Month: May 2014

Maldivians shouldn’t fight foreign wars in name of Islam, says Islamic minister

Minister of Islamic Affairs Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed has stated that, while the ministry is not aware of Maldivians taking part in Syria’s civil war, he does not believe it is right for locals to join foreign conflicts.

“This ministry is not aware of any Maldivians fighting in the Syrian war, nor is it a matter that concerns us. However, I personally do not believe it is right for any Maldivian youth to join another country’s war in the name of Islam,” he said.

The Islamic leader’s comments follow this week’s reports that two Maldivians had died while fighting forces loyal to Bashar Al Assad in Syria.

One government-aligned MP as well as a former senior police officer have today branded the authorities’ response insufficient and “irresponsible”.

“It does not do to just say that they are unaware of the problem,” said Jumhooree Party (JP) MP Ahmed Sameer.

While Vice President of the Fiqh Academy Sheikh Iyaz Abdul Latheef told Minivan News that the academy has no official view on the matter of jihad, Iyaz himself has blogged about the matter in his personal capacity.

Writing on ‘MV Islam Q&A’, Iyaz said it was unacceptable ‘jihad’ to fight in a war without seeking prior permission from the leader of the nation and from one’s parents. He also said that another arising from such ‘jihad’ is the unforgivable error of killing another muslim.

“Nothing the government can do”

President Abdulla Yameen has meanwhile claimed that the government is unaware of Maldivians fighting in the Syrian civil war. If they were, he added, then it is not being done with the government’s consent.

“We will not stay on the borderline after sending any Maldivians to war. So it is an extremely sorrowful incident that some from a family of Maldivians travelled to Syria, got involved in a dangerous encounter, and was killed in the process,” he told press upon his return from India yesterday (May 27).

Yameen said that the government had always urged Maldivians to maintain discipline when living abroad, adding that the responsibility for any crime willfully committed by an individual must be borne by the individual himself.

“If any Maldivian – regardless of where they are, or for what reason, even if not for war – notifies us that they are unable to come back to the Maldives, the government will offer any possible financial assistance to them. However, there is no way we can bring back anyone forcefully against their will,” said the president.

Police confirmed today that they are currently investigating the reports of the first Maldivian – said to have died in a suicide attack -while information was being gathered regarding the second individual.

An official said that, while mainstream media has reported an additional 20 Maldivians as having travelled to Syria, police had not received official information about the matter.

Maldives National Defence Force Spokesperson Major Hussain Ali confirmed that they too are investigating the matter, while Minister of Defence and National Security Mohamed Nazim was unable to comment on the matter at the time of press.

“Irresponsible government response”

A former senior police officer – speaking on condition of anonymity – described  the government’s response as “highly irresponsible”, calling for immediate preventive measures.

“It has previously been alleged that there are terror cells here, and that the Maldives is also somehow involved in financing terrorism activities,” he said.

“In fact, the government must have been aware of this way before it was discussed in mainstream media. In light of these events, it is a likely danger – and a far more serious threat – that such actions may start operating here on our own land.”

Preventive measures must be taken now, and counter policies drafted, said the former officer, who went on to suggest that an excessive focus on domestic politics would be taken advantage of by extremists.

JP MP Sameer has also lent his voice to the debate today, stating that the government must have clearer policies on how to deal with such matters, and that he has heard of the government intervening to stop such actions in the past.

“Today, we have an Islamic Ministry and a Fiqh Academy – both institutions are state authorities on religion. If this act of joining the Syrian war is against Islamic norms and local policies as defined by these institutions, then I believe the government must take action against it,” he said.

“If, however, what they are doing is not against Islam or local policies, then the government should by all means facilitate them. What I am saying is that the government’s stand on the matter is unclear,” Sameer stated.

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party previously released a statement on May 16 alleging that there was a prevalence of extremist ideologies within the Maldivian security forces.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

PPM MP Maseeh elected speaker, MDP MP ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik deputy speaker

Ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) MP Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed and opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik have been elected speaker and deputy speaker of the 18th People’s Majlis, respectively.

Fuvamulah South MP Maseeh was elected with a simple majority of 43 votes while Jumhooree Party (JP) Leader Gasim Ibrahim received 39 votes.

Hulhuhenveiru MP Moosa Manik was elected with 42 votes while PPM contender Abdul Raheem Abdulla received 41 votes.

Voting took place through secret ballot at the first sitting of the new parliament following a swearing-in ceremony in the morning, where the oath of office for the 85 MPs-elect was administered by Chief Justice Ahmed Faiz Hussain.

