Day: September 15, 2011

DPRS announces Rf28 million prison renovation project

The Department of Penitentiary and Rehabilitation Services (DPRS) will spend Rf 28 million (US$1.8 million) renovating Maafushi Prison, Himmafushi Prison and Male’ Prison, reports Haveeru.

The Finance Ministry would soon open the project to bids, State Minister for Home Affairs Mohamed ‘Monaza’ Naeem was reported as saying.

“Rf17 million (US$1.1 million) is needed to renovate Maafushi prison while Rf4 million (US$260,000) is needed to build a reception area and make other repairs,” Naeem said. “An additional Rf7 million (US$454,000) is needed to build a fence, gate and establish other services for inmates at Himmafushi Prison.”

The renovations would include healthcare and rehabilitation centres, he added.

The Maldives prison population is 800, with around 600 participating in rehabilitation programs.

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PPM hopes to sign up 3,000 members by midnight

The incipient Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) began a recruitment drive at Dharubaaruge convention centre this morning to collect 3,000 signatures needed to officially register the party.

The Elections Commission (EC) approved the request to form the party last week after verifying an initial 50 application forms and authorised the fledgling party to begin recruiting members.

Briefing press at the convention centre today, Dunya Maumoon, eldest child of party figurehead and former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, said that the party’s target for the first day of official recruitment was to sign up 3,000 members by 12:00am.

“The registration will go ahead until 12 tonight. Everyone is invited to come and sign for the party,” she said. “Our hope is that the party will become a good and strong party.”

MP Ahmed Mahlouf – one of seven MPs who quit the main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) to form the Progressive Party after months of factional strife – said that the registration process was delayed due to the tragic drowning incident of four school children and the principal of Hiriya School on Friday.

PPM registration“In the days that followed, the government did not provide us any building or facility,” he claimed. “We were able to get [Dharubaaruge] after a lot of work. And we have this place only for the day.”

The registration forms will be submitted to the EC at the beginning of next week, he said, adding that his “personal target” was to sign up 40,000 members to the party.

The MP for Galolhu South claimed that senior members of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) had joined the party.

The recruitment drive is going ahead at present only in Male’, Vili-Male’ and Hulhumale’, Mahlouf said.

Dunya added that the party would establish a mechanism to collect registration forms from the atolls in the coming days.

The DRP has meanwhile informed the party’s former ‘Zaeem’ or ‘Honorary Leader’  Gayoom that his name has been omitted from the registry upon request. Gayoom announced last week that he had left the party he had formed in July, 2005.

Corruption allegations

Reports meanwhile surfaced in local media today that allegations of corruption had been lodged at the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) against MPs Mahlouf, Ahmed Ilham and Ahmed Nihan Hussein Manik.

Haveeru reported that Mahlouf was accused of owning the “Jeans Shop” in Male’, issuing cheques to take large sums from politicians, and falsifying his annual financial statement.

Ilham was meanwhile accused of involvement in illegal businesses in Sri Lanka owned by MP Abdulla Yameen, who has announced his intention to contest in the party’s presidential primary.

Nihan was accused of purchasing a Demio brand car and 8181 vanity plate or domain.

Mahlouf and Ilham however dismissed the allegations as completely unfounded and anPPM effort to bring the MPs to disrepute and undermine the PPM’s recruitment drive.

The three MPs played a prominent part in the breakaway Z-faction in its struggle against the DRP leadership.

“I want to say that I will definitely try to get some money from the person who is trying to defame me,” said Mahlouf. “If I was greedy for money, I would be at MDP now. I have said in the media before that we have been repeatedly offered large sums to join the MDP.”

The allegations were “a joke”, said Mahlouf, as accusing Nihan of owning a car and Ilham of traveling to Sri Lanka did not amount to corruption.

Mahlouf claimed that according to information he received the complaint was filed at the ACC by former DRP MPs Ali Waheed, Alhan Fahmy and Abdulla Abdul Raheem. All three had defected to the ruling party.

“We’re talking about people who have been sold,” he said. “In addition, there is a hand of [DRP Leader Ahmed] Thasmeen [Ali] in this.”

The “Jeans Shop” was a family business owned jointly by his mother, father and two siblings, Mahlouf said, and that “it is not owned by me.”

Ilham meanwhile said that his family lived in Sri Lanka and he visited regularly for holidays and medical treatment.

“I don’t do business and have never done any business in the past,” he said, claiming that the person who filed the case at the ACC had apologised to him and admitted to “doing it for money.”

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President meets families and students at Hiriya following drowning deaths

President Mohamed Nasheed this morning met with the students and teachers at Hiriya School, following the drowning deaths last Friday of four of the school’s students and its principal.

The five drowned during a school fisheries science expedition to Huraa on the morning of Friday 9. None of the students could swim, and principal Ali Nazim drowned attempting to rescue them when they were caught in deep water.

Nasheed, who phoned each family personally following the incident – the country’s deadliest incident since the 2004 tsunami – met with the families individually today. Media was barred from the meetings.

Nasheed subsequently issued reassurances that cabinet had appointed a committee to determine emergency measures to prevent a repeat of the incident.

