Category: News in Brief

Dr Didi launches campaign for MDP top post

Former Fisheries Minister Dr Ibrahim Didi launched his campaign for the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) presidency Friday night at the party’s ‘Haruge’ (camp) in Male’.

According to Haveeru, Didi proposed the creation of permanent committees as required by party regulations as well as a mechanism to oversee the implementation of the MDP Manifesto.

In the absence of such activities, said Didi, the party would not have “anything much to sell to the people” in the next election.

Setting himself apart from his opponent in the MDP internal election, Didi claimed that unlike acting MDP President Ibrahim Hussein Zaki, he did not have “one iota of experience in the past 30 years of brutal and dictatorial rule.”

Before the formation of MDP and the reform movement, Zaki had been a high-profile minister in former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s cabinet.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

PA Deputy Leader takes DRP Leader to court

Minority opposition People’s Alliance (PA) Deputy Leader Ahmed Nazim has sued coalition partner main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party’s (DRP) Leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali to recover more than Rf2 million (US$155,600) allegedly owed to him.

According to Haveeru, Thasmeen’s lawyer argued at the Civil Court hearing on Thursday that Nazim’s claim was unclear as a number of financial transactions occurred between the pair during the presidential and parliamentary elections, requesting that the court ask Nazim to specify how the loan was given as well as the terms agreed upon for repayment.

After Nazim’s lawyer produced a document with Thasmeen’s signature, Judge Hathif Hilmy pointed out that the purported loan agreement had a reference number and it was therefore reasonable to expect Thasmeen to be aware of the details of the amount in question.

The judge adjourned the hearing after ordering Thasmeen’s lawyer to respond to the claim at the next court date.

Deputy Speaker Nazim is suing Majority Leader Thasmeen to recover Rf1.92 million (US$149,400) allegedly unpaid from a loan worth Rf2.55 million (US$200,000) along with Rf100,000 (US$7,782) incurred as lawyer’s fees.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Government to refund harbour plot buyers

The government will refund buyers of four plots from the southwest harbour after the Civil Court ruled earlier this month that the sales were illegal, Male’ Mayor “Sarangu” Adam Manik told local media yesterday.

Adam Manik however revealed that the Attorney General’s Office will appeal the Civil Court’s ruling, which held that President Mohamed Nasheed’s decision to auction off 50,000 square feet of land from the harbour area was made illegally after the move was challenged at court by the opposition alliance.

The Civil Court decision came after the buyers made advance payments of 10 percent of the total amount due.

Should the High Court overrule the lower court decision, said the Mayor, the City Council will resume the project and offer the previous auction winners the same plot again.

Four out of eleven plots auctioned last year had been sold before the court ruling – two 2,000 square feet plots were bought for Rf27 million by SunFront, a 5,000 square feet plot was bought by BHM Traders owner Hussein Moosa while resort company Universal bought a 7,500 square feet plot for Rf46.5 million.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Over 100 copies of Quran found at dump site

Over 100 copies of the Holy Quran were collected during the past three months from the garbage dump site by a citizen of Male’, reports MNBC One.

Most of the Quran copies found by Ahmed Shareef were unused and brand new, he said.

Shareef said that he donated one-third of the books to the Islamic Ministry while the rest were in his possession for safekeeping.

A media official from the Islamic Ministry told MNBC One that a public announcement had been made twice before urging people to drop used copies at the ministry for proper and respectful disposal.

He added that the ministry was assisted by the Maldives National Defence Force in the disposal process.

MNBC One meanwhile warns that “a wave of fire” struck Turkey in 1998 after a similar incident of disrespecting the Quran occurred in the country.

Likes(0)Dislikes(2)

Maldives to go dark for Earth Hour

The Maldives is participating in Earth Hour this evening and will turning off all non-essential lights and electrical appliances from 8:30pm-9:30pm.

In his weekly radio address, President Nasheed said Earth Hour was an attempt to raise awareness about climate change and encourage people to change their habits in a more environmentally friendly way.

¨Earth Hour¨ is global event marked by World Wildlife Fund for Nature on the last Saturday of March every year, asking everyone to turn off their non-essential lights and electrical appliances for an hour, to raise awareness about the need to take action on climate change.

President Nasheed also paid tribute to the Maldivian national football team for winning the first two games of the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers played in Malé last week to qualify to the AFC Challenge Cup to be held next year.

