Category: Politics

Shaheed sidesteps Iran’s visa block with European tour

United Nations Special Rapporteur on Iran, Dr Ahmed Shaheed, will meet with Iranian activists living in France, Germany and Belgium this week to investigate alleged human rights abuses. Iran’s Majlis blocked Shaheed from entering the country upon his appointment as special rapporteur in June, arguing that the US, Britain and Zionist regimes should be investigated instead.

“A visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran would have allowed me to gain better understanding of the situation,” Shaheed said in a statement.

In July, the secretary general of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights dismissed “the western-engineered appointment” of Dr Shaheed as Special Rapporteur as “an illegal measure,” according to the Tehran Times.

“Iran has no problem with the individual who has been appointed as the special rapporteur, but the appointment of a rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran is unacceptable and Iran will not accept the decision,” Mohammad Javad Larijani was quoted as saying.

Undeterred by Iran’s rejection, Shaheed said he will overcome the obstacle by studying “a wide range of human rights issues by meeting activists within the Iranian diaspora, alleged victims of human rights violations, intergovernmental and civil society organisations.”

Speaking to Minivan News in July, Shaheed said it was common practice for country-specific special rapporteurs to have difficulty getting into their target country.

“Often the country itself feels unfairly singled out for scrutiny, or that they don’t have a problem,” he said. “This is always a challenge, but by and large they come around in the end. The last time a Special Rapporteur was in Iran was in 1996. Countries eventually come round, but it takes time.”

The tour will last from November 30 to December 8.

Dr Shaheed formerly served the Maldives as Foreign Minister under both the current and former Presidents. He assumed duties as special rapporteur in August this year.

Though unable to enter Iran, in September of this year he filed an interim report for the UN claiming “systemic violations of fundamental human rights” as understood by first-hand testimonies.

In his report, Shaheed provided evidence that the Iranian government had secretly executed hundreds of prisoners at the notorious Vakilabad prison in Mashhad. These and other executions were allegedly done without the knowledge or presence of family and lawyers.

Shaheed also noted that human rights defenders, civil society organisations and religious actors had been charged with offences including acting against national security, insulting the Supreme Leader and “spreading propaganda against the regime.”

Reports of detained media personnel and human rights violations in prisons have leaked to the press in the past several months. On November 21, the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly (GA) adopted a resolution calling for the Iranian government to reconcile listed violations.

Mohammad Javad Larijani, Iran’s highest human rights official, had spent the previous week defending Iran’s record.

Following his tour of inquiry Shaheed will report back to the Human Rights Council in March 2012.

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Syrian refugees “will not be forcibly evicted”: Immigration Controller

The Immigration Department is awaiting the resolution of 11 Syrian political refugees who were detained at the airport when boarding a flight to Switzerland with forged documents.

The Syrians had come to the Maldives for an alleged vacation on November 1 with forged documents claiming Turkish nationality. They are said to have stayed at a guest house before attempting to leave two weeks later.

Claiming relations in Berlin, they next attempted to leave for Germany on forged documents.

“The tip-off was that they had no visa into Switzerland, or into Germany, upon attempted departure,” said Immigration Controller Abdulla Shahid. “This process, it’s a typical trick of people seeking political asylum.”

Syria has been rocked by political unrest since March, when residents of a southern town protested the torture of students who had put up anti-government graffiti.

President Bashar al-Assad lifted Syria’s decades-old state of emergency in April, only to send tanks and allow security forces to open fire on unarmed demonstrators days later.

Protestors have rejected Assad’s offers of reform as much as his crackdown. As a result, the violence has persisted to the point that the Arab League imposed economic sanctions on the country on November 27, an act decried by Syria’s foreign minister Walid al-Moallem as “economic war.”

Sanctions had also been issued by the United States and the European Union.

A recent UN report identified actions by security forces as “crimes against humanity.”

