Month: August 2013

Journalists association condemns death threats against TVM presenter

The Maldives Journalist Association (MJA) has condemned death threats against state broadcaster Television Maldives (TVM) Deputy Editor Aishath Leeza Laurella.

The presenter had been the subject of criticism from certain political groups over the past week after a series of programmes  interviewing the candidates of next month’s presidential election.

After the ‘siyaasath’ (policy) show’s inaugural interview with Jumhoree Party (JP)  candidate Ibrahim Gasim, party officials accused the presenter of attempting to “demean” its candidate.

In a statement issued today, the MJA said that giving death threats because of the questions asked by a journalist or television presenter is not acceptable and slammed it as an act to terminate press freedom in the country.

The MJA called on the police to hasten the investigation of the case and stated that the interviews with the presidential candidates represented important work done by the media.

Police media officials today told Minivan News that a case was filed with police by Maldives Broadcasting Commission (MBC) alleging that a group of people were plotting an attack on Leeza, posing a threat to her life.

The official explained that the investigation of the case was ongoing and that no arrests had yet been made. He declined to provide further information beyond this.

TVM is scheduled to televise a four-way presidential debate on September 1. Gasim’s JP yesterday confirmed that their candidate would be taking part, after suggestions he was considering a boycott of the station.

Press Freedom

In February this year, Leeza and a second TVM journalist were hospitalised after being hit by projectiles containing some kind of irritant which local media reported to be paint thinner.

On the same evening, Ibrahim ‘Aswad’  Waheed – a reporter for private broadcaster Raajje TV – was left in a critical condition after being badly beaten by two men using iron bars in Male’.

In mid-2012, controversial blogger Hilath Rasheed had his throat slashed in an alleyway on Chandhanee Magu.

Rasheed was initially given a five percent chance of survival, but later recovered. He has since fled the country. No arrests were made in the case.

The Maldives plummeted to 103rd in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Press Freedom Index for 2013, a fall of 30 places and a return to pre-2008 levels.

The Paris-based organisation included ‘extremist religious groups’ in the Maldives in its ‘Predators of Freedom of Information’ report for 2013.

The 2013 report accused “leaders and members of fanatical groups in the Maldives” of “intimidating media organisations and bloggers and threatening them with physical harm in order to force them to exercise self-censorship.”

TVM was itself the scene of violence during the chaos surrounding former President Mohamed Nasheed’s resignation on February 7, 2012. The gates of the station – known as the Maldives National Broadcasting Corporation (MNBC) prior to the transfer of power – were broken down by rampaging security forces.

“A policeman shouted that we [MNBC] have brought enough of what government wanted. Now its time for them to broadcast what they want,” recalled one staff member.

The employee said that they were then ordered to patch through the Villa Television (VTV) channel, owned by JP leader Gasim. The nation then watched VTV on the state television’s frequency before the feed was cut off and came back on, re-branded as TVM.

VTV soon became the victim of further violence as opponents of current president, Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan, attacked the station’s studios during unrest surrounding the attempted re-opening of parliament.

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High Court orders re-arrest of child abuse suspect

The High Court has ordered the arrest of the manager of Guraidhoo island’s (Thaa Atoll) state-owned utilities company.

Fenaka Corporation employee Ahmed Fuad was previously arrested in connection with two cases of child sex abuse but was released by Thimarafushi Magistrate Court when brought before the judges to extend his detention period.

A police media official today said that the case was appealed at the High Court after Thimarafushi Magistrate Court ordered his release.

‘’Yesterday the High Court cancelled the release order and issued an arrest warrant and extended his detention period to 15 days for investigation,’’ police media officer said.

“He was arrested at about 3:05pm yesterday,’’ the officer continued.

At the time he was arrested police told the media that the charges related to charges of molesting two minors, a male and a female aged 13 and 17.

Local media outlet Sun Online reported police as telling the paper that the two minors had testified against the accused during the hearing held to extend his detention period in Thimarafushi Magistrate Court.

Local newspaper ‘Haveeru’ reported that the victims are believed to have been in the guardianship of Fuad, who was also reported as being a senior activist in the government-aligned Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).

