“After discussing it with them, we have agreed to that and next week we will be announcing it,” Suhail said.

The number of the increase has not been decided yet, as the taxi drivers themselves can’t decide on a number, he added.

Suhail says the HDC had to give taxi boards to MTCC vehicles, as “problems arise” if they provide transfers without the board.

“MACL has given permission for the MTCC to do the transfers as that would be easier, but we will be discussing the issue raised by the taxi drivers when the head of MACL returns to Male’ next week.”

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Extremism the greatest threat to Maldivian democracy: Dr Faizal

The greatest threat to democracy in the Maldives is the “growing extremism among Maldivians”, according to Maldives High Commissioner to the UK Dr Farahanaz Faizal.

Speaking to the House of Parliament during a meeting on November 2, Dr Faizal cited objections within the country to the appointment of women to senior posts in the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM). She also highlighted the practice of preaching against the vaccination of children.

Dr Faizal also stated that she believed that although both the government and the current leadership of the opposition were committed to democracy, the greatest threat to democracy “lies in growing religious extremism.”

The meeting, organised by the All Party Group on third world democracy in collaboration with the UK parliament’s All Party Maldives group and assisted by the Maldives High Commission, was chaired by David Anderson MP. Speakers included Dr Faizal, Chair of the UK-Maldives All Party Parliamentary Group MP David Amess, Chair of the Commonwealth Journalists Association Rita Payne, journalist Mark Seddon, Chair of Third World Solidarity Mushtaq Lasharie, and Yameen Shahid, a member of the Maldivian student community and son of the Speaker of Parliament Abdulla Shahid.

Others present were Sir Ivan Lawrence, MP Gary Streeter, members of the Maldives High Commission, Friends of Maldives founder David Hardingham, Paul Moorcraft, Karen Lumley from the Conservative Party, BBC journalist Adam Mynott and Islamic scholar Idris Tawfiq.

Representing young people in the Maldives, Yameen highlighted the need for education on democracy and called for Maldivian politicians to work together and serve the best interests of the people.

Yameen also accused the police of using excessive force towards drug users in the Maldives, claiming that the future of Maldives was bright as young people took the initiative to solve the drug issues facing the country.

MP David Amess and Mark Seddon called for more support for the young democracy in the Maldives, calling it a “fragile flower” that needs support, “especially from the EU.”

Amess went further, calling for more support from the British Government given the long association between the UK and the Maldives.

Idris Tawfeeq the Islamic Scholar maintained that it was important to support the Maldives without interfering in the internal affairs of the country. He also stressed the importance of young people being involved more in political life.

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Ultimate goal of education to create the “perfect citizen”: President

The ultimate goal of an education policy is to make “a perfect citizen”, said President Mohamed Nasheed, speaking at the third anniversary of Hulhumale’s Ghaazee School yesterday.

Students, he said, needed to “be guided by Islam and the values of the country”, as well as earn a good income, be self sufficient, contribute to the development of the Maldives and work to build a healthy family.

Thus it was important to increase not only the number of passing grades, but ensure students actively participated in extra curricular activities, such as sports, literary and other social activities, he said.

The President inaugurated the school’s ‘smart room’, equipped with electronic teaching facilities, and distributed certificates.

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Presdient awards Purple Heart to Defence Chief

Chief of Defence Force Major General Moosa Ali Jaleel received the Purple Heart and Long Service medal from President Mohamed Nasheed during a special ceremony at the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) headquarters.

Jaleel was wounded during the failed coup attempt in 1988 while defending the country from a group of mercenaries linked to a Sri Lankan terrorist group.

The Long Service Medal was awarded in recognition of his 30 years of service to the Maldives military.

After the ceremony, President Nasheed praised the service of Major General Jaleel and noted his efforts to modernise and strengthen the armed forces.

The way in which the Maldives military was carrying out its duties free from political influence, despite major transformations in the political system, “was exemplary not only to Maldivians but also to any country undergoing similar transformations,” Nasheed said.

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