“A panel of independent experts says at least 256 children were killed by government forces as of early November, with some boys sexually tortured and a 2-year-old girl shot to death just to prevent her from growing up to be a demonstrator,” the Washington Post reported yesterday.

In light of Syria’s ongoing political unrest, Shahid said the Syrian nationals will not be forcibly evicted from the Maldives. “They have talked of violence being done to some relatives at home, so they will not be departing to Syria,” he explained.

He added that the group has said they will not take a route that involves transit in any Middle Eastern country. “They are very paranoid right now, and I’m not sure if they’re aware of international norms,” Shahid observed. “The situation has already gotten very bad, and it’s going to take a long time to resolve.”

Syrians have been reported seeking political asylum in various parts of Europe and the Middle East. A 2008 report by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada found that many Syrians who are deported back to Syria after being denied asylum risk imprisonment and even torture.

The group of refugees includes two children, two youth, two couples and several cousins. The family is currently staying in a local residence until they can make arrangements with their legitimate documents, which have been obtained.

According to Shahid, the Syrian refugees will now face sharp scrutiny when taking international flights.

“All airlines have a mechanism to share information about passengers who forge documents,” he said. “Most won’t take them now unless they have a proper visa for their destination.”

The situation in the Maldives is being handled exclusively by the Immigration Department.

Officials at the Presidents Office and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs had not responded to phone calls at time of press.

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Government doubles third quarter income

The Maldives government has almost doubled state income for the third quarter of 2011, increasing revenue 92 percent on the same quarter last year, according to the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA).

Total dollar income for the period, according to MIRA, was US$60.5 million, made up largely of tourism lease payments (31.7 percent) and income from the 3.5 percent Tourism Goods and Services Tax (19.3 percent, or US$11.6 million). That tax is set to increase to six percent next year.

Total state income stands at Rf 3.4 billion for the year so far (US$220 million), according to MIRA.

Presenting the 2012 budget to parliament this week, Finance Minister Ahmed Inaz predicted that altogether, government income was expected to reach a record Rf 9 billion (US$583 million) this year.

Total expenditure out of the 2012 state budget is estimated to be Rf14.6 billion (US$946.8 million), an 18 percent increase from 2011. However the Inaz highlighted that recurrent expenditure was in line with income for the first time in many years, and the deficit was expected to drop to single figures.

Based on current estimates for 2011 the Maldives had recorded economic growth of 7.5 percent, Inaz said, an improvement of 5.6 percent in 2010. Growth was aided by a 21 percent tourism arrivals – the Maldives expects to welcome its millionth visitor for the year.

The introduction of the TGST was particularly significant in 2011 as it revealed that the government had been substantially underestimating the size of the tourism economy, which based on TGST receipts was actually three times larger than previously imagined.

Registration and collection has also gone surprisingly smoothly. Speaking to Minivan News in May, Inaz remarked on willingness of tourism businesses of all sizes to declare and pay the tax.
“The TSGT is being taken from big resorts as well as small guest houses on remote islands – very small businesses. They declare – amazingly, they declare,” he noted.
However despite the large influx of foreign currency into the tourism sector the Maldivian economy remains subject to a ongoing dollar shortage, with most people unable to exchange rufiya into dollars at the official rate of Rf 15.42.

Inaz expressed concern that 47 percent of transactions in the domestic economy were made through other currencies – almost all resorts charge in dollars and bank overseas – and called on the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) as the country’s central bank to take measures to enforce the use of rufiya as legal tender.

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DQP files case against GMR, MPs critique scheme

Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) today submitted a case to the Civil Court against infrastructure development company GMR Male International Airport Pvt Ltd, challenging its right to collect a US$25 (Rf385.5) Airport Development Charge (ADC) and US$2 (Rf30.8) Insurance Charge commencing January 2012.

The fees are to be charged to internationally-bound passengers only. As of 4:00pm on Tuesday the case had not yet been registered.