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MMA slams state spending as government claims expenditure curbed

The Finance Ministry has said it has managed to reduce state spending over the last twelve months, despite the Maldives central bank raising fears over the current “beyond appropriate” levels of government expenditure.

Finance Minister Abdulla Jihad has told Minivan News yesterday that efforts had been successful over the last twelve months to curb recurrent government expenditure, while its borrowing had at the same time remained consistent.

According to Jihad, the government’s decision in April to suspend state-financed development projects had also helped to curb outgoings as the country looks to secure foreign finance for the purpose of budget support.

“We have had difficulties this year with spending, so we have taken these initiatives,” he said.

The suspension of development projects was taken after the state was found to have exhausted its annual budget for recurrent expenditure (including salaries, allowances and administration costs) in the first quarter of 2013

The decision was made in same month that currency reserves in the Maldives were found to have “dwindled to critical levels”, according to the World Bank’s bi-annual South Asia Economic Focus report.

State borrowing

Jihad said that state borrowing had remained consistent over the last year, after the Waheed administration had paid back US$100 million in treasury bonds to Indian authorities by a requested date of February 2013.

Earlier this month, President Waheed pledged that the country would be in a position to restart development projects next year as a result of his government repaying bills incurred through the previous administration’s borrowing.

While President Waheed had previously said he would not resort to borrowing from foreign governments in order to finance his administration, Jihad today confirmed the state was “moving ahead” with efforts to secure credit from overseas sources in Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka.

Earlier this month, the government requested parliament approve a US$29.4 million loan from the Bank of Ceylon to finance the 2013 budget approved by parliament.

In July, the President’s Office confirmed that discussions had been held with Saudi Arabia seeking a long-term, low interest credit facility of US$300 million to help overcome the “fiscal problems” facing the nation.

Parliamentary approval would be required for the credit facility before it could be obtained by the government, Jihad added.

Vicious cycle

Governor of the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) Dr Fazeel Najeeb  (August 23) was quoted in local media as warning that “excessive” government expenditure was directly responsible for the country’s present economic issues.

Speaking during a function to celebrate three years since the formation of the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA), Dr Najeeb claimed that increased government expenditure required large amount of loans that would put the country in a vicious lending cycle.

He also expressed concern at a perceived slow down in the country’s private sector and bank investments increasingly in government Treasury Bills (T-bills).

“The value of Rufiyaa is dropping because government accounts do not have the money, because it is a necessity to print large quantities of money,” he was quoting as saying by Sun Online.

Najeeb said that a long-term economic stability plan would be needed in the country as part of attempts to increase foreign investment, reduce inflation, and curb printing of the Maldivian Rufiyaa in order to calm an increase in prices.

“The plan shall include new foreign investments, aim to reduce inflation, decrease the printing of money and cease it altogether. This will decrease the pressure on the Rufiyaa”.

Minivan News was awaiting a response from Dr Najeeb at time of press.

Waheed Administration’s spending

In July 2012, the Finance Ministry instructed all government offices to reduce their budgets by 15 percent, with only 14 of 35 offices complying by the given deadline.

However, the Finance Ministry in the same month announced its intention to reimburse civil servants for the amount deducted from their salaries in 2010 as part of the previous government’s austerity measures.

The deducted amounts, totaling MVR443.7 million (US$28.8 million), were to be paid back in monthly instalments starting immediately.

Meanwhile, the original budget proposed by the state for 2013 had also included salary increases for military and police officers as well as plans to hire 800 new officers for the security services.

Combined with the transfer of about 5,400 employees in the health sector to the civil service, some MPs at the time estimated that the state wage bill would shoot up by 37 percent.

Parliament eventually passed a MVR15.3 billion (US$992 million) state budget on December 27 last year, after it was reduced by more than MVR1 billion (US$64.8 million) from the MVR16.9 billion (US$1 billion) proposal previously submitted by the Finance Minister.

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Commonwealth elections security consultant meets with Maldives police commissioner

An elections security expert being provided by the Commonwealth to consult on strategies for maintaining law and order during next month’s presidential polls has met with Police Commissioner Abdulla Riyaz in Male’ yesterday (August 25).