The ballots were counted by a five-member committee chosen at the beginning of the sitting with unanimous consent of all MPs present.

In the vote to elect the speaker, two ballots were invalidated as they were not marked with the designated pen. One ballot was not counted in the vote to elect the deputy speaker as the MP had voted for both candidates.

JP MP Mohamed Hussain who chaired today’s sitting did not participate in the vote. The veteran MP presided over the first sitting in accordance with Article 82 of the constitution, which states, “Until such time as a speaker and a deputy Speaker is elected the People’s Majlis shall be presided over by the consecutively longest serving member from among those present.”

Coalition on the rocks

The ruling Progressive Coalition meanwhile appeared on the brink of collapse yesterday as the dispute over the speaker’s post saw the PPM threaten to sever its coalition agreement with the JP if Gasim Ibrahim did not withdraw his candidacy.

The business tycoon, however, refused and accused the PPM of breaching the coalition agreement by not providing 35 percent of political posts and failing to include the JP in decision-making.

After Gasim’s name was nominated at today’s sitting, Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb told local media before the vote was taken that the JP was no longer part of the coalition.

The PPM deputy leader revealed that the decision was made last night by the ruling party’s council, adding that the council would ask President Abdulla Yameen to dismiss political appointees belonging to the JP.

The parties entered a formal coalition agreement ahead of last year’s presidential election run-off between former President Mohamed Nasheed and PPM candidate Abdulla Yameen after Gasim placed third.

Gasim’s endorsement of Yameen proved to be crucial in the PPM-led coalition’s narrow victory in the second round of November’s presidential polls.

After a joint campaign for the parliamentary polls in March, the Progressive Coalition secured 53 out of 85 seats. The PPM won 33 seats, followed by the MDP with 26 seats, JP with 15 seats, MDA with five seats, independent candidates with five seats and the Adhaalath Party with one seat.

Neither party won enough seats to reach the 43-vote simple majority.

Shortly after the polls, three out of the five independent candidates as well as MDP MP-elect Mohamed Musthafa signed for the ruling party, bringing the PPM’s numbers to 37 MPs.

MDP

The opposition MDP had decided to support Gasim after announcing eight conditions for supporting a candidate.

Former President Mohamed Nasheed – acting president of the main opposition party – meanwhile led a small group of MDP protesters outside the parliament house, calling on the government to fulfil campaign pledges.

Speaking to reporters, Nasheed accused President Abdulla Yameen and PPM Leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom of attempting to control all powers of the state.

Contending that the PPM had no intention of honouring its coalition agreement with the JP, Nasheed said that the current administration was “based on a lie.”

“So I am hoping that the government will soon be changed. I don’t see how the government can be sustained with 25 percent support,” he said.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Majlis under threat, suggests outgoing speaker

“My projection of what I see for the next five years is very bleak,” says Abdulla Shahid.

“Those who want to make sure that the institution of parliament is a weak one – those who would like the institution to just be an executive office – have a majority today in the parliament.”

Shahid was today sworn in to stand alongside his fellow MPs in the 18th Majlis after having led the house from the speaker’s chair for the past five years.

With controversy already surrounding the appointment of his successor, Shahid has told Minivan News of his disappointment regarding what he sees as the persistent erosion of the institution’s powers and independence.

“What we are hearing, especially from President Abdulla Yameen today, is that the parliament has to be an institution which would continuously back the government, and that is what it has been from 1932 to 2009 – an institution that has always rubber-stamped whatever the executive or the president or the sultan wanted,” said the member for Henveiru North.

A member of the Majlis since 1995, Shahid was a founder member of the country’s second registered political party, President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party – formed as part of the country’s democratic transition over the past decade.

However, in the aftermath of the chaotic transition of executive power in 2012 , Shahid switched his allegiance to the deposed Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), citing his fear that “opportunists & extremists” were trying to reverse the country’s democratic gains.

“There have been times when I have been slightly satisfied that the Majlis and the country are on the right path, but the entire five years put into context – looking back – I think we have not met the aspirations of the people, or what the people aspired for in 2008.”

Oversight and immunity

Looking back on his term as the first democratically elected speaker of the first democratically elected parliament, Shahid described an institution whose constitutional powers were under concerted attack.

“If you can look at the last five years in parliament – the continuous battering that parliament as an institution took was immense,” he recalled, suggesting that the source of this obstruction was the legislature’s oversight mandate – unprecedented in the Maldives’ history.

“The people over whom we have the oversight wouldn’t have liked it – like the executive, like the judiciary, like the military, like the police – no one liked the parliament bringing officials, executives, or officers to the parliament.”

