Month: April 2012

Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem reiterates calls for control of mosques to return to Islamic Ministry

Islamic Affairs Minister Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed has continued to call for the control of Maldivian mosques to be returned to his department from the country’s island councils.

Local media has reported that Sheikh Shaheem used social media this week to reiterate his hopes that the Islamic Ministry would reclaim control of the country’s mosques following the failure of one scholar to obtain permission to speak on the island of Fuvahmulah.  Sheikh Shaheem was unavailable for comment when contacted by Minivan News today.

Local authorities in Fuvahmulah said today that the decision not to grant permission for Sheikh Idhrees Hussain to preach at a mosque in Maadhandu Ward on the island was the result of an administrative oversight rather than a personal “grudge” against the scholar.

However, in referring to the issue of granting permission for Sheikh Idhrees to preach during his visit to Fuvahmulah on Facebook yesterday, Shaheem stated that he hoped the country’s mosques would be soon back under the legal control of the Islamic Ministry.

“This is the result of handing over mosques to Councils. God willing, all mosques in the country will be brought under Islamic Ministry,” Sun Online reported Shaheem as stating on his Facebook page.

In the meantime, the Islamic Affairs Minister said that his department would continue to work with island councils who were presently responsible for local mosques to ensure order in the nation.

Following the failure of Maadhandu Council in Fuvamulah to grant permission for Sheikh Idhrees to preach at the mosque, island officials said that about 15 people gathered at the council’s offices to protest at the decision yesterday. The protest was claimed to have lasted for around 15 minutes.

Ahmed Wafir, a member of Maadhandu Council today told Minivan News that the issue arose after Sheikh Idhrees visited Fuvamulah on a personal trip and wanted to preach in a mosque in Maadhandu Ward without the permission of Maadhandu Council.

“He [the sheikh] apparently asked the Atoll Council instead of Maadhandu Council, and the Atoll Council informed four councils in the island that he had requested for permission to preach in some of the mosques in the island,’’ Wafir said.   He noted that there was a total of eight councils in Fuvamulah representing different wards.

Wafir claimed that the Maadhandu Council President responded at the time that he alone cannot give such permission to the scholar and therefore, a council meeting had to be held to grant the permission to preach. According to the council’s rules, Sheikh Idhrees was then required to send a letter to the council along with a copy of his preaching license.

“Some of the islanders got angry about this and the next day total 15 persons came near Maadhandu Council Office to protest, but after 15 minutes they left,’’ he said.

Wafir claimed that the council knew of Shikeh Idhrees and had previously permitted the scholar to deliver sermons at the local mosque  when he had requested to do so according to the rules.

“It’s not that the council has any grudge against Sheikh Idhrees, but everyone has to follow procedures and rules,’’ he said. “Sheikh Idhrees later changed the schedule and delivered the sermon in another mosque not in Maadhandu.’’

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Gayoom claims “special motive” behind international calls for early elections

Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has claimed that international calls for early elections are driven by a “special motive” that poses a direct threat to the Maldives’ sovereignty and religious heritage.

Gayoom, currently the leader of the Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM), alleged that during his 30 year reign, international parties had always been attempting to influence the Maldives because of its 100 percent Muslim status.

The comments were made during a PPM rally on the island of Guraidhoo, Thaa atoll, where people had gathered to celebrate a weekend parliamentary by-election victory for the party.

Reporting from the island, Minivan News’ Hawwa Lubna witnessed hundreds of people in the audience for Gayoom’s address, which was made ahead of a meeting of  the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) today.

The ministerial action group is expected to discuss the controversial transfer of power that brought President Waheed into office on February 7 amongst a number of issues during today’s meeting.

CMAG was last month accused by members of President Waheed’s government of showing “bias” towards certain political parties in calling for general elections as early as possible to resolve questions over the administrations legitimacy.

The Commonwealth has since been supported by both the EU and US in calling for programs to be put in place to facilitate early elections before 2013.

