Category: News in Brief

Third-grader allegedly beaten for refusing to attend class with a Barbie backpack

A third grade student at Iskandhar school in Male’ was reportedly beaten by his mother after refusing to enter the classroom with a pink ‘Barbie’ backpack, reports Haveeru.

The newspaper reported that many parents and children witnessed the scene, which occurred on Tuesday afternoon.

Principal of Iskandhar School Hussein Saeed told Haveeru that he had talked to the parent and learned that the boy was upset at being made to go to school with “a girl’s backpack”.

The school bought the boy a boy’s backpack and the child was now attending classes, the Principal said.

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Clock is ticking for Nasheed and Maldivian economy: Frontline

Nasheed’s supporters say that his government inherited the “worst economic situation of any country undergoing democratic transition since the 1950s”, writes R K Radhakrishnan for India’s Frontline magazine.

“The budget deficit stood at 31 per cent of the GDP, inflation stood at 12 per cent, and the economy was reeling from a massive fiscal expansion, which saw the government wage bill increase by almost 400 per cent between 2004 and 2009.

For the Maldives, the belt-tightening could not have come at a worse time: it had barely recovered from the effects of the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami when the slowdown in the West (which affected the flow of tourists) hit home. This was followed by the serious disturbances in the Arab world, a region that the Maldives is tied to historically.

The protests were organised by the opposition parties even though these were labelled as youth-led. This led to a bizarre situation. Since the main opposition, the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), claimed that it had nothing to do with the protests, the government was left with no one to talk to. The government had maintained that a faction of the DRP [Z-DRP], led by former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, was behind the protests. It said that Gayoom was inspired by the events in Cairo’s Tahrir Square and that he was hoping to overthrow the government after crippling its functioning.

“There are indications that the current violence taking place in Male has… everything to do with a political struggle for who should lead the main opposition party, the DRP, into the next presidential election. It is unfortunate that that struggle is being played out on the streets of Male rather than, as should be the case, by holding an open and transparent primary,” the Maldivian Foreign Minister, Ahmed Naseem, said in Colombo last fortnight when asked about the protests.

Reports indicated that the number of people detained was about 300, but the Foreign Minister dismissed it. “Only 16 persons have been held,” he said. The Maldives Police Service said on May 8 that of all those arrested during the previous week of protests, six remained in detention under judicial warrant. All six had previous criminal records, it said.

“The government understands that many people are concerned about the economy and the recent price rise, and is committed to working to address these concerns through a process of dialogue. For example, yesterday [May 5] the Cabinet decided to halve the import duty on diesel fuel. However, the current economic difficulties reflect, at their heart, deep-seated structural problems inherited from the former government…. The government is working closely with the IMF to address these problems. This has already resulted in the deficit being reduced from 31 per cent to 16 per cent,” the Foreign Minister added.

The government looked forward to receiving credible, alternative economic proposals from the opposition, said Mohamed Zuhair, Press Secretary with the President’s Office.

For now, the protesters have gone home. But with better ferry connectivity, ironically put in place by President Nasheed, they can come back anytime and paralyse Male.

Full story

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Islamic Foundation to host international Dhivehi Islamic event in Sri Lanka

The Islamic Foundation of the Maldives is holding an international Islamic event in Sri Lanka on May 22, 2011: ‘Da’wah Islamiyya at Colombo 2011’.

“The event consists of two religious lectures conducted by popular preacher Sheikh Ibrahim Fareed Ahmed and Sheikh Izzadeen Adnan, followed by a Q&A session,” the foundation said in a statement.

The sermons will be aimed at Maldivians living in Sri Lanka, and will be conducted in Dhivehi.

“Da’wah Islamiyya at Colombo 2011” will be held on May 22 at 4:30pm at Shahran Banquet Hall, 56 Hospital Road, Dehiwala.

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Former HRCM Commissioner joins MDP

Former President of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM), Ahmed Saleem has joined the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), acknowledging the party’s support for his reelection to the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM).

“When I ran for the membership of HRCM, they issued a three-line whip to vote for me. They backed me when I ran for the membership of MBC’s board as well,” said Saleem, who was voted out of the position by the opposition majority parliament.

“I served the government for 42 years yet they rendered me unneeded. But MDP supported me even then.”

Saleem said he had “always held a firm belief in human rights and democracy and I strongly support MDP’s policy on democracy and human rights.”

“I believe that without those political parties will not exist either. I want to make use of what I’ve learned from the human rights field,” he said.