The government signed a 25-year contract with GMR on 28 June 2010. On 30 September 2010, four opposition parties filed a case against GMR at the Civil Court. The court registrar rejected the claim.

Under the contract the Maldivian government receives:

  • A sum of U$78 million as advance payment which is to be deducted from the profit due to Government.
  • 1% of the Gross Revenue in the first four years (2010-2014) and 10% of the Gross Revenue from the general business in the remaining years.
  • 15% of the Gross Fuel Sales in the first four years and 27% of the Gross Fuel Sales in the remaining years.
  • GMR is also to invest US$375 million over a period of 25 years.

The development fee is considered “standard procedure in most airports“, GMR officials earlier told Minivan News. GMR said it would have included the fee in the ticket price, but until International Air Transport Association (IATA) provided certain codes it would have to charge the fee separately.

DQP claims that GMR’s lease of Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) was unconstitutional, illegal, and bore trademarks of corruption. It additionally claims that GMR’s contract would not have been approved if passed through official procedures.

DQP Secretary General Abdulla Ameen confirmed the case and directed Minivan News to the party website for further details. The web page’s last registered update was 29 November 2010.

“Article 97 of the Constitution prohibits any form of taxation without legislation,” reads on section. “Levy on departure passengers have always been done through legislation, including amendments thereof. In fact the current levy of USD18 for foreigners and USD14 for locals was introduced by the present government through amendments to the relevant law.

“However, the right to levy a US$25 and a US$2 (a total of US$27) was given to GMR by the Government without the passage of any law.”

DQP further claims that the government bypassed Parliament on the decision to lease INIA, thereby making GMR’s claim that it can collect the development and insurance fees is “null and void.”

State Transport Minister Adil Saleem previously informed Minivan News that the development fee had been approved by the government as part of its contract with GMR.

Immigration and customs authorities are said to support the move.

DQP told Haveeru that GMR had failed to develop INIA as per its agreement with the government, but is trying to charge customers extra fees on the pretext of airport development.

Speaking in Parliament today, Kulhudhuffushi-South MP Mohamed Nasheed said GMR is receiving all funds from airport handling.

GMR recently announced that baggage handling would be transferred from a local company to one chosen by GMR.

Nasheed said the agreement between the government and GMR was not a fair deal, and that losses incurred exceeds income earned.

“I want to highlight the fact that the US$990 charged from a [Boeing] 777 aircraft that lands during the day has been increased to US$2,985 while the fee collected from the aircraft that lands during the night has been raised to US$3,885. This is a 60-80 percent increase in charges but no improvements have been brought to the services provided by the airport,” he said.

“And we cannot accept the US$1.6 million rent charged per month from a small land plot which measures 800 square feet. Questions arise whether GMR is developing the airport by taking money from us Maldivians or whether they are developing the airport on their funds?”

Hoarafushi MP Ahmed Rasheed said, “While we are exaggerating a minor difficulty a small number of people have to bear for the sake of our nation, we don’t have anyone to speak about the development and advantages the people will be able to obtain from the most number of people who use the airport.”

In the past four months GMR has opened two lounges at INIA and expanded baggage beltways; it is currently adding eight check-in counters and two security lanes. Tourism Minister Maryam Zulfa previously expressed satisfaction with GMR as “an example for the Maldives as it moves forward.”

DQP Vice President Imad Solih earlier submitted a separate though similar civil case arguing the illegitimacy of the charge and requesting the court take action against Finance Ministry.

The Civil Court is expected to soon deliver a verdict on the case.

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“Our faith should not be so easily shaken”: President Nasheed

Maldivians should have the self-belief and resolve not to have “our faith shaken by listening to statements or opinions expressed by others”, President Mohamed Nasheed said at a function to confer national awards of honour and recognition on Sunday night.

Nasheed’s remarks followed controversy in the wake of statements made by visiting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, who called for a moratorium and public debate on flogging as a punishment for fornication. Pillay’s statements were widely condemned as an unconstitutional challenge to a Quranic injunction and prompted protests outside the UN building.