The calls follow allegations by former President Mohamed Nasheed that he was removed from office in a “coup d’etat” on February 7 after sections of the military and police mutinied.

On the back of international pressure for fresh polling, Gayoom has claimed that the PPM – as part of the national unity government bought to power under President Waheed – has been given a public mandate following the weekend’s by elections.

Speaking at Monday night’s rally held to celebrate party candidate Ahmed Shareef’s win in the Thimarafushi parliamentary by-election, Gayoom contended that the “by-elections are the early elections”.

“The results prove PPM has the support of people,” the former president said.

Gayoom therefore argued that there was no room for early elections in the country, adding that the next constitutionally mandated election should be held in 2013.

“We must not not talk about holding an election which the constitution does not allow. However, several foreign parties are calling for this [early elections]. They are talking about it with a special motive,” Gayoom claimed.

“We must protect our sovereignty. We must protect our independence. We must not let anyone [foreigners] to intervene in our internal affairs.”

Gayoom also alleged that “different foreign parties are influencing Maldives because we are a 100 percent Muslim nation” and added that he “knows clearly why the international community is attempting by different means to restore Former President Mohamed Nasheed’s rule.”

“A very reliable person had told me former [President Nasheed’s] government had said that within a year of them coming to power, a church, a Christian church will be built in Maldives. But [Nasheed] could not do it,” Gayoom claimed.

Nasheed’s opponents have repeatedly accused his government of cooperating with “Christian missionaries” and “Jewish parties” to “wipe out Islam” from the Maldives.

Independence

Meanwhile, Gayoom further alleged that even during his 30 year rule, several foreign parties had “offered money” in return for implementing their proposals in Maldives, although he did not articulate on those proposals.

“But I put the nation’s interest first. I put the nation’s independence first. No matter how much money was offered, how many things they proposed to do in return, we did not want to give even the smallest part of our land. We did not want to handover any part of our independence to foreigners.” Gayoom contended.

The comments by Gayoom, who served in office for thirty years before being voted out in the country’s first democratic general election in 2008, mirrored earlier claims by the government that presidential elections were not needed this year – despite international calls to the contrary.

The government said that it believed victory for its coalition partners in the weekend’s two parliamentary by-elections was a clear indication of its “mandate” amongst the Maldivian people to remain in power until 2013.

Government spokesperson Abbas Adil Riza additionally called on international bodies like CMAG to take the results of the polls into consideration this week when reflecting on the need for fresh national polls.

From a government perspective, Abbas claimed that the two parliamentary and two island council by-elections should be seen as a “vote of confidence” by the public in the national unity government made up of several national parties.

Commonwealth membership

Following CMAG’s calls last month for early elections to be held in the Maldives at the earliest date possible, the government said it was concerned over the “language” used by the commonwealth in its statement.

The President’s Office said that although it was not for the time being looking to leave the Commonwealth, it added that such a move could be considered if CMAG continued to use similar language in the future.

“If this language continues, we will look to consider our position [in the Commonwealth],” government spokesperson Abbas Adil Riza told Minivan News at the time.

The government later denied it had made such claims, alleging to local media that the report in Minivan News had been “politically motived”.

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Four arrested on prostitution charges in police raid of salon

Police last night arrested two Thai women and two local men on prostitution charges after raiding a Male’-based business suspected of operating as a massage parlor.

The business, called Maldivian Care, was located on the first floor of H.Hulhugali, a property belonging to Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Former President Ibrahim Zaki – who has not been implicated in the raid.

Speaking to the press today, Deputy Head of Serious and Organized Crime Inspector Mohamed Dhaudh said that police had received information that prostitution was allegedly being conducted at Maldivian Care’s premises -charges it said were later confirmed through police intelligence.

Dhaudh said police entered the saloon last night at 9:45pm with a court warrant.  Maldivian Care was located on the first floor of the house, where police claim that the business was ran from an apartment with two lockable rooms.