“Peoples representatives asking questions – they didn’t like it, so they used whatever means – and I’m sad to say this, but the media extensively, to batter the institution of parliament,” said the former speaker.

The 2008 constitution also determined that the proceedings of the Majlis must be open to the public, a consequence of which appears to have been a collapse in the public’s confidence in the institution, according to a recent survey by Transparency Maldives.

The culmination of this “systematic attack”, argued Shahid, was the erosion of parliamentary privileges, almost as soon as the privileges act had been introduced after overriding a presidential veto.

“There was once again systematic propaganda to mislead the public on immunities and privileges, which are two different aspects of the parliament, but they were combined – it was projected to be the same thing and as a result I would say the parliament has suffered immensely.”

In November, the Supreme Court voided a number of articles included in the privileges act and subsequently sentenced MDP MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor to a jail sentence for his failure to attend court hearings scheduled during voting hours – later overturned by the High Court.

MDP MP Abdulla Jabir has also been handed a jail sentence in relation to refusal to submit to urine testing, while two other opposition MPs were removed by the Supreme Court over decreed debt.

Speaking at the launch of a book chronicling the history of the Majlis this week, Shahid noted that over 100 MPs had been convicted and removed from office during the institution’s history.

“The new parliament coming in on the 28th, and even the sitting parliament, we don’t have any immunities,” lamented Shahid. “All these have been incorporated into the immunities act and the constitution based on our experience in the last several decades but they’ve all been taken away.”

He called upon all incoming MPs to work to ensure the institution’s immunities are restored in order to ensure they can fulfil their roles as representatives of the people.

“I think all MPs coming into the new parliament should understand that they are coming with a direct mandate from the people. They are not elected because they have the duty to protect the government of the day.”

“My advice would be to try and bring back the immunities that have been taken by the executive, and by the judiciary.”

The new speaker

During the interview, conducted prior to today’s ballot, Shahid appeared to predict the dissolution of the governing Progressive Coalition which the election of a new speaker has brought about.

With President Yameen’s Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) keen to place a member in the speaker’s chair, and with coalition partner Gasim Ibrahim receiving the backing of the opposition MDP, the PPM this week forbade the Jumhooree Party leader from standing.

Gasim’s refusal to defer to his electoral allies appears to have resulted in the splitting of the coalition, leaving the PPM and the Maldivian Development Alliance just short of what had previously been a handsome majority in the 85-seat chamber.

While  today’s vote was subsequently won by the PPM’s Abdulla Maseeh, Shahid’s thoughts on Gasim’s candidacy and the ensuing divisions in the house again echoed his concerns over parliamentary independence.

“I talked to Gasim in the parliament about the immunities and he agrees that these immunities should have been incorporated into the constitution,” said Shahid. “If anybody would have the experience and not let the same mistakes be repeated, it would be Gasim.”

Of foremost importance, maintained Shahid, was the appointment of a speaker who understands that the parliament has moved on from its traditional role as an extension of the executive.

“Nobody holds a majority in the parliament, so once again we would have a parliament which is dysfunctional, which is not controlled by anybody and which on many occasions I foresee working with the opposition trying to block things that the government would wish to do,” he said.

“That is the only encouraging part in this scenario, because many of the things that the current government would want to do – based on what they have been talking about in their rhetoric – is making sure that there is a slide back to autocracy.”

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

MPL refused to cooperate in Tourism Minister corruption investigation, says auditor general

Board members of Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) have refused to cooperate with an investigation into corruption allegations against Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb, the Auditor General has said.

Adeeb is accused of abusing his position to obtain MVR77.1 million (US$5 million) from the MPL and US$1 million from Maldives Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), and loaning the money to companies owned by relatives and friends via state-owned tourism promotion company the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC).

Case documents show the MPL board approved the payment to MMPRC.

Auditor General Ibrahim Niyaz said a preliminary report into the case could only be completed with input from MPL board members, but some had refused to answer summons.

“The MPL board did not cooperate with us. Some of them did not answer our summons for investigation,” Niyaz said.

The MPL did, however, provide required documentation, he noted.

MPL CEO Mahdi Imad told news agency Haveeru that he was unaware of summons. He denied any wrongdoing in the transaction, claiming MMPRC was using the rufiyaa to buy dollars for MPL.

“Our company has engaged in buying dollars before. There is nothing to hide in this case,” Mahdi said

Meanwhile, the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has said the auditor general’s report was required before the commission could initiate a probe.