“To build a nation, we should all have the courage, the patience and the willingness to exercise our minds to its deepest and broadest extent,” Nasheed said.

Sunday night’s winners of the national awards for honour and recognition were “perfect examples of the strength of one’s faith,” he added.

Recipients of the national award for recognition included Professor Hassan Ugail, a mathematician and computer scientist at the School of Informatics, University of Bradford.

“We should have the courage to be able to listen to and digest what people tell us, what we hear and what we see,” said Nasheed, adding that Maldivians should not be “so easily swayed and conned”.

“For that not to happen, we have to foster in our hearts a particular kind of national spirit and passion,” he continued. “This national spirit is not going to come into being by not listening, not talking and hiding things, [but] by clearly and transparently saying what we think in our hearts, discussing its merits among us and making decisions based on [those debates].”

To achieve nationhood and progress, said Nasheed, a country needs more than development of its infrastructure.

“It is the individual who has to be developed -development is something that happens to a person, a change that happens with the individual,” he said.

Recognising outstanding achievements by individuals and holding them up as role models to the public was a duty of the state, Nasheed said.

He expressed particular gratitude to former Attorney General and human rights lawyer Husnu Suood for legal representation and advocacy on behalf of a number of citizens “during a very dark time” and made note of Professor Ugail’s academic achievements.

Majlis

Meanwhile in parliament yesterday, MP Dr Afrashim Ali, a religious scholar and member of the Progressive Party of Maldives’ (PPM) interim council, proposed a motion without notice to debate Pillay’s address on Thursday as “sufficient measures have not been taken by any state institution regarding this case” and if debate was allowed on any tenet of Islam “tomorrow it is likely that people will question worshiping Almighty God and open the space for discussion on it”.

The floor was opened for a debate on the motion with 41 MPs voting in favour. Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ibrahim Rasheed cast the only dissenting vote.

Afrashim noted that under article 27 of the constitution the right to free expression must be exercised “in a manner that is not contrary to any tenet of Islam.”

It was therefore “an indisputable truth that neither Pillay nor anyone else should be given permission to speak or express views contrary to the tenets of Islam within the territory of the Maldives,” he said.

Afrashim argued that Pillay’s remarks constituted a crime under the Religious Unity Act of 1994 and carried a prison term of between two to five years.

Addressing criticism for his role in Thursday’s event, Shahid informed MPs that he did not know of the contents of Pillay’s address in advance and that Dhivehi translations distributed to MPs after the speech were prepared by the UN.

Several MPs however called on the Speaker to issue a public apology.

Afrashim insisted that parliament should have made a public statement condemning the remarks and advised MPs that it was “in the best interest of the nation at this point” to formulate laws banning irreligious speech.

MDP MP ‘Colonel’ Mohamed Nasheed reproached Afrashim for “calling other MPs kafirs (unbelievers)” and “sowing discord for political purposes.”

MPs of the ruling party met the Speaker to express concern after Pillay’s speech, Colonel said, contending that MPs in attendance should not be blamed for her words.

MDP has condemned the remarks and “would not allow a religion other than Islam on this soil,” he said.

Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali meanwhile joined the chorus of condemnation and concurred that her statements were “unacceptable” and “in violation of the constitution.”

“Yesterday they put up idols, today they talked about religious punishments, tomorrow we’ll be talking about homosexuality and gay marriage the next day. These are things that could happen in a series,” warned Fares-Maathoda MP Ibrahim Muttalib, who recently signed with the Adhaalath Party.

MP Gasim Ibrahim, leader of the Jumhooree Party, claimed Pillay’s remarks were part of the government’s serial efforts to introduce other religions, “build idol temples and weaken our Islamic faith.”

Gasim added that he would have put a stop to Pillay’s address if he had attended Thursday’s function in parliament.