Dhaudh added that when police entered the property, the outside door of the apartment was locked as well as the two interior rooms as well.

Police officials identified the two Thai national suspects as Thonbai Sons and Sdhafone Budicha and the two Maldivian men as Mohamed Shinah of Thinadhoo in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll and Moosa Ibrahim of Inguraidhoo in Raa Atoll.

Police said that although the Maldivian Care business appeared to be operated as a salon, officers had discovered items used for sexual activities inside the property.

In the first room, police reported finding a Thai woman and a naked Maldivian.  After searches were conducted of both suspects, an unused condom was found inside the pocket of the man’s trouser, whilst Rf500 was found in the pocket of the woman.

Police claimed that large amounts of Maldivian Ruffiya, US dollars and Euros were found inside the female suspect’s bag.

According to police, another Maldives national and a Thai female were found inside the second room.  Upon entering, police reported that the Maldivian man was discovered lying down, whilst the Thai woman was waiting near him.

When police searched the woman’s bag, lots of Maldivian Ruffiya, Euros and US dollars, as well as pills used for “sexual activities” were found inside.

Dhaudh said the sponsor of the two Thai nationals arrested during the raid was Mohamed Adam of Fenfushi in Alifu Dhaalu Atoll.  According to police, the sponsor has a previous police record relating to prostitution charges.

Last month, police confirmed they had made several raids on properties linked to prostitution, resulting in the arrest of a number of female expatriates.

Under the previous government, the shutting down of alternative medical centres linked to sexual activities was one of the five demands made by a coalition of NGOs and then-opposition party politicians.

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President discusses nutrition, agricultural challenges during Thaa Atoll visit

The Maldives must step up local agricultural production in order to improve food security and nutrition standards across the nation, President Mohamed Waheed Hassan said during a visit to Thaa Atoll over the weekend.

Speaking from Veymandoo, the president claimed that the island was a positive example for how “starchy staples” and other produce could be grown in the country.

According to the President’s Office website, President Waheed used his address in Thaa Atoll to raise concerns about nutrition and wider health standards across the nation.

Dr Waheed claimed that over the past several years, considerable efforts had been taken to improve public health nationally and at island level. However, he claimed that the privitisation policies of the previous government – under which he served as vice president – had negatively affected the health sector.

Earlier this month, senior medical experts and NGOs speaking to Minivan News identified concerns about the level of malnutrition in the country, particularly amongst children and pregnant women.

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Mixed fortunes for pro-government parties in island council voting

There were mixed fortunes for government aligned parties in island council by-elections held yesterday in contrast to the national unity government’s success in simultaneous parliamentary polls.

In polls for the vacant seat on the Haa Dhaal Kumundhoo Island Council, PPM candidate Mohamed Shafy received 257 votes to beat MDP rival Aishath Hassan and the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party’s (DRP) Abdul Hakeem. The polls saw the MDP lose its majority on the local council.

Hassan ultimately finished in second place having secured 164 votes, followed by Hakeem with 123.

In the Thaa Gaadhifushi Island Council contest, MDP candidate Mohamed Irushad won the seat, which is based in the Thimarafushi constituency, by securing 223 votes against PPM’s Hussein Ziyau.  PPM candidate Ziyau tallied 169 votes.

Though yesterday’s by-elections saw the first contest for parliamentary seats since the controversial transfer of power that bought President Mohamed Waheed Hassan to power in February, an island council by-election was held in Noonu Maafaru on March 17.

MDP candidate Abdulla Majid Ali took the Noonu Maafaru seat with 240 votes, winning by a margin of four against PPM candidate Muslih Mohamed, who tallied 236 votes.

The seat was previously held by a DRP councillor.

Five by-elections have now been successfully concluded since February 7, with the MDP telling local media today that it accepted that outcome of all recent local by-elections. The MDP’s position comes as the party pushes ahead with calls for early presidential elections.

