January 6, 2014 – Minivan News

Ten political parties to be dissolved

The Elections Commission (EC) is to dissolve ten political parties in February after eight of the ten failed to increase party membership to 3,000 members.

Councils of two of the ten parties – the Maldives Reform Movement (MRM) and the Gaumee Iththihaad Party (GIP) – had voted to voluntarily disband in December.

The Supreme Court in September 2013 struck down Article 11 of the Political Party Act which stipulates a 10,000 member minimum for party registration. Local media at the time reported that minimum party membership would fall to 3000 as per the previous political party regulation.

None of the ten parties fulfill the 3000 member minimum.

The eight to be dissolved are: the People’s Alliance (PA), Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP), Islamic Democratic Party (IDP), the Maldivian Labor Party, the Social Liberal Party, People’s Party, Maldivian National Congress (MNC), and the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Social Democratic Party.

The EC has asked the ten parties to inform the commission of plans for any debt or assets before February 7.

EC Vice President Ahmed Fayaz said that while the Supreme Court had annulled Article 11, Article 27 which requires the commission to give a three month notice to increase membership to 10,000 members still stood.

“We sent a letter to parties with membership below 10,000 to increase their members. But these parties are not being dissolved because they do not have 10,000. It is because they do not have the 3000 member minimum,” Fayaz explained.

The Maldives will have six political parties after the ten are dissolved. They are ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) and its coalition partners – the Jumhooree Party (JP), the Maldives Development Alliance (MDA), Adhaalath Party, Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) – and opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

Among the six, only MDA has membership below 10,000. According to the EC website, MDA currently has 7537 members.

President Abdulla Yameen set up the People’s Alliance (PA) in 2008 following a disagreement with half-brother and then-President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Yameen resigned from the party and joined Gayoom’s new PPM in 2011.

Gayoom’s Attorney General Hassan Latheef set up the DQP in 2008. The party backed Yameen during the second round of 2013 presidential polls after it’s coalition partner JP failed to make the run-off.

Current Home Minister Umar Naseer set up the IDP in 2005, but defected from his own party to join the DRP in 2010.

MP ‘Redwave’ Ahmed Saleem established the Maldivian Labor Party in 2008. Finally, the Social Liberal Party was a splinter from the MDP – founded by former MP Ibrahim ‘Ibra’ Ismail in 2008.

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Government to introduce nationwide sea-ambulance service

The government has announced it is to start a sea ambulance service within two months and expand it nationwide within the year, Haveeru has reported.

In a press conference held to announce the service, Ministry of Defense Mohamed Nazim said it will be initially launched for four regions and later expanded to twenty three zones, covering the whole country. According to Haveeru, the service will be covered under the Aasandha national health insurance scheme.

“The objective is to take patients to a health center instead of bring them to Malé,” Nazim was quoted as saying.

Speed boats under the Ministry of Health, Maldives Police Services and Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) are to be converted into ‘sea-ambulances’ for the service, with enough space for patients and necessary health equipment.

Quoting Health Minister Mariyam Shakeela, Haveeru reported that to this day a health ambulance service was not provided properly and only six out of twenty six speed boats owned by the ministry were usable.

The service will be begin with a government allocated budget, but will depend on funding from the United Nations and the Red Crescent, Shakeela was quoted as saying. According to the minister, the service will create new jobs, where employees will be well trained and covered by a special insurance scheme.

The MNDF will be managing the ambulances and emergency operations will be carried out by MNDF area commands.

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Police working on five year strategic action plan

The police have begun work on creating a five-year strategic action plan.

According to local media, police have today started a three day workshop to collect ideas from police officers.

The workshop was initiated today with a speech by Home Minister Umar Naseer, who urged the police to give priority to reduce drug related crimes in the country.

Umar Naseer also noted that it was very important to strengthen the criminal justice system of the country in order to hasten police investigation period.

Establishing a five-year strategic action plan was one of the goals of the force’s 100 day programme set out after the election of President Abdulla Yameen.

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AG’s Office announces hundred day roadmap

Halfway through the first hundred-days of President Abdulla Yameen’s government, the Attorney General’s Office has announced its ‘hundred day objectives’, joining various other state institutions that have announced such plans within the past fifty days.

The AG Office’s ‘hundred-days plan’ consist of seven objectives, including the providence of legal assistance to institutions in achieving their hundred-day goals. Three separate ‘five-year road maps’ targeting to ‘strengthen’ the civil justice system, the criminal justice system and the constitutional, legal and judicial system is to be formulated within the first hundred-days of the new administration.

