Category: News in Brief

DRP intraparty dispute a “power struggle”: Ali Waheed

The ongoing public quarrel in the senior leadership of the main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) is “a power struggle,” claims Deputy Leader Ali Waheed.

The MP for Thohdhoo told Haveeru on Thursday that the dispute had “nothing to do with either protests or a letterhead.”

“There are some people among us who believe that President Maumoon could even to return to power. There are others yet who believe Maumoon will support Abdulla Yameen at the last minute. And there are others who believe, because after ending a 30-year rule [Gayoom] pointed to Thasmeen and gave him the party leadership, that Thasmeen will be the one who comes to power,” he said.

He further argued that the opposition could not afford a costly and bitter struggle for the DRP ticket, urging party members to rally around DRP Leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, who won a motion of confidence at Wednesday’s council meeting.

Ali Waheed revealed that although Deputy Leaders Umar Naseer and Ilham Ahmed walked out, the remaining 26 members voted unanimously in favour of the motion.

Moreover, discussions with the government could not be called “deal-making”, he stressed, as all significant decisions of the party were made by the council.

He added that the mutinous deputies did not object to the idea of negotiating at the time.

“What’s happening is that some of us can’t accept diplomacy. When we talk to someone we become a dealer,” he said.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Education ministry to make four schools co-educational

The government will introduce coeducational classes in grade one at Ameeniyya, Majeediyya, Dharumavantha and Hiriyaa Schools, Haveeru has reported.

Deputy Education Minister Dr Abdulla Nazeer told the paper that the schools were the only four in the Maldives to have no coeducation classes, which he suggested had “many advantages, including behavioural improvements to the students.”

“Since the beginning of the education sector, the Maldives has been following coeducation. The result is very good. So I do not think that a negative outcome would be observed due to the change,” Dr Nazeer told Haveeru.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

VP calls on UN to better organise aid for island nations

Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed has called for the UN to implement a formal and transparent system for supporting small island developing states.

Dr Waheed addressed world leaders at the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Summit in New York yesterday, and noted the challenges the Maldives would face following its graduation from the UN list of Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

The Vice President said a better organised system of UN support for SIDS was the answer to those challenges.

“There needs to be a far better organized, more efficient, more targeted, and more measurable system of United Nations support for Small Island Developing States”, said the Vice President, observing that the country had already achieved five out of the five out of the eight MDGs, the only country to do so in South Asia.

Dr Waheed observed “significant progress” in the areas of poverty eradication, primary education, child mortality and the combating of health and disease, but said the government was struggling to consolidate democracy and promote human rights and rule of law.

He stressed that promoting human rights, decentralization of government and administration, privatization, redistribution, promoting small and medium enterprises and competition were the foundations of government policy.

But he said the government had to address the challenges against these policies by the “powerful vested interests that once controlled the country.”

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Suing Finance Ministry over MNBC contrary to Companies Act, rules judge

The Civil Court has ruled that parliament’s Maldives Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) cannot obtain the assets of the government’s Maldives National Broadcasting Corporation (MNBC) by filing lawsuits against the Finance Ministry.

The assets of state-run broadcasters Television Maldives and Voice of Maldives were transferred to the 100 percent government-owned corporation MNBC on decree of the executive.

According to a report in Haveeru, Civil Court Judge Hathif Hilmee said that the MNBC was itself a legal entity and that a trial could not be continued unless a lawsuit was filed against the media corporation.

Hathif said that presenting a lawsuit against the MNBC without suing the corporation neglected the company’s protection under the Company Act.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

US military and MNDF sign new agreement

The United States armed forces are to provide new training and operations assistance to the Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDF), reports Haveeru.

In an agreement signed between the US Pacific Command and the MNDF at Bandos Island Resort on Monday, the MNDF noted that it lacked resources to meet the expanding demand for services in the Maldives.

Under the “Acquisition and Cross Service Agreement” signed by MNDF Vice Chief, Brigadier General Farhath Shareef and Pacific Command’s Logistics and Engineering Director Brigadier General Derek K Williams, the US Pacific Command will help MNDF meet the increasing demand on its services through joint military exercises and training.

25 senior officials from the Pacific region are attending the meeting at Bandos.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Renewables will reduce dependency on imported oil, Vice President tells Yale

Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan has claimed high oil prices will dampen the economic growth of the Maldives and the global economy unless the world shifted to renewable energy.

Speaking at Yale University in the US, the first address by a Maldivian leader at the prestigious university, Dr Waheed said the most important outcome of the Maldives plans for carbon neutrality would be freedom from a dependency on imported oil.

The unpredictable price oil and the prospect of higher oil prices over the long term meant the shift to renewable energy was essential, he told the audience, reiterating that carbon neutrality was not only necessary for ecological reasons, but it was also influenced by economic considerations.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Corel Ville Housing contractor in legal dispute

The main contractor of the Corel Ville Housing Project, Javaz Construction, has sued Kaysorn Construction for unsettled debts of US$533,000 reports Haveeru.

Managing Director of Javaz Construction, Ibrahim Ali, told Haveeru that the civil case concerned the project’s client HDC-Pruksa Housing Private Limited.

“We also decided to claim US$1.3 million as compensation for the damage to the management of the company and US$7.5 million, as the company lost several potential projects due to false press releases issued to defame the company,” Haveeru reported Ali as saying.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Teachers’ Association files cases with CSC

The Teachers Association of the Maldives has sent seven cases to the Civil Service Commission (CSC) concerning issues including wages, lack of modern work environment and support from the Ministry, reports Miadhu.

President of the Association Abdullah Mohamed told Miadhu that these issues also included the use of political influence by “some politicians” against schools not supporting certain parties.

The Teachers Association filed the claims after holding discussions with CSC, Miadhu reported.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

HRCM conducts research trips on human rights

The Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) has commenced trips to different islands seeking to determine the extent of human rights experienced by various people.

During this year the commission will visit the islands of Vaavu Atoll and Gnaviyani Atoll, and expects to complete Vaavu Atoll by the end of this month.

The Commission also it will meet with elderly people, teachers, students, expats and NGOs across the islands.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)