PPM Spokesperson MP Ahmed Mahlouf said the MDP government’s anti-Islamic agenda was evident through such actions as authorising restaurants to serve expatriates during Ramadan, allowing the sale of alcohol at the airport departure terminal and proposing to make Islam and Dhivehi optional subjects at A’ Levels.

“A Muslim said in public for the time in the Maldives that he was not a Muslim,” said Mahlouf. “We believe these things are connected to President Nasheed because he hasn’t come out and directly said anything about it.”

He urged the public to join the protest planned by the NGO coalition for December 23 and “directly overthrow this government.”

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Human trafficking on the rise, warn police

Police have reported a day-by-day increase in human trafficking in the Maldives, pointing to the rising numbers of illegal expatriate workers as evidence of the practice.

So far this year 308 cases have been reported to police involving expatriates leaving their sponsors, and more than 4000 passports belonging to illegal migrants have been found.

On June 11 “a huge number” of expats were brought to the Maldives illegally using forged documents, police said in a statement.

An ongoing police investigation into labour trafficking this year uncovered an industry worth an estimated US$123 million, eclipsing fishing (US$46 million in 2007) as the second greatest contributor of foreign currency to the Maldivian economy after tourism.

The former Bangladeshi High Commissioner to the Maldives, Dr Selina Muhsin, had told police that many Bangladeshi workers were brought to the Maldives through the promise of high salaries and employment, which was not forthcoming, police said.

In today’s statement, police noted that the Maldives still lacked a specific law against human trafficking, but said that enslavement and forced labor was a violation of the constitution. An Anti-Trafficking Act was now being drafted, police observed, and called for a policy of information sharing between concerning institutions, as well as guideline for treating victims.

This year 35 police officers were trained to combat human trafficking and police took part in a workshop held on ‘Integrated Approach to Combating Trafficking in Persons, organised by the International Organisation for Immigration (IMO), the statement said.

During her visit to the Maldives last week, UN High Commissioner on Human Rights Navi Pillay highlighted the plight of expatriate labourers in the Maldives, who make up a third of the population and in many cases have been lured to the country by unscrupulous employment brokers.

“The Minister of Foreign Affairs [Ahmed Naseem] is very aware of the suffering of foreign workers, and agreed that something needs to be done for these people,” Pillay said.

“You can’t have 60,000 people suffering here while performing work for the benefit of Maldivians and the tourism industry, and pretend this is invisible. The media has a role to give these people a voice so they can explain their problems.

“Many of them are trafficked and the little money they earn is exploited. This is of grave concern to me, because people like this are are protected under the UN Convention on Migrant Workers and their Families. I have urged the Maldives to ratify this, and regularise the presence of 60,000 people

“I also call for an end to the stereotyping of these people as a threat and unwanted.”

In July, members of Male’ City Council proposed solutions to “the nuisance and bother of expatriates [congregating] at the Republic Square”.

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State budget for 2012 submitted to parliament

The state budget for 2012 was submitted to parliament today by Finance Minister Ahmed Inaz with a projected fiscal deficit of 9.7 percent, down from 21 percent in 2009, 16.1 percent in 2010 and 10.1 percent in 2011.

In his introductory statement, Inaz said the programme-based budget was prepared with special focus on producing results and maintaining recurrent expenditure in line with income.

“The programmes included in the budget are based on the Strategic Action Plan,” he explained. “Special attention has been given in the budget programmes to provide adequate and quality service to the public. The government’s aim is to match up the figures in the budget with development plans and ensure that all state expenditure is made to achieve a stated target.”

Steering committees have been formed to oversee the 31 programmes in the budget, Inaz continued, urging MPs to evaluate the progress of implementation over the course of the year.

Total expenditure out of the 2012 state budget is estimated to be Rf14.6 billion (US$946.8 million), representing an 18 percent increase from 2011.