In addition to this, the legislative agenda of the new government – listing the bills to be introduced by the government – and the strategic plan of the AG’s Office for the next five years will also be ready within this period, according to the roadmap revealed yesterday.

The AG’s Office also plans to prepare for awareness and training programs to be carried out with the implementation of the new penal code.

Other institutions that have announced hundred-day plans include the Ministry of Transport and Communication, the Department of Immigration and Emigration, the Maldives Police Services, Maldives Customs Service, Maldives National Defense Force, the Ministry of Environment and Energy and the Ministry of Education.

The hundredth day of President Yameen’s government will be 26 February 2014.

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Two arrested with stolen items

Police have arrested two persons from the island of Maamigili in Alifu Dhaalu Atoll in connection with a case of theft reported to the island’s police station.

In a statement the police said that the pair arrested were aged 20 and 24.

Police said that the stolen items were recovered within two hours from the time the case was reported.

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MBC requests government’s commitment to uphold media freedom

Maldives Broadcasting Commission (MBC) has requested President Abdulla Yameen include two points related to media freedom in his “first hundred days” plans – a series of objectives announced by government institutions to be achieved within the first hundred days of his presidency.

In a letter addressed to the President Yameen, MBC President Mohamed Shaheeb requested to that all cases filed against journalists and broadcasters be withdrawn and for the president and government institutions to sign the five-point pledge to uphold media freedom proposed by the commission.

He asked the president to make these two requests part of the hundred-day road map, suggesting said that doing so will show the new government’s level of commitment to ensure media freedom in the Maldives.

MBC’s five-point pledge was first formulated in 2013 during Dr Mohamed Waheed’s presidency. The commission had planned and announced an event for signing the pledge to coincide with World Press Freedom Day, although the event was later cancelled.

The “right to espouse, disseminate and publish news, information, views and ideas” is enshrined in Article 28 of the constitution, as is the right to protect sources of information.

The five points of the pledge were as follows;

To be free from prejudice by giving fair and equal access to the media.
To ensure the safety of journalists,
To protect journalists from punitive measures and harassment,
To provide a conducive environment for journalists to do their jobs,
To enhance the role of media in a democracy by allowing free flow of information.

During President Waheed’s presidency, the Maldives saw a decline in press freedom, falling thirty places on the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Press Freedom Index to 103 rd.

RSF noted that, following the events of 7 February 2012, the Maldives witnessed violence and threats against journalists, including the first attempted murder of a journalist.

“Many journalists have been arrested, assaulted and threatened during anti-government protests,” reported the press freedom NGO.

President Yameen’s Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) was a coalition partner in the Waheed government, with party members holding various senior government posts. Yameen’s Vice President Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed was Home Minister under Waheed, at the time describing the opposition MDP aligned ‘Raajje TV’ as an “enemy of the state”.

Raajje TV faced the most discrimination and violence during this period – one prominent journalist was seriously injured in an attack in February last year, before the station’s headquarters were burned down last October in a premeditated arson attack.

The destruction of Raajje’s studio brought international condemnation, with particular criticism reserved for the police’s failure to prevent the attack. The Police Integrity Commission last month recommended prosecution of two officers in relation to their negligence on the night of the attack.

Shortly after President Yameen’s inaugration, police sent a case involving senior officials RTV for criminal prosecution regarding the broadcasting of a report critical of the Supreme Court. Both MBC and the Maldves Media Council (MMC) – independent institutions tasked with media regulation – have expressed concern over the matter.

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Criminal Court to decide on how to proceed with cases in absence of PG

The Criminal Court is to decide on how to proceed with criminal cases in the absence of a Prosecutor General (PG), local media have reported

The superior court will decide on whether to continue all the cases in the court or halt the cases until a new PG is appointed.

The position has been vacant since former PG Ahmed Muiz resigned on November 25.

Local newspaper Haveeru noted that Civil Court has previously stopped proceeding with cases when the position of Attorney General (AG) was vacant.

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“Nothing precedes ties with India” although ties with China also “very close”: President Yameen

President Abdulla Yameen has stated that while the Maldives has “close ties” with China, “nothing will precede ties with India, which are far more precious”.

Yameen told Indian media during his recent official trip to the country, that he had assured its leaders that the bond between the two neighbouring countries is “heartfelt” and “based on sentiments”.

“India’s primary concern has been security in the region, particularly in the Indian Ocean and our views on the issues are exactly similar to India’s views. So it was not a difficult proposition at all.”