Police confirmed today that the Commonwealth Secretariat has assigned Eldred de Klerk to assist with ensuring election security was in line with “international best practices”, following a request by the institution for assistance.

With voting scheduled to commence on September 7, de Klerk met commissioner Riyaz yesterday to discuss his consultancy role.

The Commonwealth announced last week that Former Prime Minister of Malta Dr Lawrence Gonzi would serve as the head of a 17 member group of election observers representing the intergovernmental organisation. The group will be arriving in the Maldives later this month.

The group, constituted by Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma, is mandated to “observe and consider all aspects of the electoral process” on September 7 to ensure it is held in compliance to agreed standards for fair polling.

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PPM predicts election win, barring any “major incidents”

Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) Spokesperson and MP Ahmed Mahloof has stated that the party is confident of winning the September 7 presidential election unless there are “major incidents” on the day.

The party’s biggest concern was the chance that a large part of the electorate registered in polling stations other than those at their permanent residences may be denied the right to vote, he said.

“We are confident that unless such a problem arises, or some major incidents are carried out on voting day, we can smoothly win the elections even if things carry on as now,” Mahloof continued.

“Honestly, what worries us is that thousands from the electorate may be unable to cast their votes. However, the Election Commission (EC)’s Vice President [Ahmed] Fayaz has assured us at the last meeting we had that the EC will ensure no more than 50 people will be unable to vote due to any complications that may arise from re-registration,” he stated at a press conference held today (August 26).

Fayaz today suggested that the PPM’s concerns may have resulted from them “somehow misquoting” what he had said to them during an informal meeting.

Mahloof said although the party accepted that a low number of persons may be unable to vote due to unavoidable complications that may arise on election day, he felt it was better to air any concerns prior to polling day.

“This country needs peace and calm. There will never be peace in this country if the day after the elections, a group comes out again, expressing dissatisfaction with the results, and commits arson and assaults,” Mahloof said.

Mahloof declared that the PPM’s weekly survey showed the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) was rapidly losing the support it had previously had.

The PPM poll currently predicts the PPM will receive 46% of the votes, the MDP 29%, the Jumhooree Party (JP) coalition 18%, and President Mohamed Waheed’s Gaumee Ihthihaad Party (GIP) just 7%.

“If we consider the number of votes, MDP gets about 63,000 votes, PPM gets 103,000 votes, JP will get about 39,600 votes, and it looks like GIP will get approximately 15,000 votes,” he revealed.

Mahloof claimed that these sudden changes in survey figures were a result of the electorate becoming aware of the policies of different candidates through various televised interviews.

Mahloof went on to suggest that a drop in support may have been behind the MDP’s decision not to compete in Saturday’s (August 24) council by election held in the island of Nolhivaram in Haa Dhaal Atoll.

“There are some very active and courageous MDP activists in that island, and yet the party head office in Male’ didn’t dare contest as it might expose the lack of support the party has now,” he alleged.

“We’re democratic, unlike the PPM”: MDP

Responding to Mahloof’s allegations, MDP spokesperson and MP Imthiyaz Fahmy stated that his party refused to take part in any election if it could not democratically select a candidate.

“With the presidential elections this close, that is our main focus. We do not have time to hold primaries for a post in local councils that will only last for the next four months, as holding primaries is itself time consuming,” Fahmy said.

Fahmy also dismissed the PPM’s survey as “baseless”, saying that few Maldivians were even aware of such a poll.

“It’s easy to come out with poll results ‘conducted’ by themselves and announce a clear win, but it’s absolutely baseless. No surveys have thus far been conducted in the country with the oversight of an independent body.”

“All the candidates have at one point or another agreed that MDP is leading the race. The debate they engage in is about which of them will come second in the elections. MDP has garnered even more support as more people are becoming aware of our policies,” Fahmy said.

“MDP wishes to engage in competitive multi-party politics, and to contest in a free and fair competitive election. We are not the ones with a culture of attempting to win elections through bribery, vote-rigging or influencing the authorities,” Fahmy stated.

“Look at the allegations PPM is levying against the EC… we suspect that they are voicing so many complaints about the EC now only because the commission is standing as a barrier between them and some underhand plans they may be cooking up,” Fahmy alleged.