Hailing the national team´s first ever qualification to the AFC Challenge Cup as pride and glory for the country, he congratulated the national team.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Maldives becoming an attractive place to own property: CityAM

For years, the Indian Ocean’s most exquisite islands, the Maldives, have been solely the preserve of hotels. Now, they’ve begun to open up to foreign buyers, thanks to new laws introduced by the pro-enterprise President Mohamed Nasheed, writes Zoe Strimpel for London’s CityAM newspaper.

“Before Nasheed, elected two years ago, leaseholds were too short to attract European buyers – but they have now been extended to 50 years, with plans to extend them to 99 years over the next few years. As a result – with zero income or capital gains tax, not to mention utterly idyllic surrounds – the islands are swiftly becoming an attractive place to own property.

“Of course, there’s always the threat of trouble in paradise – the Maldives were on the 2004 tsunami’s hit list, with several resorts totally wiped out. And, we’ve all heard predictions that the atolls could be under the ocean within a few years.

“Insurance is your main guard against the first concern. Buyers pay a small percentage of the overall insurance cost which is rolled into the annual maintenance charges and equates to 1.5 per cent of the purchase price per annum. Many villas have now also been constructed with tsunami-resistant timber.

“The second worry can be taken with a pinch of salt if you’re so inclined. Some scientists say that if the Maldives are to slip under water, it won’t be for 200 years. So, even if the worst is to happen, you should still have a while to enjoy your luxury villa in sunny Eden.”

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Opposition split to MDP’s benefit: Eurasia Review

Knowing very well that the skeletons in the ‘cupboard’ would be dug out, [former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom] did the right thing in seeking a deal so that he was left out of harm’s way, writes Dr S Chandrasekharan for the Eurasia Review.

“President Nasheed despite pressure from his colleagues in the MDP did leave Gayoom alone. Yet Gayoom, overtaken by greed for power or perhaps pressure from his relatives, returned to Maldives hurriedly to campaign for the DRP candidates in the local elections conducted recently.

“There is no doubt that Gayoom could claim credit for the smooth transition to democracy and no ‘Jasmine Revolution’ was needed. He had let the tourism industry to flourish despite objections from some of the religious extremists and more importantly kept the Islamists under control. Having provided a good constitution, he should have remained as a great “Patriarch,” keep away from politics and at the same time ensure smooth and peaceful transition.

“He could have as well attended to more critical social and environmental problems confronting the country in his retirement and remembered in history as the maker of modern Maldives. But he chose to stand for presidential elections. He did not do badly either though he lost in the “run off.”

“Now old skeletons are being dug up. The “Week” of 20th February from India, has extensively written about the family of Gayoom of having indulged in an illegal oil deal with Myanmar worth over $800 million and a report is now said to be submitted to the current President Nasheed by a Singapore Consultancy firm Grant Thornton.

“It was just eleven months ago that Gayoom personally handpicked his successor Thasmeen Ali to lead his party DRP and the latter was unanimously elected. Differences have been brewing between the ‘Supreme leader’ Gayoom and the President of the party Thasmeen Ali for some time now, ever since the deputy leader of the party Umar Naseer was sacked from the party. Gayoom’s family members openly alleged that Thasmeen was ‘ill-treating Gayoom’.

“The net result is that the DRP, which is a formidable opposition is in the brink of splitting up into two or more parties. The coalition partner PA led by Gayoom’s half brother Abdulla Yameen is alleged to be behind the split and yet he declared a few days ago that his party for the present will stick with DRP.

“The advantage as of now thanks to the re-entry of Gayoom is with MDP which has been making steady gains ever since it failed to get a majority in the parliamentary elections and has been facing stiff opposition on every issue including the appointment of cabinet ministers till now.”

Read full story

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

City Council extends carnival plots lease

Male’ City Council has extended leases for plots rented out from the Alimas Ufaa Carnival area by an additional three months, reports Haveeru.

While the leases for the cafes and other facilities at the Carnival expired in 2006, the now-defunct Male’ Municipality has been extending the leases since 2007.

Male’ Mayor “Sarangu” Adam Manik said that the council decided to finalise development plans for the area during the next three months.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Tourist arrivals reach record-high in February

Tourist arrivals in February reached record-high figures with 87,106 guests visiting the Maldives last month, the highest-number recorded in a single month, reports Haveeru.

Arrivals in February increased 9.6 percent from the previous month, while the number of arrivals in February of last year was 77,063 tourists.

Statistics from the Immigration Department show a 15 percent increase during the first two months of 2011 compared to the same period last year.

Continuing last year’s trend, Chinese tourists constitute the largest market share with 18.5 percent, while European visitors still make up 64 percent.

Average occupancy in 91 resorts during February stayed high at 94.3 percent.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)