“We have agreed and we have exchanged views on areas of concern such as security, fighting against terrorism and fighting against piracy in the Indian Ocean. So we are largely to gain from these matters that are a concern to India while we share the Indian sentiments and we have totally endorsed them,” he continued.

“While we have had a slight rough patch with India, the time of good relations far outweigh the rough patches we had. I suppose it is easy for us to be on the right track again,” Yameen said, referring to the issues between the countries following the cancellation of the airport development contract with Indian infrastructure giant GMR.

“My trip here is the testimony to that fact. This is my first visit after I assumed office and India has been a gracious host to me. The Prime Minister of India has been very generous and kind. The talks were absolutely satisfying,” Yameen opined about the outcome of the visit.

The two countries agreed on numerous plans to strengthen bilateral defence and security cooperation, to increase and protect businesses and investments, as well as assistance in multiple development projects.

However, Yameen dismissed questions regarding rising religious radicalism in the Maldives, stating that “there is nothing to worry about at this time”.

“There are people with different thoughts. Very orthodox views. But that has not escalated into an issue of concern. It has not been a source of concern. But yes, India and Maldives, we have both agreed on our position against terrorism, on piracy in the Indian Ocean,” he continued.

“Islamic sentiments are a thing that people hold privately. I would not like to categorize that. This is however not an issue to worry about at this point in time,” he said.

As recently as May 2013, however, both the Chief of Defence Force Major General Ahmed Shiyam and then Attorney General Aishath Bisham warned of increased risks of terror attacks and of Maldivian youth enrolling in terror training camps.

In the same month, Reporters Without Borders labelled Maldives’ extremist groups as “predators of press freedom”.

Development project agreements

India and the Maldives have agreed to begin implementation of an agreement on cooperation in development projects signed in 2011 titled the “Framework Agreement on Cooperation for Development”.

The Agreement, signed during the administration of former President Mohamed Nasheed, mandates the establishment of a joint commission to oversee projects implemented under the programme, and a minimum of one annual meeting of the said commission.

A joint statement released by the two governments announced that the commission’s inaugural meeting will be held in 2014.

President Yameen stated on Monday that the ties between Maldives and India has been at their closest in the past 50 years during the time when his half brother and leader of ruling Party Progressive Party of Maldives Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was in power.

Yameen stated that the close ties are a direct result of Gayoom’s foreign policy, and the maintenance of mutual respect between the two countries since that time. He asserted that the current government will be re-implementing the foreign policy that Gayoom had made during his administration.

He stated that dignitaries from among India’s leadership had stated the same during the meetings held in his official visit.

Following Yameen’s return to the country on January 4, Gayoom made an official visit to the President’s Office on Monday to assure the government of unwavering cooperation and assistance from the ruling party.

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Police seize mobile phones and drugs in Maafushi prison

The Maldives Police Services have seized illegal narcotics and mobile phones in Maafushi Prison on Sunday.

A Police and Department of Penitentiary and Rehabilitation Services (DPRS) joint operation uncovered 50 rubber packers, one bullet size packet, one can and 22 cellophane packets containing illegal drugs. Five additional packets with traces of illegal drugs were also found.

Police discovered 15 mobile phones, 17 mobile phone batteries, 26 SIM cards, three mobile phone chargers, one SD memory card and one knife during the raid.

In a statement on Sunday, the police said that the operation was conducted after police received reports that inmates in Maafushi prison had been calling various people, asking them to recharge their phones with large amounts of cash.

Police said that inmates have also phoned people outside jail and told them that they will conduct useful projects in the Maldives and beneficial work and asked for money in return.

Inmates had also called shops pretending to be fishermen calling from a fishing boat or staff working on a safari boat, and have asked the shops to put credit in their mobile phones promising to pay the shop back at a later date, the police said.

The police advised people not to participate in money transactions proposed by strangers and not to recharge mobile phone accounts of unknown individuals.

Police said they clarified these reports first through police intelligence department before raiding the cells.

When asked how inmates were able to smuggle illegal substances into prison, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Mohamed Hanim said he had not yet received details on the operation.

The police said they have previously issued statements to increase awareness among the public regarding such crimes, and said it was regrettable that not enough cooperation is being received from the people to stop these types of crimes.

In March 2010, the then-State Minister for Home Affairs Ahmed Adil said that jail officers were being investigated on suspicion of helping inmates bring mobile phones and drugs into cells in Male’ prison.

In May 2011, the then-Head of Department and Penitentiary and Rehabilitation Services (DPRS) Mohamed Rasheed confirmed that a police officer was being questioned for allegedly attempting to smuggle charged phone batteries to inmates at Maafushi prison.

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