PPM is aiming to create unrest, discord: JP Coalition

JP Spokesperson Moosa Ramiz meanwhile alleged that PPM press conferences were often used for “fear-mongering”, aiming to “create discord and unrest.

“Although they’re working under a different name now – from DRP [Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party] to PPM – these are the same people who threw balls of fire at crowds and created havoc in 2008,” Ramiz continued.

“Mahloof’s statement saying ‘unless ‘huge incidents’ occur seems like a forecast they are giving, possibly meaning that if they lose, they will create unrest. That’s how we interpret it.”

“As for those polls and surveys they speak of, we do not accept those results at all. They are just saying whatever works in their benefit, probably without even having actually conducted any research,” Ramiz said.

“Although [Abdulla] Yameen appears to be the PPM candidate, it is actually [former President and PPM Leader Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom] who is doing the campaigning, and Maumoon who will be in pulling the strings. And we know who Maumoon is. He has remained two-faced, both when in power and now. He will appear all sincere and benevolent, but will be burning inside. Even now, with this survey, we see his habits on display, the habit of working in the interests of nepotism, doing whatever will benefit him, his family and those he considers ‘close’ to him,” Ramiz stated.

Ramiz further argued it was unbelievable that the PPM could gather that much support from the public, suggesting that the public had no trust in Yameen, and that his running mate – Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed – was a man “full of nothing but envy.”

“Jameel’s always throwing a fit, loudly proclaiming to put all his competition in jail for long term, or to flog someone, or to amputate someone, or something of this sort. He’s another man that the public no longer accept in the political arena. The poll they speak of is a farce. How can they have such support with men like this,” asked Ramiz.

“Insha allah, the elections may turn out exactly opposite from what they have predicted,” he added.

Gaumee Ithihad Party (GIP) Spokesperson Abbas Adil Riza was not responding to calls at the time of press.

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MDP allege police investigations are campaign obstruction

Additional reporting by Ahmed Nazeer

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has alleged that officials in the government were threatening senior party figures in a bid to obstruct the party’s presidential campaign, ahead of the upcoming presidential elections.

In a press statement released yesterday (August 25) on its website, the MDP alleged that recent police summons and prosecution of its senior figures – including parliamentary group members – were part of the government’s plan to obstruct campaigning.

The statement came shortly after former President Mohamed Nasheed’s former Special Envoy, Ibrahim Hussain Zaki, was summoned to police for questioning. Zaki’s passport has also been withheld by the authorities.

Last week, the prosecutor general filed charges against six people – including MDP MPs Hamid Abdul Ghafoor, Abdulla Jabir, and former Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair – regarding their apprehension at Hondaidhoo island last November, allegedly in possession of alcohol.

Meanwhile, members of MDP MP Ali Waheed’s family – including his mother, father and wife – were summoned to police as part of an investigation into a corruption case concerning the buying of a house in Male.

“The MDP condemns the politicized police summons and prosecutions against during former Special Envoy Ibrahim Hussain Zaki, parliamentary group members Hamid Abdul Ghafoor and Abdulla Jabir, as the MDP’s campaign gathers pace ahead of the presidential elections,” read the MDP’s statement.

The party also alleged that the arrests on Hondaidhoo were politically motivated and were the government’s attempt to influence the now-shelved no-confidence motions filed against then Home Minister Mohamed Jameel Ahmed and Defense Minister Mohamed Nazim.

Despite the MDP’s claims, Chair of Elections Commission Fuwad Thowfeek told local media that the commission had received few complaints regarding attempts to obstruct campaigning.

Thowfeek said that the commission’s complaints bureau was addressing the complaints filed, and would take action if required.

“Complaints concerning attempts made to influence and obstruct campaigns are very low compared to previous elections. The complaints are very few,” Thowfeek told local newspaper Haveeru. “We expect this year’s election to be smoother compared to last elections. We are only getting very few complaints, even when the election is very close.”

Police investigations

On November 16, 2012, police arrested ten people during a ‘special’ operation on the island of Hondaidhoo in Haa Dhaal Atoll for the alleged possession and consumption of drugs and alcohol. During the raid Ghafoor, Jabir, Zaki, Zuhair, and his wife Mariyam Faiz were all brought under police custody.