With the enactment of taxation legislation under the government’s economic reform package, revenue is projected to increase 11 percent from 2011 to Rf10.8 billion (US$700 million) next year with tax revenue expected to account for Rf7.3 billion (US$473 million).

The resulting fiscal deficit is to be plugged with Rf1.9 billion (US$123 million) in foreign loan assistance, Rf2 billion (US$129.8 million) forecast as budget support, and Rf750 million (US$48.6 million) from privatisation proceeds and sale of treasury bills and bonds in the domestic market.

Among the programmes that account for the increase in government spending, said Inaz, include a universal health insurance scheme and construction of housing units with foreign loan assistance.

Inaz noted that Rf2.1 billion (US$136 million) was allocated for education – which includes the ‘Hunaru’ training programme, student loan schemes and projects for improving school infrastructure – and Rf100 million (US$6.8 million) as capital investment for health corporations along with Rf20 million (US$1.2 million) for local councils to strengthen the public health sector.

While 44 percent of recurrent expenditure will be spent on salaries and allowances for state employees, Inaz said the wage bill has been reduced as a result of the voluntary redundancy programme conducted this year and the transfer of civil servants to corporatised entities.

State benefits and subsidies meanwhile account for 30 percent of recurrent expenditure followed by 17 percent (Rf120 million or US$7.7 million) on administrative costs.

The government is currently undertaking a review with World Bank assistance to ensure that subsidies are “means-tested and targeted” in 2012, Inaz revealed.

Inaz observed that unlike previous years, state revenue in 2012 will cover recurrent expenditure while deficit spending will be on capital investments.

The Rf3.8 billion (US$246 million) allocated for capital expenditure and net lending in 2012 represents a 43 percent increase from 2011, Inaz noted, adding that “the main reason [for the increase] is the estimated rise in foreign aid and large projects” such as the construction of 500 housing units with loan assistance from the Indian Exim (Export-Import) Bank and 2,500 housing units with loan assistance from the Chinese Exim Bank.

“Although total expenditure will increase as a result of these projects, we believe it is one of the most important projects that should be undertaken right now as resolving the shortage of housing is also the solution to a number of social problems,” Inaz said.

Investment programmes in 2012 fall under two broad categories of climate change and adapation programmes – which includes coastal protection, harbour construction, land reclamation, investments in renewable energy as well as establishing water and sanitation systems – and socio-economic investment programmes such as the housing projects.

Reiterating that the main priority in formulating the budget was to ensure value for money spent in terms of providing services, Inaz however explained that “due to the present structure of the state, Rf32 out of every Rf100 is spent on salaries and benefits, Rf6 is spent on interest payments on loans and Rf13 is spent on administrative costs.”

“After spending Rf27 [out of every Rf100] on capital expenditures, there is just Rf22 left to spent on services that offer direct benefits to the public,” he said, adding that Rf22 out of every Rf100 had to be spent on loan repayments.

2011

As expenditure outstripped revenue by Rf3 billion (US$194.5 million) in the 2011 budget of Rf12.9 billion (US$836 million), Inaz said the deficit was plugged through foreign aid and loan assistance as well as proceeds from privatisation and sale of T-bills and bonds.

Government income is meanwhile expected to reach a record level of Rf9 billion (US$583.6 million) this year.

Based on current estimates, said Inaz, the economy grew by 7.5 percent in 2011 compared to 5.7 percent in 2010. The forecast for economic  growth in 2012 is however 5.5 percent.

On the tourism industry, which accounts for 70 percent of GDP, Inaz said arrivals were expected to have risen 21 percent in 2011 from the previous year.

As of the end of September, tourist arrivals are 17.7 percent higher than 2010.

Although fish catch by volume rose 3.9 percent from 2010 in the first seven months of the year, Inaz said the Maldivian fisheries industry was not expected to improve in the next two years with the continuing decline of fishing in the Indian Ocean.

The introduction of long-line fishing and development of an aqua-culture and mari-culture industry was important to raise productivity, Inaz suggested.