Adeeb has not denied involvement in the transaction, but said such transactions were routine between state owned companies in order to avoid purchasing dollars on the black market.

As Tourism Minister he had also helped the state’s primary wholesaler State Trading Organisation (STO) obtain dollars to import goods, he told Minivan News.

“The problem here is that I am being singled out and targeted,” he said, suggesting the unfair “defamation attempt” was linked to his refusal to support certain individuals for the position of speaker of the 18th People’s Majlis.

“There is absolutely no room for anyone to say that I fled with the MMPRC’s coffers,” he continued.

The minister confirmed cheques had bounced, but said the MTDC’s US$1 million had been reimbursed, while MPL had been paid one- third of the owed amount in dollars. The remaining two thirds are due in June, he added.

The individual who lodged the complaint questioned the MPL and MMPRC’s justification, claiming: “The MMPRC is run on state funds, and as the company does not earn in dollars, it is highly questionable that the MPL gave the company money to buy dollars,”

MPL had also transferred rufiyaa to the MMPRC at a time when the company had failed to pay dividends to the government. The company had argued it did not have money in its accounts, the complainant said.

They further alleged the MMPRC Managing Director Abdulla Ziyath personally went to MPL with the company’s seal to collect the cheques, demonstrating “the act was a planned act, for personal gain by the leaders of MPL and MMPRC.”

“When one company’s MD personally goes to receive funds from another company, it is evident this act is committed in secrecy, behind the company’s employees’ backs.”

As soon as the MMPRC obtained the money, it was transferred in two installments to a company owned by Adeeb’s friend called Millennium Capital Management without any bank checks or security procedures, the complainant said.

The US$1 million obtained from MTDC was loaned to a company owned by Adeeb’s father called Montillion International Pvt Ltd. Adeeb used to own majority of the shares in the company, but on becoming tourism minister in 2012, transferred all of his shares to his father Abdul Ghafoor Adam.

The complainant does not appear to have submitted any supporting evidence for the transfer of funds from MMPRC to the two companies.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Man handed six-month jail term for breaking house arrest

A man serving a three year four months house arrest sentence has been handed a six-month jail term on Tuesday for breaking his house arrest.

Mohamed Shiham of Felidhoo House in Gaaf Dhaal atoll Gahdhoo Island was sentenced to house arrest in August 2010, but left his house before the end of his sentence in April 2013.

He confessed to the offense at the Criminal Court.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Sun Shiyam’s bag was searched in absentia, witnesses admit in alcohol trial

Tourism tycoon and MP ‘Sun Travel’ Ahmed Shiyam’s bags were searched in his absence, state prosecutors have told the Criminal Court on Monday (May 26).

Shiyam is being charged with smuggling alcohol and possessing alcohol after a liquor bottle was found in his luggage at the airport in March 2012.

But Shiyam’s lawyer Ali Shah claimed the MP was being framed. Witnesses presented by the state admitted the luggage was with another individual when it was unlocked.

Witnesses also said they did not question Shiyam about the find at the time.

The case has garnered controversy after Criminal Court Judge Abdulla Mohamed took over the case from Judge Ahmed Sameer following a complaint by Shiyam in which he said Judge Aziz’s “hand gestures and facial expressions” indicated a personal grudge against him which could lead to an unfair trial.

The penalty for alcohol possession in the penal code is either a fine of between MVR1,000 to MVR3,000 or imprisonment, banishment or house arrest for up to three years.

Under article 73 of the constitution, an MP convicted of a criminal offence and sentenced to more than one year in prison will lose his or her seat in parliament.

The MP for Dhaal Meedhoo is the leader of Maldives Development Alliance – which has 7,537 registered members and three MPs – and is founder of the Sun Travel and Tours company.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

JP nominees for political appointees unqualified, says President Yameen

Jumhooree Party (JP) has failed to gain allocated seats in political positions because nominees put forth by the party are unqualified, President Abdulla Yameen has said.

“The privatization board dismissed nominees put forth by Gasim because they are unqualified,” Yameen told the press at the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport yesterday evening.

JP Leader Gasim Ibrahim had claimed Yameen’s Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) had breached the ruling coalition agreement’s by refusing to give the party a 35 percent stake in political appointees.

Gasim’s comments came in response to the PPM executive council’s warning on Monday night that the coalition would dissolve if he stood for the position of People’s Majlis Speaker. The PPM would consider such a move to be a breach of the agreement, the party said.

But Gasim accused PPM of breaching the agreement first, claiming the JP had received only 34 seats of the 300 political appointees. He has also refused to retract his decision to contest for the position of Majlis Speaker.