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PG receives charges against Former President Nasheed in Chief Judge arrest

The Maldives Police Service has today sent the case of the arrest of Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdullah Mohamed to the Prosecutor General’s Office.

Minivan News understands that under the submitted case, Former President Mohamed Nasheed could stand to face charges for his alleged role in ordering the detention of the judge earlier this year.  Any final decision to press charges will then be down to the prosecutor general.

The country’s judges and their conduct became a major focus for former President Nasheed in the run up to him being replaced by Dr Waheed in February, leading to eventual calls for international assistance on the matter.

Nasheed had at the time raised concerns over allegations of perjury and “increasingly blatant collusion” between senior judicial figures and politicians loyal to the former autocratic President, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

Charges

However, it is the former president who now himself faces criminal charges relating to the detention  of the judge.

According to sources linked to the case, the charges levied against Nasheed relate to the violation of article 46 of the Constitution of the Republic of Maldives, and for violation of Article 12 clause (a) of Judges Act (Act no 13/2010).

Article 44 of the Maldives Constitution states: “No person shall be arrested or detained for an offence unless the arresting officer observes the offence being committed, or has reasonable and probable grounds or evidence to believe the person has committed an offence or is about to commit an offence, or under the authority of an arrest warrant issued by the court.”

Article 12 clause (a) of the Judges Act states that a judge can be arrested without a court warrant, but only if he is found indulging in a criminal act. The same article also states that if a judge comes under  suspicion of committing a criminal act or being about to commit a criminal act, they can only be taken into custody with a court warrant obtained from a higher court than that of which the judge presently sits on.  This warrant has to be approved by the prosecutor general.

A police official today confirmed that the case regarding the judge’s attention had been submitted to the Prosecutor General’s Office today.

“Today at around 9:30 am, we have submitted the case [the arrest of Judge Abdulla] to the prosecutor general. We have completed all the necessary investigations required,” the police official said.

An official from the Prosecutor General’s Office also confirmed to Minivan News that the charges sent to it by police were against Nasheed.  However, the official refused to explain the exact nature of the charges, stating that the case was still being assessed by their legal team.

Spokesperson for Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Imthiyaz Fahmy said that he would not comment on the issue until after a party meeting scheduled to discuss the issue was held

Judge arrest

Judge Abdulla was arrested by the MNDF on January 16 this year, in compliance with a police request. The judge’s whereabouts were not revealed until January 18.  The MNDF had acknowledged receipt but not replied to Supreme Court orders to release the judge.

As Judge Abdulla continued to be held, Prosecutor General (PG) Ahmed Muizz later joined the High Court and Supreme Court in condemning the MNDF’s role in the arrest, requesting that the judge be released.

According to Muizz, police are required to go through the PG’s Office to obtain an arrest warrant from the High Court.

“They haven’t followed the procedures, and the authorities are in breach of law. They could be charged with contempt of the courts,” he said at the time.

However, following the controversial resignation of  former President Mohamed Nasheed on February 7, Judge Abdulla was released that evening after incumbent president Mohamed Waheed Hassan took over the presidency.

A second case involving Nasheed has also been sent to the prosecutor general by the police that involved the confiscation of bottles of alcohol allegedly found at his residence shortly after his presidency ended.

In a press conference, Deputy Head of the Drug Enforcement Department, Sub-Inspector Ismail Fareed, noted that all  people questioned regarding the case had fully cooperated.

However, Nasheed maintained that he had no part to play in the confiscated liquor bottles.

HRCM

Just last month, Nasheed became the first president to be summoned before the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) regarding his role in the arrest of Judge Abdulla.

Nasheed used his testimony to claim that he had been informed at the time by the Home Ministry that the judge allegedly posed a “national threat” – prompting his eventual detention.

The former president additionally claimed that the Home Ministry had communicated with the Defence Ministry on the situation, which in turn led to the decision to arrest the judge after watchdog bodies like the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has raised alleged concerns over his ethical conduct.

