Month: August 2014

Laamu Gan residents hold demonstrations over inadequate sewage system

Residents of  Laamu Gan demonstrated today over the island’s damaged sewage system which has remained unfixed for the past two months.

The system at fault is located in the new settlement of the tsunami-displaced population that moved to Gan from Mundoo and Kalhaidhoo islands in 2007.

It was funded and established by the International Federation of Red Cross Societies (IFRC) as part of their tsunami recovery work before being handed over to the government of Maldives upon completion.

According to the council, no one has since taken ownership of the system and it has remained abandoned and without any maintenance. The Ministry of Housing has earlier said the damages to the system was caused by vandals.

The damaged system has been causing sewage waste to spill into the island,  particularly during wet weather. In June the council expressed concern over the issue, alerting authorities and the media.

“The pumps in the system are not working, and the [septic] tank is also damaged. So when sewage effluent gathers in the tank it overflows and spills out. But this has got worse with the rainy season, the waste is being carried across the island through the puddles,” Council President Ahmed Salah told Minivan News at the time.

“Sometimes it is overflowing from the toilets, leaving houses and rooms filled with waste.”

The council had proposed to join the system with a new MVR85 million sanitation facility being established in Gan for areas which previously did not have any such facilities. However, experts said it was not possible as the two systems are incompatible.

Gan council subsequently managed the situation by using a mobile tank, donated with the sewage system, to drain the waste into the sea. The process takes around 20-30 rounds to drain it to a usable level after each spill, explained the council at the time.

After repeated requests from the government and ministries, including a special visit to Malé to meet the heads of institutions, the Ministry of Environment and Energy awarded the operation and maintenance of the sewerage system to FENAKA Corporation Ltd on July 21.

The US$1.8 million project will be implemented under International Federation of Red cross and Red Crescent Societies loan, Minivan News was unable to contact FENAKA at the time of publication

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MDP announces candidates for leadership election

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has announced a one candidate list for its upcoming leadership election on August 29.

Former President Mohamed Nasheed is the sole candidate for party president while former MP Mohamed Shifaz is the sole candidate for vice president.

Former MP Alhan Fahmy had applied for the position, but the party’s election committee disqualified him after he ran as an independent candidate in March’s parliamentary polls after having lost the MDP primaries in the Addu Feydhoo constituency.

Former MP Ali Waheed is the sole candidate for party chairperson and Ali Niyaz is the only candidate for deputy chairperson.

Despite having no contenders, candidates need to win at least ten percent of the party vote to be elected.

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President’s Office calls for applications for ACC

The President’s Office is calling for new applications for the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC).

The application period opened on August 5 and will run until 3pm on Monday, August 11.

The first independent ACC’s term is to expire this year.

Applicants must be over 25 years of age, must not hold political party membership, a political position, or a civil service position, must not have committed a hadd offense in the past five years, and must not have committed any act of corruption.

If potential applicants have been convicted of another criminal offense, a period of five years must have lapsed since the end of the sentence or their pardoning.

The president will vet applicants and submit nominations to the People’s Majlis for approval.

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Doctor for every family programme begins in Nilandhoo

President Abdulla Yameen’s ‘Doctor for every family’ programme began in Faafu Atoll Nilandhoo Island on August 4.

Faafu Atoll Hospital Manager Ahmed Nazim told local media that two doctors have begun home visits are to cover at least 10 households every day.

Doctors are expected to assess each member of the household and provide preventive care.

Nilandhoo – the capital of Faafu Atoll in central Maldives – is home to an estimated 2000 people.

According to Nazim, a medical officer, a nurse, a translator, and a community health officer will accompany doctors during home visits.

The visits will help control any disease outbreaks and facilitate a healthier environment on the island, Nazim said.

The government has announced it will assign one doctor for each population of 2,500. So far, the programme is ongoing only in Malé’s suburb Villimalé.

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PPM MPs to hold secret vote on health minister reappointment

MPs of the ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) on Wednesday decided to hold a secret vote to determine the party’s parliamentary group’s stand on reappointing Dr Mariyam Shakeela as health minister.

Shakeela is up for Majlis approval for a second time after President Abdulla Yameen modified her initial portfolio as Minister of Health and Gender.

The gender department was transferred on July 1 to the new Ministry of Law and Gender to be headed by Attorney General Mohamed Anil.

According to local media, 21 of the 24 PPM MPs present at a parliamentary group meeting decided on a secret ballot following a dispute between MPs over reappointing Shakeela.

The vote will be held at a PPM parliamentary group meeting on Monday at 12:30pm.

In response, Shakeela told the press she has no issue with failing to gain the required votes if MPs do not see her work in strengthening the health sector.

“What can I say? Every day, there is a lot of work underway at this ministry [to strengthen the health sector]. If [MPs] do not see this effort, then I have no problem if they don’t vote,” she told reporters on Wednesday.

Local news agency Haveeru has claimed 21 out of 35 MPs present at a meeting in late July voted against approving Shakeela for the position.  MPs are reportedly dissatisfied with Shakeela’s performance in the past eight months.