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GMR launches new website for Ibrahim Nasir International Airport

A new website has been launched for Ibrahim Nasir International Airport, with features such as live flight information and an online booking system to facilitate flight, hotel and resort bookings.

In a statement, airport developer GMR said the new website “hosts innovative ways to boost the entire travel experience for passengers and is designed keeping in mind the customer’s expectations with easy navigation and important information accessibility.”

The site also includes information such as travel tips and things to do in the Maldives for first time passengers, and for airlines, a dedicated section focusing on available services and various charges.

The website also includes a ‘Career Opportunities’ tab “which will help the local population find current openings at the airport,” the developer said.

Airport CEO Andrew Harrison said GMR had “looked at making the website more interactive and informative, keeping in mind the passengers’ needs and preferences. We believe that this technologically advanced yet simple-to-navigate website will make the airport experience better for every traveller”.

The new site is located at www.maldivesairport.aero

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Former Adhaalath Party leader criticises new leadership

Former President of the Adhaalath Party Sheikh Hussain Rasheed Ahmed has strongly criticised the new leadership of “acting dictatorially” and issuing press releases without consulting either the heads of party organs or Islamic Minister Dr Abdul Majeed Abdul Bari.

In a statement published on his official website this week, Sheikh Rasheed wrote that “the biggest change” he brought to the Islamic Ministry’s functions after being appointed State Minister in December was to “change the dictatorial policy of the ministry’s former senior officials” to ensure that important decisions were not made without “direct instruction from the minister.”

“The rule of granting permission to make sermons based on a person’s face was abolished. Work being done that conflicted with government regulations and policy in a way that could facilitate corruption was reformed and brought into line,” he said.

Sheikh Rasheed, a founding member of Adhaalath, condemned a press statement issued by the party on September 5 regarding the controversy surrounding Qunooth (an invocation recited during prayers) and reciting Bismillah out loud as “very irresponsible.”

The press statement argued that the invocation was not compulsory except during periods of adversity.

Rasheed claimed that a letter sent to the Addu City Council regarding Qunooth was based on Dr Bari’s advice: “Therefore I can’t believe that Dr Majeed would talk to Adhaalath members differently about the issue of saying Bismillah [out loud] during prayers,” he said.

“Adhaalath Party’s Scholars Council Chair [Dr Bari] told me that he had informed [the party] not to issue the press release like that,” he continued. “And the deputy chair apparently knows nothing about the press release. The party’s charter states that when dealing with religious issues, a statement could only be issued after a meeting of the religious scholars council and with the consensus of its members.”

Rasheed went on to say that there were “know-it-all scholars” and a culture of attacking anyone who opposes their statements or ideology, adding that the scholars in question believe the country’s policy should be based on their thinking.

Statements made on foreign policy by some Adhaalath senior members reminded Sheikh Rasheed of “thoughts that come and goes quickly to a person suffering from a mental illness.”

“Anyone who disagrees with their religious opinion turns into a criminal [in their minds],” he wrote, referring to the Adhaalath’s public antagonism to NGOs Jamiyyathul Salaf and Islamic Foundation of the Maldives (IFM).

Sheikh Rasheed called on officials in senior leadership positions to adhere to the party’s charter or governing rules.

He also urged Dr Bari to be consistent in statements made in his capacity as Islamic Minister and chair of the religious scholars council.

Rasheed said he was moved to publicly criticise the new leadership because of the extent to which “the dictatorial [tendency] of some Adhaalath party members” has grown.

Islamic Minister Dr Bari told Minivan News he did not wish to comment on the matter.

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Criminal Court convicts two persons listed as “dangerous criminals” by police

The Criminal Court yesterday sentenced two persons named by the police as “dangerous criminals”, after the court found both guilty of stabbing Ismail Firdhause of Feydhoo in Addu City on 24 February 2011 when he got off the Hulhumale’ ferry.

The Criminal Court said that Ahmed Shareef of Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll Rathafandhoo and Maadhih Mohamed, 20, of Gan in Laamu Atoll and another person attacked Firdhause on that day at around 9:09pm inside Hulhumale’ ferry terminal.

Delivering the verdict, the judge said that they both Shareef and Maadhih were sentenced under Act 18/2010 of the Gang Violence Act, and because it was the first time both have been found guilty of a crime that violated the Act, Maadhih was sentenced to eight years and Shareef to 12 years in prison.

Last month the Criminal Court judge handling the case had claimed that police had “not cooperated” with the court and raised the possibility of releasing both suspects.

Both had denied the charges against them, however the court granted the police authority to hold them in custody until their trial was concluded.

Maadhih and Shareef both admitted that they were in the area when the incident occurred but denied that they were involved in it or that they knew anybody in the gang that attacked Firdhause.

In previous hearings, Maadhih said that the incident occurred while he was inside the ferry terminal and was trying to get to Hulhumale’ where he worked, while Shareef said the incident occurred as he walked out from a nearby coffee shop and happened to pass by.

Shareef and Maadhih denied hitting Firdhause or that they were in possession of any weapons when the incident occurred.

