Category: News in Brief

Second hearing in case of Finance Ministry versus CSC

The second hearing of the case launched by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) against the Finance Ministry over the issue of civil servant salaries was held yesterday in the Civil Court.

Miadhu reported that the CSC’s lawyer has claimed the 2010 budget had included the money for full payment of salaries, and that measures to reduce the salaries indefinitely under austerity measures were not included in the Civil Service Act.

The Finance Ministry’s lawyer requested more time to respond to the CSC’s comments. The next hearing will be on March 15.

Meanwhile, a second case is pending with the Finance Ministry accusing the CSC of conspiring to topple the government by inciting public hatred.

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President does not wish to take credit for scholar’s achievements: Zuhair

Following complaints from Islamic NGO Salaf that the president’s address contained no information on Islamic achievements in the country, presidential spokesman Mohamed Zuhair has said the president did not wish to take credit for hard work done by Islamic scholars.

Zuhair told Miadhu that the president had not included the information in the address as he believed the both the credit and technical aspects of religious issues should be left to the scholars.

New freedoms to prepare sermons, funds for mosque construction, the creation of school prayer rooms and the Islamic fair were achievements led by the Islamic Ministry, Zuhair said.

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TVM claims live broadcasting of parliament “unrealistic”

Television Maldives (TVM) has ceased broadcasting live parliamentary sessions, reports Miadhu.

On discovering the lack of broadcasting, Majlis Speaker Abdulla Shahid suspended the session and expressed his displeasure that TVM had not broadcast any session live despite having cameras in the chamber.

Shahid declared that parliament would organise its own broadcast, with technical assistance from TVM until new technicians could be trained. Live feed will be provided to all

Under the new agreement live feed would now be provided to TV stations and until Parliament could train its own technical crew, TVM would lend their technicians for the task.

The public broadcaster said it was “unrealistic” for the station to provide live telecasting as the government had not provided it ay financial assistance.

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Development bank to be established this year

President Mohamed Nasheed has announced the establishment of a new development bank specialising in providing investments for small and medium enterprises, to be ready at the end of the year.

President Nasheed added the main challenge for these enterprises is lack of funding, and said he hopes a new development bank will solve the problem.

The president said the ministry of Economic Development is providing financial assistance to these enterprises through a fund worth MRF 18.8 million. He said 41 per cent of those receiving assistance were women.

President Nasheed added that the government is working to bring in more foreign investment. In 2009, 18 foreign investments were approved. According to the president, the total foreign investment registered in 2009 was US$22 million.

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President begins tour of northern islands

President Mohamed Nasheed began a tour of some of the islands of the northern atolls in the Maldives.

The president will visit some islands of Shaviyani Atoll and Noonu Atoll.

As part of his tour, President Nasheed inaugurated Beach House Maldives Resort, now part of the Waldorf Astoria Collection, at Haa Alif Manafaru yesterday afternoon.

Beach House Maldives is the first Waldorf Astoria Collection property to open in Asia.

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Government “suppressing media”, MJA tells Asian Tribune

The government is suppressing media in the Maldives by “continuing the draconian measures of the previous dictatorship”, according to an interview with the Maldivian Journalists Association (MJA) by the Asian Tribune.

The MJA’s comments were prompted by the decision by the Department of Information to dock five points from the broadcast license of the radio station DhiFM, following its coverage of the protest outside the president’s residence on 28 January.

In the AT article the MJA called the Private Broadcasting regulation a “draconian law”, and accused the government of having “no genuine intention of amending the law.”

“Rather, it is now trying to act on the draconian measures that were all too common features of the previous dictatorship,” the MJA told AT.

Minister of Tourism Dr Ahmed Ali Sawad, also responsible for the Department or Information, last week described the disciplinary procedures for broadcast media as “not ideal”, and noted that it was seeking the creation of an independent media council.

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2010 to be a productive year at parliament, promises speaker

Parliamentary Speaker Abdulla Shahid said he will work to make 2010 a productive year at parliament, reports Miadhu.

Out of 77 MPs, 64 were present at yesterday’s meeting, the first parliamentary session of the year.

Shahid said 2009 was also a productive year. Since the new parliament was sworn in on 28 May 2009, the Majlis have conducted 33 deliberations and adopted 6 legislations.

There will be priority given to those issues that were being discussed when parliament was called into recess in December 2009.

Kulhudhuffushi South MP Mohamed Nasheed has criticised the parliament for taking a two month long recess, arguing that it will be difficult to complete the parliament’s work in the six remaining months of the transition period.

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New regulations on resort rent and lease periods will bring changes

President Mohamed Nasheed has said that government will amend the Maldives Tourism Act, reports Miadhu.

The president said that once the taxation bill and the resort rent and lease bill become legislations, there will be major changes to the tourism sector.

President Nasheed added that according to the ‘Third Tourism Master Plan’, the government is working on increasing bed capacity to 36,659 beds by 2012. He said the Maldives must not only target the high-end market, and announced the government will begin to create a mid-market.

Both the taxation and the Tourism Act amendment bill are being examined by the People’s Majlis.

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