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Ahmed Naseem first Maldivian Foreign Minister to visit Israel

The Maldives’ Foreign Minister Ahmed Naseem is currently visiting Israel, the first foreign minister from the country to do so.

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that during his visit from May 16-20 Naseem would meet Israeli President Shimon Peres and have dinner with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Liberman, lay a wreath at Yad Vashem and visit other sites throughout the country.

Naseem also yesterday met with officials of the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, including President Mahmoud Abbas, and discussed issues relating to the peace process and the Palestinian reconciliation agreement.

Palestine’s News and Information Agency reported Abbas as saying that the peace process had stalled due to Israel’s refusal to stop settlement activities and terms of references for the peace process. Naseem reportedly expressed support for the declaration of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry meanwhile noted that “Israel and the Republic of Maldives have enjoyed diplomatic relations since 1965, [which] were suspended in 1974. Israel was the third state to recognise the Muslim island nation and its ambassador was the first to present his credentials to the president of the Maldives,”

“Relations began to improve at the beginning of the 1990’s. The present government maintains relations of appreciation and friendship with Israel; the two states have signed three agreements in the fields of health, tourism and education.”

Visiting eye surgeons from the Israeli ‘Eyes from Zion’ NGO were recently met by large protests, the burning of Israeli flags in Republic Square and claims from several local religious NGOs that the doctors were seeking to “illegally harvesting organs from non-Jews around the world.”

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Court hears Umar Naseer’s dismissal case

The Civil Court has concluded the first hearing of a suit filed against the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) by its former Deputy Leader Umar Naseer.

Naseer’s lawyer claimed that he was dismissed not according to the party’s charter and he had lost the support of many of the public due to the dismissal.

Meanwhile, DRP’s lawyer requested the court allow him to respond to the accusations in written form, a request the court granted.

The next hearing of the case is to be held on May 31.

Umar was dismissed by the Disciplinary Committee of the party after he was accused him of conducting protests without the authorisation of the party’s council.

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President’s Office invites Customs Integrity Commission applications

The President’s Office has invited applications for membership of a Customs Integrity Commission (CIC), whose formation will be ultimately approved by parliament.

Under the Maldives Customs Act, five members are required to be appointed by the president to the CIC, with applications remaining open until May 29, 2011.

Application forms and declarations for the CIC memberships are said to be available from the President’s Office website here.

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Online university courses fill education gap in Maldives: New York Times

On the island of Fuvahmulak in the Maldives, a cluster of islands in the Indian Ocean, Abdulla Rasheed Ahmed’s options for acquiring a doctoral degree were somewhat limited, writes Liz Gooch for the New York Times.

“The nearest university is an hour’s flight from his home. And in any case, it doesn’t offer a doctorate in education, the program Mr Abdulla, a school principal, wanted to pursue.

“Having already taken time off to complete his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Malaysia, Mr Abdulla was reluctant to take more time away from his job or family, so he enrolled in Asia e University, an institution in Kuala Lumpur that offers online courses.

“Studying online is very suitable for working people,” Mr Abdulla said in a telephone interview. “You can study at anytime, anywhere, regardless of your location.”

Some universities have long specialized in such distance education, but now more homegrown Asian institutions are seeking to tap the demand for higher education in underserved areas. And as Internet connectivity spreads, more students like M. Abdulla are realizing that their education options are no longer bound by geographical constraints — or even by the older model of distance learning, in which students received bundles of course materials in the mail.

Full story

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Criminal Court extends house arrest of MDP MP Adil

The Criminal Court has yesterday extended the house arrest of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Hassan Adil, out of concern that he could attempt to influence the witnesses and evidence if he was released.

Police have now concluded the investigation of the case and have sent it to the Prosecutor General’s (PG) Office last month. The Prosecutor General is yet to decide whether or not to try the case.

According to local media, MP Adil allegedly sexually abused a 13 year-old girl in a family he has a close relationship with before the incident.

Speaking to Haveeru newspaper, the victim’s father expressed concern that the case was still pending in the Prosecutor General’s office without being tried in the court.

As the matter is a child related case, the Court is likely to conduct the trial closed to journalists and the public.

So far the police and the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) have declined to disclose details of the case in the interest of the child.

Article 73[c]2 of the constitution states that a member of the parliament will be disqualified if found guilty of a criminal offence .

Adil was first arrested on April 4 and was released to house arrest after he was kept for 15 days in pre-trial detention. He was later released to house arrest where he remains.

Adil was a former Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) MP who jumped to MDP after claiming that his constituents wished him to do so.

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