Others arrested included Jadhulla Jaleel, Hamdan Zaki, two Sri Lankan nationals named Raj Mohan and Anoor Bandaranayk, as well as a Bangladeshi named Suhail Rana.

Police at the time said that they found large amounts of “suspected” drugs and alcohol after obtaining a court warrant to search the island. The arrests were made “based on information received by police intelligence,” police claimed.

Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef was reported as saying that the suspects were arrested with alcohol and “hash oil”.

Haneef added that police officers at the time of arrest had requested all suspects taken into custody on Hondaidhoo to provide urine samples for a routine examination. However, only Hamdhaan Zaki and the three foreign suspects complied with the request.

Last June, the police sent cases of seven individuals – including the two opposition MPs –to the Prosecutor General’s Office for prosecution. Meanwhile, the case regarding Zaki has yet to be submitted for prosecution as he left the country shortly after being released, only returning two weeks ago.

On February 20, 2013, police declared they were investigating a corruption case involving Ali Waheed in which his mother purchased land in Male’ for MVR 7.938 million (US$514,000) in October 2011.

At the time, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) President Hassan Luthfee confirmed the institution was also investigating a case concerning the Thoddoo MP.

“We have earlier received complaints regarding the MP taking bribes following his defection from the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) to the MDP. There were also claims that he utilised the money he received as bribes to buy a house. We are investigating the matter,” Luthfee said.

Contacted by Minivan News today, Ali Waheed said he had already commented on the matter through Twitter.

My wife was summoned to police tonight while I am on campaign @ GA. Abdulla Riyaz is mistaken. She is much stronger and better than me!

— Ali Waheed (@ali20waheed) August 25, 2013

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Dr Asim Ahmed appointed Acting Foreign Affairs Minister

The government has appointed Education Minister Dr Asim Ahmed as Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs following the death this week of Dr Abdul Samad Abdulla.

Dr Samad, 67, was pronounced dead yesterday (August 25) at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore, where he had been undergoing kidney dialysis.

The late foreign minister had been admitted to the hospital in critical condition on August 20 after suffering a severe heart attack. He had undergone heart bypass surgery 15 years ago.

“On behalf of the government and people of the Maldives, and on his own behalf, President Waheed extends his heartfelt condolences, at this time of national tragedy, to the family of the late Dr Abdul Samad,” read a statement from the President’s Office.

“The President recognises Dr Abdul Samad Abdulla’s sincere services to the government and the people of Maldives, especially as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives, in strengthening diplomatic relations with other countries,” the statement added.

Dr Samad has served in numerous roles for both the Maldives Health Ministry and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

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‘Costed and Budgeted 2013-2018’: MDP manifesto launched

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) held a parade and rally on Saturday (August 24) that it claims was attended by over 8,000 supporters in order to launch their complete manifesto, titled “Costed and Budgeted 2013 – 2018”.

After a parade down Majeedhee Magu – the main street through Male’ – MDP presidential candidate and former President Mohamed Nasheed addressed his supporters and explained the contents of the party’s manifesto.

“These policies in our manifesto are based on what we learned when we walked door to door, conversing with citizens, enquiring what your thoughts and needs are,” Nasheed said at the rally held in the ‘Raalhugandu’ area.

“In the next 5 years, the state will make a revenue of MVR 72 billion [US$4.6 billion] through the tax system, investments and other programmes we run. Within those 5 years, we will implement 137 development projects. We have budgeted to spend a total of MVR 30 billion [US$1.9 billion] on policies directly related to the people’s development,” Nasheed explained. “The rest will be spent on salaries of civil service staff, debt repayment and administrative matters.”

“I am not contesting in the upcoming elections with a handful of empty vows. Our competitors’ pledges are made in a manner where, if coming on to an island the first person they meet asks for a fishing vessel, they promise to deliver fishing vessels for them all. And then say they meet a teacher who asks for an iPad, whereupon they’ll pledge to give iPads to all teachers. The next person in line might say he is not feeling well, whereupon the candidate may vow to deliver a nurse and doctor to each house. This is not how a political party should form its pledges,” said Nasheed, criticising the competing candidates for the upcoming September 7 election.