“I was told Abdulla Mohamed would not comply with the police’s summons to investigate allegations [against him],” Nasheed later stated at a press conference following the meeting with the HRCM.

“The Home Minister wrote to the Defense Minister that Abdulla Mohamed’s presence in the courts was a threat to national security. And to take necessary steps. And that step, the isolation of Abdulla Mohamed, was what the [Defense] Ministry deemed necessary.”

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Former President Gayoom to attend by-elections victory celebrations in Guraidhoo

Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is to reportedly visit Guraidhoo in Thaa Atoll this evening to celebrate the victory of government-aligned political parties in yesterday’s parliamentary by-elections.

The by-elections were held to elect MPs for the constituencies of Kaashidhoo and Thimarafushi – both seats were won by parties in the national unity government of current President Mohamed Waheed Hassan.

The Thimarafushi seat was formerly filled by Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Mohamed Mustafa, but the seat was yesterday won by Mohamed Shareef, a candidate for Gayoom’s Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM).

The Jumhoory Party’s (JP) Abdullah Jabir meanwhile claimed the Kaashidhoo seat.

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CSC announces intention to reimburse deducted wages

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) has announced today it is to reimburse money deducted from the earnings of government employees between January to December 2010.

The wage repayments, amounting to Rf443.7 million (US$28.8 million), will be disbursed in monthly instalments over twelve months from July 1 this year, the CSC confirmed in a press release.  This money has not been accounted for in this year’s state budget, the deficit of which has already drawn concern from the International Monetary Fund.

This reduction in civil servant pay was introduced by the previous government in an attempt to manage a financial crisis back in 2009. The initial deduction, agreed between the Finance ministry and the CSC, was only due to last for three months until the government’s income had risen above Rf7billion (US$544 million).

However, after the Finance Ministry refused to restore wages to the previous level, the CSC took the case to the courts.

After the dispute between the government and the CSC was submitted to legal adjudication, the Civil Court ruled that the Finance Ministry did not have the authority to reduce the salaries, a cut of up to 20 percent in some cases. The CSC at the time interpreted this as a decision to restore the deducted salaries, a decision upheld by the High Court in May of last year.

“Hidden political agenda”

At the height of the discord between the two departments in February 2011, the Finance Ministry claimed that certain members of the CSC were using the issue as a cover to attain “a hidden political agenda.”

“The CSC is making it difficult for the government to implement the necessary economic policies [and are therefore] indirectly trying to damage the economy,” the Ministry said in a statement at the time.

“[The CSC’s actions] will result in an increased budget deficit, make it difficult to maintain the value of the rufiyaa against the dollar and will damage the Maldivian economy, affecting each and every citizen of this country.”

The Finance Minister Abdullah Jihad recently announced that he would return the budget for this year to parliament as the current rate of expenditure would leave a deficit of Rf2 billion.  Jihad could not be contacted by Minivan News at the time of going to press regarding the impacts the reimbursement might have on state expenditure.

Ahmed Nazim, head of the Parliamentary Financial Committee, was also unavailable for comment.

Concerns over the level of spending on civil servants in the Maldives are well documented. A 2010 World Bank report entitled “how did the Maldives get into this situation?” noted that “the origin of the crisis is very clear… the wage bill for public sector employees grew dramatically in a very short time.”

Increases to the salaries and allowances of government employees between 2006 and 2008 reached 66 percent, “by far the highest increase in compensation over a three year period to government employees of any country in the world,” the report noted. The report showed spending on civil servants’ salaries rising from Rf2billion to nearly Rf5billion between 2007 and 2009.

Pay cuts for civil servants were just one of the many deficit reduction measures suggested by the IMF during its meetings with the government of President Mohamed Waheed Hassan earlier this month.

“The expenditure has not been under control since 2009. It has been rising, and we have been [issuing] warnings since then,” Haveeru reported the Chief of the IMF mission in the Maldives, Jonathan Dunn, as telling parliament at the time.