Currently there are 14 persons identified by police as “dangerous criminals” held in police pre-trial custody. Maadhih and Shareef are the first two to be convicted.

One among the 17 identified as ‘’dangerous criminal’’ is currently held in detention India after he overstayed his visa after travelling there for treatment for a major head injury he received after a gang attacked him with a machete.

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Democracy growing, but gender equality a key issue: UNDP

The UNDP International Day of Democracy was celebrated today under the theme “Youth Inclusion and Democracy” at the Nasandhura Palace Hotel. Representatives from the government, UNDP, and the Human Rights Commission spoke on democratic progress in the Maldives.

Youth in civil society were widely recognised as a key factor for democratic growth in the Maldives.

UN Advisor on Social Cohesion and Governance, Ferdinand von Habsburg-Lothringen, delivered the opening speech.

“Civil society in the Maldives is impressive. It is an important avenue for young people to engage with their community and to hold leaders accountable,” he said.

Habsburg-Lothringen noted that “democracy is still a new concept in the Maldives, and will take many years to mature,” and encouraged the Maldivian government to enact “crucial” laws, such as the penal code.

Gender equality remains one of the biggest issues in the Maldives, said Habsburg-Lothringen. He noted that only 5 of the 77 MPs are female.

“Gender equality is an area in which the Maldives is lagging behind most countries in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),” he said. “Democracy is dependent on not just 50 percent of the people. With only half of the eligible work force participating, growth will not flourish in the Maldives.”

Home Minister Hassan Afeef called this year’s theme “relevant to the country – a majority of our population are young people.”

The ceremony featured a presentation of the report, “Comprehensive Study on Maldivian Civil Society” by FJS Consulting.

Managing Director Fareeha Shareef summarised the report’s findings on CSOs in the Maldives. Among the issues addressed was the disorganised categorisation of CSOs.

“The government is trying to provide aid but the structure of how to do it is not specified,” said Shareef. “Some sports clubs and organisations didn’t even engage in sports activities,” she said.

Shareef also commented on the CSO sector’s unique work force. According to the report, only 0.7 percent of employees are paid, and the average employee is age 25 with an education ranging between grades 6 and 10. There are 1100 CSOs registered in the Maldives.

Funding is also a struggle. The report found that donors were the least common source of funding, and many CSOs organise events to generate income. One example was a CSO that went fishing to generate program funding. The report notes that these events only cover about 30 percent of the total program cost.

The report recognises that the Maldives has the resources to support a strong civil society, but recommends bringing in older employees to provide guidance. “Imagine the potential of the sector if the resources were channeled in an effective manner,” said Shareef.

Chief Guest speaker Mariyam Azra Ahmed, Chair of the Human Rights Commission, said “a vibrant civil sector and independent media, among others” were essential for growth. She also advised a stronger dialogue between citizens and the government. “Lifestyles incorporating compromise, cooperation, and consensus building should be a consistent, recurring feature in  a democratic society,” she said.

The event included a performance by musician Yes-e and singer Grey, for whom the performance was her debut. “I was a bit nervous, and the audience wasn’t very lively, but it was a good event,” she said.

Following a tea break, a vigorous student debate was widely attended by members of civil society, UNDP, and the government. Gesticulating throughout the debate, the students of Aminiya and Dharumavatha schools demonstrated passion and ambition for democracy in the Maldives.

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Drug-testing machines normal, no cases pending, say Police

Delayed caused by broken drug-testing machinery have been resolved, Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam told Minivan News today. Shiyam was responding to allegations that procedures at the Criminal Court had been delayed by malfunctioning machinery.

The Criminal Court could not confirm that there are no more pending cases.

Earlier today, Haveeru reported that drug-testing machines have been malfunctioning since June 14, causing a three-month delay in court procedures.

The report stated that police were unable to submit test reports to drug-related cases since mid-June, and that there was no alternative drug-testing method.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam told Minivan News today that the issue has been generally resolved.

“The machine for drug detection normally works on an on-and-off basis, so this is not completely unusual for us” said Shiyam. “If there are problems, its our responsibility and we will fix it.”

Shiyam added that the police do have other means for detecting and testing illegal drugs, such as a forensics department.

“It is really important to get details and evidence to the court as soon as possible in these drug cases,” he said.

The Criminal Court reportedly learned of the malfunction when it enquired about a delay in drug-test reports. The court said several suspects in drug-related cases have complained about the processing delay, reports Haveeru.

Haveeru reported that the police were unable to verify the alleged drugs confiscated from the high profile drugs smuggling network busted on June 23.

About 1kg of alleged drugs and large amounts of cash were seized from the network.

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Alliance Française opens “Women’s World” photography exhibition

The Alliance Française is launching a “Planète Femmes” (“Women’s World”) photography exhibition on Thursday evening at 8:00pm at the National Art Gallery.

The photos are the product of a free-to-enter amateur photography contest organised by Alliance Française with the participation of the magazine Courrier International.

Participants were asked to show a representation of women in their corresponding cultures.

This exhibition is scheduled to remain open everyday (except Friday and Saturday) from 10:00pm to 4:00pm until September 22.

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