Yameen said it was important for a PPM MP to be elected to the position: “The speakership is very important to the ruling party. Then only can we do what we want to do with ease.”

“Gasim does not trust us. That is why he is standing despite us nominating someone else,” he said.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Coach labels players “heroes” after dramatic cup knock-out

Maldives coach Drago Mamic has described his players as “heroes” after their dramatic extra-time defeat in yesterday’s AFC Challenge Cup semi-final.

“I told the players after the game that they are my heroes and I am proud of them and the whole country must be proud for what these boys showed today,” said Maldives coach Drago Mamic.

The Maldives exited the tournament after having fallen behind twice to the Philippines n the match before levelling the score. A third comeback proved too much for the team, however, after Chris Greatwich put the Philippines ahead once more in the 104th minute.

“Both teams should have won today if this can exist in the rules,” said Mamic. “But unfortunately the rules are very clear that who scores more goals will be the winner and that is why this time the Philippines scored three and we scored two and my congratulations to the Philippines as they scored more goals.”

The Phillipines will go onto play Palestine in Friday’s final after beating Afghanistan 2-0 in the day’s early kick-off. The winner will go on to appear in next year’s Asian Cup in Australia.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Legal restrictions a challenge to investment expansion: Pension Office

The Maldives Pension Administration Office (MPAO) has said legal restrictions are preventing the expansion of investments into profitable industries such as real estate.

The MPAO cannot invest in real estate as none are currently listed securities at the Maldives Stock Exchange, the only registered stock exchange in the country, said CEO Mohamed Hussain Manik.

The Maldives Pension Act states that pension assets can only be invested in securities listed at a licensed stock exchange in the Maldives.

Manik said the office was currently in the process of identifying reliable and secure investments at technical level. Based on the findings of this work, the MPAO will consider expansion, but it may require amendments to the law, he added.

In order to prepare for the future plans for expansion, the MPAO recently held an investment seminar targeting the finance sector as well as a finance forum to discuss international finance and capital markets.

While the Pension Act details many conditions which should be considered when investing from the fund – such as minimum risk and maximum returns for the beneficiaries of the scheme – it also stresses diversification of investments.

According to the office, the annual return from current investments are on average at 7 – 8 percent with the fund expected to reach an estimated MVR3 billion by September or October this year.

In a press statement, the office has said that, considering the current inflation rates, this return is profitable for the beneficiaries for the scheme.

It was highlighted, however, that in order to sustain the increasing returns as the fund grows in size, they may have to take advantage of more investment opportunities both in the Maldives and abroad.

Statistics from April 2014 indicate that nearly 83 percent of the fund’s investment portfolio goes into government treasury bills which, according to the office, is also the most profitable due to high interest rates caused by increasing government debt.

Only 7 percent of it is invested in domestic equity and less than seven percent in fixed deposits.

Earlier this month the Capital Market Development Authority (CMDA) – an independent institution set up to develop and regulate the capital market and pension industry – said market development had not kept pace with pension development.

Speaking to Minivan News, CEO of the authority Fathimath Shafeega highlighted the importance of diversification and seeking profitable alternative investments for the pension fund, beyond the limitations of the Pension Act.

She also said that, following CMDA recommendations, the government – which holds a majority in the newly inaugurated parliament – is planning to introduce amendments to the Pension Act.

Beginning in March this year, the government more than doubled the monthly basic pension – with all citizens aged over 65 now receiving MVR5,000.

The basic pension, to which all retirement-age citizens are entitled, is still MVR 2,300 per month while the additional MVR2,700 is provided from the state budget by the Ministry of Finance and Treasury.

With an estimated 17,000 pensioners, the government had allocated MVR470 million (US$30.5 million) in the state budget to give out an MVR2,300 (US$149) in cash handouts.

At the time, the head of the cabinet’s economic council Ahmed Adeeb said that “innovative” methods, such as investing in the pension fund or government T-bills would prevent the need to divert funds from within the state budget. The MPAO has, however, said that no such arrangements have yet been made with regard to the basic pension.

The MPAO investments are currently made only for the Maldives Retirement Pension Scheme (MRPS) beneficiaries, a defined contribution scheme which requires both employer and employees to contribute seven percent (total fourteen percent) of the pensionable wage.

Under the plan, pension benefit payout at retirement will depend on the amount contributed and investment returns. It is mandatory for all Maldivian contract employees but voluntary for foreign employees.

Currently, MRPS beneficiaries will also receive a minimum of MVR5,000 if their payout is smaller than this amount.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)