With imports expected to rise in 2012, Inaz said the current account deficit will increase from 26 percent of GDP in 2011 to 28 percent next year.

To plug the widening current account deficit, said Inaz, economic policies in the budget were geared towards increasing exports and growing small and medium-sized businesses.

Inaz explained that the worsening balance of payments was tied to the ballooning fiscal deficit since 2005, which increased local currency in circulation and resulted in an “unstable foreign exchange market” and the creation of a black market for dollars.

In addition to tightening fiscal policy and rationalising expenditures, Inaz said money changers had to be regulated and the use of Maldivian rufiyaa as the legal tender should be enforced.

Expressing concern that 47 percent of transactions in the domestic economy were made through other currencies, the Finance Minister called on the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) as the country’s central bank to take measures to enforce the use of rufiyaa as legal tender.

A senior government official meanwhile told Minivan News that the government was still waiting on the income tax bill to be passed by parliament. The proposed tax will apply only to those who earn over Rf 30,000 a month (US$2000).

“It is not significant in terms of revenue, but it is important in terms of governance as it gives us the full picture,” the source said. “It will enable a full system of reporting and close loopholes that allow people to pass off business income as their own.”

The 3.5 percent tourism goods and services tax will be raised to six percent next year.

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Foreign Ministry opposes UN Human Rights Commissioner’s call for debate on flogging

The Foreign Ministry does not support open debates on issues raised by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, namely the provision for flogging as a punishment for extra-marital intercourse and the requirement that all Maldivians be Muslims.

“What’s there to discuss about flogging?” Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Naseem was reported as saying in newspaper Haveeru. “There is nothing to debate about in a matter clearly stated in the religion of Islam. No one can argue with God.”

Speaking to Minivan News, Naseem confirmed his statement but did not wish to comment further.

Pillay said flogging was “a form of punishment that is cruel and demeaning to women” and observed that in her travels in Islamic countries “apart from the Maldives and one other country that practices stoning, flogging is not a practice that is condoned.”

She further claimed that the Maldives is signatory to international treaties that are legally-binding obligations, “and such a practice conflicts with these obligations undertaken by the Maldives.” She said human rights conforms with Islam.

Naseem today advised Minivan News that the Maldives had submitted certain reservations to said conventions, including articles on gender equality and freedom of religion, and on these points the country could not be held legally accountable by an international body.

Pillay also called for amendments to the constitutional provision mandating subscription to Islam.

Since her press conference on Thursday, November 24, protestors bearing slogans “Ban UN,” “Flog Pillay” and “Defend Islam” have demanded apologies from Pillay and Parliament, and called for Pillay to be prosecuted in the Maldives for her comments about the national constitution.

Islamic Minister Dr Abdul Majeed Abdul Bari opposed Pillay’s critiques. Haveeru reports he also backed political parties including the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) and Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), and several MPs and religious groups who also  condemned the UN human rights chief’s comments.

In discussions with President Mohamed Nasheed, ministers and the judiciary, Pillay advised “permanent changes in the law [to] engineer a practical moratorium on flogging.”

NGO network Civil Society Coalition later announced a nation-wide mass protest on December 23 against the government’s alleged efforts to securalise the country.

Speaking with Minivan News today, President’s Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair said he believed Pillay’s message focused more on the degrading implications of flogging women than on its portrayal of Islam. “Pillay called for a debate on punishment and how it is administered – these are two separate debates,” he said, distinguishing between Islam and the State.

Zuhair also suggested that the court procedure used to sentence individuals accused of extra-marital fornication to flogging was incomplete.

In response to Pillay’s urging for a debate “to open up the benefits of the constitution to all and to remove that discriminatory provision [requiring every citizen be a Muslim],” Zuhair said “The government’s religious policy is based upon the insights of religious scholars. The government has not made available the means for anyone to defy or ridicule our religion, and it will not do so.”