The governments attempts to reduce spending have seen a Finance Committee investigation into the Aasandha health care scheme which accounts for around ten percent of the government’s budget. It has been described by it’s chairman, Ahmed Nazim, as a “hole in the pocket of the government.”

The Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) recently released its figures for March, attributing a significant loss of funds to the goverment’s decision to change the way island lease payments are made. The system changed from a lump sum payment to an instalment method for lease renewals, costing the government around Rf350 million (US $23million) that month. The IMF noted that the current budget figures had not accounted for this loss of revenue.

The government also recently announced significant number of benefits and promotions being awarded within the secuity forces.

The IMF predicted dire consequences if the government’s budgetary imbalances were to cause it to exhaust its foreign reserves.

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Government rules out 2012 presidential vote on the back of by-election “Mandate”

The government has said that victory yesterday for its coalition partners in two parliamentary by-elections is a clear indication of its “mandate” amongst the Maldivian people to remain in power until 2013, despite continued local and international calls for early elections.

Following the weekend’s elections, government spokesman Abbas Adil Riza today called on international bodies to take the results of the polls into consideration when reflecting on the need for fresh national polls.

Amidst mostly peaceful voting, official provisional results from the country’s Elections Commission showed that Ahmed Shareef of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and the Jumhoory Party’s (JP) Abdullah Jabir both beat ousted Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) candidates to take seats in the People’s Majlis.

From a government perspective, Abbas claimed that the by-elections should be seen as a “vote of confidence” by the public in the national unity government made up of parties such as the JP, the PPM and the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP).

However, the MDP maintained yesterday that the by-elections indicated that the country was able to hold “free and fair elections” as soon as possible.

“The MDP has consistently called for early presidential elections in the Maldives to resolve the political deadlock that exists since the unlawful transfer of power on February 7 following police and military backed coup in the Maldives,” stated MDP spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor .

“Elections today are held at a time when [former President Maumoon Abdul] Gayyoom has publicly stated early Presidential elections would not be held in the Maldives citing conditions for elections are not right and also that Elections Commission does not have the capacity to hold early elections in the Maldives.”

Public support

In addressing the MDP’s claims, government spokesperson Abbas believed the results of polling for the two parliamentary and two Island Council seats indicated public acceptance of President Waheed’s administration.

“It is clear that there is public support in the country for this government and that there are not any problems with its constitutional mandate to be in power. In three out of the four elections held, the coalition won by a clear majority,” said Abbas. “The MDP has continued to call for early elections, though yesterday’s elections show that the public backs the government until early elections can be held in July 2013.”

CMAG

Abbas’ comments were made as the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), which was last month criticised by President Waheed’s government for showing “bias” in calling for early elections, is set to convene tomorrow.

The political situation in the Maldives since the transfer of power that bought President Waheed into office on February 7 will be a key topic of discussion for the tomorrow’s meeting. The CMAG panel meeting tomorrow comprises of foreign ministers from Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Jamaica, Sierra Leone,Tanzania and Trinidad and Tobago.

Since CMAG made its original statement last month about the Maldives situation, the US and EU have also pledged to support the Commonwealth in working to facilitate fair, early elections.

Earlier this month, the US government pledged US$500,000 (Rf7.7 million) to help fund an elections program to assist Maldivian institutions in ensuring a free and fair presidential election.

In announcing the elections funding,Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Colombo Valerie Fowler said at the time that the US would “work with the Commonwealth to help the Maldives work through the current situation to elections”.

The US will lend any support, including technical assistance, to ensure the next presidential election in the Maldives is conducted “smoothly and observed the rule of law”, Fowler said.

“Through USAID we are in the process of starting an election programme that will assist Maldivian institutions in ensuring a free and fair presidential election. We have allocated US$500,000 to start that process and anticipate that we can begin as soon as July 2012.”

However, Fowler noted that the US believed there needed to be an “environment conducive to early elections”, an aim that could only be created through dialogue, as well as capacity building measures.

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