“Our pledges contain things that will be fulfilled upon implementation of our policies. Take a look, this manifesto will not contain even a single policy which has not been accounted for. Even if we are asked to submit a budget to the parliament by tomorrow, we are ready to do so.”

Highlighting the contents of the manifesto, Nasheed stated that it included plans for introducing 51,000 job opportunities, a MVR120 million (US$7.7 billion) savings scheme for higher education, MVR118 million (US$7.6 billion) student loan scheme, 20,000 accomodation flats, a MVR2000 (US$129) allowance for every single parent and person with special needs, and an allowance of MVR2300 (US$149) for the elderly.

Nasheed further stated that the party found it highly concerning that “the national debt is 82% of national production”, saying that the manifesto has been designed keeping the factor in mind.

“We will continue to implement the tax system we established in our first term. We will carry out development work without increasing GST and taxes from business profits. We will also introduce income tax, as we previously proposed in 2010,” he continued.

The presidential candidate also stated that it was “of utmost importance” to establish a development bank in the country.

“We especially discussed this with the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank, and based on existing studies made with the assistance of the UNDP, our aim is to establish a development bank within the first year of our term,” he stated.

“With 600 million rufiya from our state budget, and 400 million rufiya from international financial bodies, the development bank will be able to release funding for the generation of 1 billion rufiya capital,” he continued.

“Our aim is for the development bank to issue to private entities 20 percent [of total funds] for the construction of houses, 8 percent to implement a transport system, 44 percent for agriculture, travel and fishing, 13 percent for the education field, 13 percent for education.”

“MDP’s basic objective has been to ensure that if there is a service that is available to any citizen of the Maldives, then to make it available to all other citizens equitably.”

According to Nasheed, the manifesto includes plans to spend MVR16 billion (US$1 billion) on social protection.

Concluding his speech, Nasheed stated that the MDP Manifesto included plans to assure that life becomes better in many aspects for the public. The former president finished by stating that all that was now left for the public was to go vote.

“September 7 is the day we vote to regain the development that we lost on February 7, 2012.”

Parade of Pledges

Prior to the rally, MDP held a parade down Majeedhee Magu with over 8,000 supporters.

In addition to Nasheed, Speaker of Parliament Abdulla Shahid, Male’ City Mayor Ali Manik, and several MDP MPs were seen in the frontlines of the parade.

The atmosphere appeared festive, with different groups performing different acts throughout the parade.

Besides pompoms, streamers, and balloons, each ward of Male’ had prepared a small truck to represent one of the pledges included in the party’s manifesto.

While one truck represented the health insurance policy – with actors depicting a scene in a hospital’s maternity ward – another represented the guest house policy – with an actor lounging on a truck designed to look like a beach.

Traffic police officers provided security throughout the parade.

Contrary to some previous demonstrations and rallies, no hostility was observed between police and participants of MDP’s rally.

Minivan News observed one policeman being asked by rally participants if he had received a letter from Nasheed, adding that if he had not then he must be ‘baaghee’. The young participants were referring to a speech delivered by Nasheed last week, in which he stated he had sent letters to all police officers, except those who had directly partaken in what the MDP alleges to be the February 7 coup d’etat.

The policeman responded by taking a folded up piece of paper out of his pocket and showing Nasheed’s signature on it to the supporters who had questioned him.

“I am not a baaghee. We will win ‘eh burun’ [in one round],” he said

Read the full MDP Manifesto here (Dhivehi)

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Maldivian bodyboarders shine in Australian competition

Maldivian bodyboarders who took part in the Jeff Wilcox Memorial 2013 competition held in Australia this weekend stood out as “some of the best in the event”, with 17 year-old bodyboarder Ali ‘Shaam’ Raafiu winning first place in the competition’s Junior Division.

The Jeff Wilcox Memorial is described as one of the longest running, most respected, prestigious, and independent bodyboarding competitions in Australia – having held 16 contests since 1990 – with some of the best riders in the sport participating.