According to Zuhair, the involvement of religious scholars in the nation’s religious policies is a distinguishing feature of ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

“These are the free times for religious scholars to speak their minds and not be subscribed into one state-sponsored brand of Islam,” he said.

When asked to relate his statement to the Islamic Ministry’s recent censorship of Ismail Hilath Rasheed’s blog, Zuhair said the matter belonged to the Majlis.

“The government cannot be held accountable for the contents of a constitution drawn up by the peoples’ Majlis. Any issues with the constitution will be addressed there.”

Zuhair emphasised that the government supports freedom of expression and assembly to the widest extent provided by the constitution, but he reiterated that the government would adhere to policies advocated by religious scholars as necessary.

Local media in the Maldives widely took Pillay’s remarks on the constitution out of context by reporting only half her sentence.

Miadhu Editor Gabbe Latheef had asked Pillay during Thursday’s press conference, “If you believe we have a Constitution, why are you speaking against our Constitution?” Her reply, “I don’t believe you have a Constitution, you have a constitution. The constitution conforms in many respects to universally respected human rights. Let me assure you that these human rights conform with Islam,” was partially reported by local media as, “I don’t believe you have a Constitution.”

When asked about the impact of the flawed reports on the protests, Zuhair said it suggested the mistake was intentional and demonstrated “a strong political bias”.

“Most media is tied to the opposition parties which were defeated in first round of the election. They are tied by a common rope in that they all include leaders of the formerly-ruling Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP). MDP doesn’t have a supportive media outlet, even in the state media. Any establishment or institution here with 50 or more staff will have some defeated and bitter people who don’t believe in the government,” he surmised.

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Eliminating gender inequality essential for development, says President

Eliminating gender inequalities is essential for the nation to benefit from women’s contribution to economic development and progress, President Mohamed Nasheed said in his weekly radio address on Friday.

Speaking on the ‘International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women,’ Nasheed expressed gratitude and encouragement for the campaign against domestic violence launched by a gender advocacy working group under the slogan ‘Thinakun Ekeh’ (one in three).

The slogan refers to the findings of a Ministry of Gender and Family study in 2007, the first comprehensive nationwide survey of domestic violence in the Maldives, which revealed that one in every three women between the ages of 15-49 has been a victim of domestic violence.

“Although it is believed that the status of women in our society is better in comparison to other SAARC nations, active participation of women in important sectors in the country is comparatively low,” Nasheed observed. “For example, while 24 percent of women are unemployed in the Maldives, that figure is eight percent in Sri Lanka. Out of all SAARC countries, the Maldives is at the bottom in this respect.”

While women make up 28 percent of the Afghanistan parliament, Nasheed noted that women represented just seven percent, or five out of 77 MPs, in the Maldivian parliament.

“The most important facility for a country’s development is its people,” he said. “And since women are half of the population in any country, for a certainty their full participation will speed up the pace of development.”

The President noted that legislation on domestic violence was submitted to parliament in October 2010 and sent to committee in November, urging MPs to “pass the bill as soon as possible.”

Compassion and care from others is important to give women the courage to “surmount obstacles and escape the different forms of violence they face,” said Nasheed, recognising the activities of NGOs and women’s rights advocates.

Meanwhile, the Thinakun Ekeh gender advocacy group organised events on Friday in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to launch a 16-day campaign against domestic violence with programmes to disseminate information of its incidence and raise public awareness.

The gender advocacy group was formed on September 29, 2011 with UNFPA assistance to “work with strategic partners in civil society, media, parliamentarians and religious institutions to pave ways for women and men to work together to find lasting solutions to the society’s most serious social, economic and political problems.”

An information session took place at the artificial beach late Friday afternoon after a run round Male’. Participants included Prosecutor General Ahmed Muiz, philanthropist Mohamed Waheed Deen, former Foreign Minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed, former Gender Minister Aneesa Ahmed and members of civil society organisations.

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