Day: December 20, 2010

Joint committee’s budget evaluation underway

A parliamentary joint committee formed to evaluate the 2011 state budget was underway today, though a finalised plan for national spending is still thought to be a few days away, Acting Finance Minister Mahmood Razee has said.

Speaking briefly today during a recess of the joint committee, which is formed from members of both the finance and economic committees, Razee said that the discussions would likely be ongoing during the next few days and that he was unavailable to comment on any outcome before then.

Haveeru reported yesterday that Gasim Ibrahim of the Jumhooree Party (JP) had been endorsed as chair of the evaluation committee that consists of 21 MPs. The paper reported that 12 votes will be required to pass any matter through the committee.

The Chair position was contested by nominations from the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which favoured Bilehdhoo MP Ahmed Hamza, and the Dhivehi Rayytithunge Party (DRP), which proposed Parliament’s Deputy Speaker, MP Ahmed Nazim. Both nominations failed to receive the required number of votes, Haveeru said.

The budget approval, which is constitutionally required to be complete before the end of the year, has come amidst a period of upheaval within the Majlis over the appointment of ministers, which includes a head of finance for the country. This upheavel resulted in Acting Finance Minister Mahmood Razee delivering the state budget after the country’s Supreme Court ruled on December 10 that that ministers rejected by a parliamentary vote could not hold their positions.

Parliament allowed Acting Finance Minister Mahmood Razee to present the 2011 state budget, despite Speaker Abdulla Shahid said that he would be seeking legal advice over whether this was permissible.

Deputy Speaker Mohamed Nazim put forward a motion to declare a “special situation” whereby Razee would be granted the authority to formally present the motion. The chamber voted 55-9 in favour.

The text of the Constitution requires the “Minister of Finance” to submit the budget for approval “prior to the commencement of each financial year” – in the Maldives, the calendar year.

Seven ministers – Finance Minister Ali Hashim, Education Minister Dr Musthafa Luthfy, Foreign Minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed, Fisheries Minister Dr Ibrahim Didi, Home Minister Mohamed Shihab, Defence Minister Ameen Faisal and Attorney General Dr Ahmed Ali Sawad – did not receive a majority of votes from 42 MPs in attendance within parliament last month.
Following the vote, Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, head of the opposition DRP, took the case to the Supreme Court arguing that Ministers rejected by parliament should be dismissed from office.

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New tourism slogan remains elusive despite news report

“Value for Money” will not be replacing “The Sunny Side of Life” as the slogan to entice holidaymakers from all over the world to come to the Maldives, with a final decision yet to be made on the future direction for promoting the nation’s central economic income source, the country’s Tourism Minister has said.

The Maldives National Broadcasting Corporation (MNBC) yesterday reported that the “Value for Money” slogan had been settled on in order to reflect a changing focus in enticing travellers to the Maldives by targeting a more middle-income audience.

However, while the new tourism slogan to replace “The Sunny Side of Life” is expected to focus on “value”, Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr Mariyam Zulfa claimed that news of the slogan had been “reported incorrectly” during an address to 200 Italian journalists.

Speaking to the journalists at Male’ International Airport as part of a visit to celebrate ongoing support from the country’s travel market, Zulfa said that she believed her comments had been taken out of context.

“I said we will probably go towards a slogan reflecting a value for money product,” she added.

Zulfa said that she “didn’t think any final decision on a slogan had been made,” and that any eventual agreement would involve “lots of meetings” with stakeholders such as the Maldives Tourism Promotion Board (MTPB) before a final decision is announced.

When contacted by Minivan News, a spokesperson for MNBC claimed that the report had been based on comments made by the Tourism Minister to one of the company’s journalists.

In a statement, the Maldives Tourism Promotion Board (MTPB) said that the reports had been incorrect, but added it would be announcing a new slogan in the next few weeks.

“However, we can confirm today that the new slogan will not be ‘Value for Money’,” the promotion board stated.

Echoing the Tourism Minister’s statements, the MTPB added that it remained in discussions with as wide a group of tourism industry stakeholders as possible in attempts to better serve the market.

“The Minister has made it explicitly clear that the new slogan will be designed so that it appeals to a wide range of potential tourists; including those with high incomes as well as tourists seeking a more affordable holiday in the Maldives,” the MTPB added.

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Maldives signs UAE banking agreement

The Maldives Monetary Authority will cooperate with the Central Bank of the UAE on issues of technical assistance and battling money laundering and terrorist financing under the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed yesterday.

The UAE’s Central Bank’s governor, Sultan Bin Nasser Al Suwaidi, signed the deal along with his counterpart within the Maldives Monetary Authority in order to work together to try and ensure banking in both nations is in line with international standards on sound financial practices.

“This MOU puts a mechanism to cooperate in banking supervision [regarding] financial institutions operating in the two countries and exchange of supervisory information, in line with the international standards relating to exchange of information between banking supervisory authorities,” said the Central bank of the UAE in a statement.

The MOU agreement is also said to include assistance and training for staff at the Maldives Monetary Authority both in the UAE and the Indian Ocean at educational institutions that focus on banking supervision and examination.

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Space concerns still exist at Male’ International Airport: Miadhu

Overcoming a lack of space for planes landing at Male’ International Airport continues to remain a long-term problem for the site’s new operators, according to Miadhu.

Citing a “reliable source” at the airport, Miadhu reported that craft flying to Male’ International have been consistently delayed in the air for periods of about an hour over a number of years due to limitations at the site in regards to space and the time required to service flights.

Up to seven aircraft have been reportedly left queuing in the airspace around Male’ at a single time waiting for clearance to land, the paper reported.

President’s Office Press Secretary, Mohamed Zuhair, told Miadhu that he believed the recent privatization agreement signed between the Government and multinational infrastructure group GMR would help to try to speed up the processing time for visitors with additional security outlets and luggage reclaim facilities being made available at the airport.

“Flights that land can be serviced quicker, allowing them to leave on schedule,” the paper quoted Zuhair as saying.

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Climate change key element of Maldives foreign policy

Climate change has emerged as the most important aspect of Maldivian foreign policy, writes Anand Kumar for the Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis.

“Therefore, it is hardly surprising that President Nasheed has been trying to highlight the issue at all global fora. Most recently, while speaking to students in Oxford University, he urged them not to work for oil and coal companies which were responsible for major carbon emissions into the environment. He also pointed out that these companies were also funding campaigns to deny the existence of climate change. He pleaded with the students to instead join those companies engaged in the area of alternative energy sources and green technologies.

“However, his campaign on climate change has come to be mired in some controversy after a UK media report, citing documents leaked by Wikileaks, suggested that Maldives had pushed for US $50 million assistance from the US government in exchange for unequivocally backing the Copenhagen Accord.”

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