The competition was revived, after a nine year hiatus, by the Forster Tuncurry Bodyboard Association (FTBA) and is being held on August 24-25 in the Great Lakes region of New South Wales, Australia, with over 100 bodyboarders participating.

Representing the Maldives, the Maldives Bodyboarding Association (MBBA) sent their top three bodyboarders – Ali ‘Kuda Ayya’ Khushruwan, Ali ‘Shaam’ Raafiu, and Ali ‘JD’ Javid – who took 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places, respectively in the Burunu Shikaaru Bodyboarding Challenge held in Male’ this May. Team official and MBBA Vice President Mohamed Khushruwan Ahmed also attended the event.

The MBBA team “made their presence felt” early on, despite the challenging surf conditions on Saturday (August 24) that eventually opened up by the afternoon with four to five foot waves, the FTBA reported.

“The MBBA riders took a little time adjusting to the cooler climate, but when they did they found their groove and were amongst some of the best in the event,” Jeff Wilcox Memorial Event Director Aaron Dodds told Minivan News today (August 25).

After placing first in his heat during the opening round of the competition, Ali ‘Shaam’ Raafiu went on to win the Junior Men’s Division today.

“Shaam built his assault early, the music and great vibe keeping him in the mood. He continued with his clean consistent comp surfing, drawing tight lines for big aerials and quick whipping spins,” Dodds said of Ali ‘Shaam’ Raafiu’s winning performance.

“Shaam drives clean lines and [demonstrates] brilliant combo surfing by linking multiple maneuvers. His lightweight frame always helps,” Dodds added.

In addition to this being Shaam’s first international competition, this was also his first bodyboarding contest win.

“The competitors were tough and the wave conditions were small on the first day of the event, but the final day was pretty challenging with better, good sized waves,” Shaam told Minivan News today.

Shaam explained the keys to winning the competition were “staying sharp and wide eyed during the competition. Also, having the Maldives’ team here supporting me gave me a lot of confidence.”

“This is the first [competitive] invitation MBBA has received after forming the association [earlier this year]. Winning the Juniors title seems good for the youngsters in the Maldives,” he added.

While Shaam does not yet have a professional bodyboarding sponsor he is “looking forward to it”.

Meanwhile, during the first round of the Men’s Open Division, Khushruwan fought off tough opposition.

“Ali Khushruwan beat top seed IBA Australia Jones Russell in his first heat, securing Khushruwan as a potential favourite,” explained Event Director Aaron Dodds.

However, on the competition’s final day, four to five foot waves with “clean wedging bowls” allowed Russell to “shine and just notch out” Khushruwan from the Men’s Open Division quarter finals, Dodds continued.

While Khushruwan did not advance beyond the first round heat of the Drop Knee Division, he still established himself as a formidable competitor.

“Looking for an opportunity to show his skills, Khushruwan made the most of the challenging conditions and busted out some solid maneuvers,” the FTBA highlighted in their competition coverage ‘Visitors Dominate Day 1 at the Jeff Wilcox Memorial‘.

Although the Maldivian bodyboarders are no strangers to difficult wave conditions, the cold water posed an entirely new challenge.

“It’s totally different, we don’t wear wetsuits. We wear only board shorts and surf, so it’s really difficult for us,” Khushruwan told Australian media outlet NBN News.

Javid also competed in the Men’s Open Division, but was eliminated after the first round of competition, as only the top two bodyboarders from each heat advance to the next round.

In addition to the competition, the Jeff Wilcox Memorial 2013 also provided coaching sessions to the junior bodyboarders, as well as free surf awareness and CPR courses for competitors as “a lot of surfers are responsible for thousands of unsung rescues”.

Three coaching and development sessions that focused on nurturing younger riders’ skills were led by professional bodyboarding coach Haydon ‘Da Boogie Man’ Bunting.

“One of the major things that is missing from bodyboarding is mentoring at club level, these kids have great style and posture, it is a matter of building their confidence and the young riders understanding that it is more than catching waves,” said Bunting.

“Just observing others surfers, watching their techniques and having good understanding of the ocean is very important,” he added.

Photographs 1 & 2 provided by Shane Chalker Photography

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