The Health Ministry has been under fire following a series of protests over regional health care services and health mishaps in Malé.

The state owned Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) – long criticised for lack of qualified doctors, adequate medical facilities, and medicine – transfused HIV positive blood to a patient due to an alleged technical error.

In June, councilors of southern Fuvahmulah Island called for Shakeela’s resignation after a case of stillbirth, an interrupted caesarean, and the death of a soldier on the island. A few weeks later, over 300 protestors demonstrated in front of northern Kulhudhuffushi Island over deteriorating conditions at the regional hospital on the island.

Shakeela was first appointed to the cabinet by former President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan in May 2012. At the time, she held the Environment and Energy portfolio. President Abdulla Yameen reappointed Shakeela to the cabinet in November 2013 with the health portfolio.

The former 77-member Majlis approved Shakeela to the position with 43 votes in favor.

PPM’s parliamentary group leader Ahmed Nihan was not responding at the time of press.

The ruling party holds a majority in the People’s Majlis with 43 of the 85-member house. PPM’s ally the Maldives Development Alliance controls an additional five seats.

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Koodoo Fisheries raises fish purchase prices

State owned Koodoo Fisheries has announced an increase in the price of fish, with the price of chilled fish – rising by MVR3,5 per kilo.

The price of un-chilled fish weighing between 0.5 and 1.5kilos has also increased by MVR2.5, the company told local media yesterday. Prices were also increased last month.

Koodoo – which buys fish from private fishermen across the country – said that it purchases fish below 1.5kg in order to increase fishermen’s revenue during low season, in spite of fetching a small price on the global market for them.

“The style of fishing we have adopted in Maldives is the most sustainable style of fishing to be adopted anywhere in the world. Therefore, decreasing the fishing of small sized fish and leaving the fish so they may grow larger in size will strengthen our sustainable fishing system,” read the Kooddoo press release.

Famed for its sustainable pole and line fishing methods, the Maldives announced earlier this year plans to teach long line methods to young fishermen in order to prevent encroachment on the country’s territorial waters.

Minister of Fisheries and Agricultire Dr Mohamed Shainee has also noted that such training would enable larger fish to be caught, and would reduce the industry’s vulnerability to external shocks in the global market.

The annual fish catch in the Maldives declined from approximately 185,000 tonnes of fish caught in 2006 to about 70,000 tonnes in 2011.

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President releases four Indian prisoners

President Abdulla Yameen has used executive powers to release four Indian prisoners serving sentences in the Maldives.

President’s Office Spokesman Ibrahim Muaz Ali told local media that the three men and one woman currently detained would be deported upon release. The nature of their offences was not revealed.

“We have an agreement for exchange of prisoners between our two countries. The laws needed to enforce this agreement haven’t yet been completed. Therefore, this decision was taken with the power bestowed upon the president through Article 115 of the Constitution,” Muaz told Haveeru.

He said that the move was intended to strengthen bilateral ties as well as celebrating the recent election of Narendra Modi. The close ties between the two countries will be marked with a 2km friendship walk, starting from the artificial beach at 4pm tomorrow (August 8).

President Yameen also used his presidential prerogative to grant clemency to 169 Maldivian convicts in April.

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Airport at standstill for one hour after aircraft grounded

The Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) came to a standstill yesterday (August 6) after a Cathay Pacific aircraft was unexpectedly grounded.

The runway had to be closed down for about an hour from 9pm because of a hydraulics problem on the plane. Hydraulic fluid consequently leaked onto the runway, causing numerous delays and disruptions, reported local media Haveeru.

According to Haveeru, one Emirates Flight which was scheduled to land had to be diverted elsewhere. Other flights delayed due to the incident include Malaysian Airways, Singapore Flights, and a number of domestic flights.

An official from INIA told Haveeru, “The runway has been cleared and is now operational. The delay took about one hour. Operations are now turning back to normal,” he said.

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Nasheed pays courtesy call on BJP leader

Former President Mohamed Nasheed paid a courtesy call to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Leader Vijay Jolly in New Delhi yesterday (August 6), reports One India News.

“The rise of radical Muslim fundamentalism in Maldives, its serious implications on peace and security in our region, the involvement of Maldivian militants in the Mumbai terror attack of Nov 26, 2008, killing 164 people and wounding 308 civilians, and the Maldivian military trained ‘dropouts’ found fighting in Syria for ISIS were discussed at length,” read a statement from Jolly’s office.

Former Foreign Minister Ahmed Naseem was also present at the 45-minute meeting, according to the BJP statement .

Nasheed, the acting president of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), reportedly praised Prime Minister Narenda Modi and expressed admiration for his style of governance.

The leader of the Maldivian opposition also conveyed greetings to BJP’s newly-elected President Amit Shah.

The statement added that an agreement was reached to establish a party-to-party relationship between the BJP and the MDP.

Speaking at an MDP rally in June, Nasheed had said that the “biggest relief” the Indian government could offer the Maldives over compensation owed to Indian infrastructure giant GMR for the premature termination of its airport development deal was assistance in changing the government.

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