DRP calls on MIFCO to raise purchasing price

The opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) has called on the Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO) to raise its purchasing price for tuna to Rf10, reports Miadhu.

Speaking at a rally in the fishing village of Gaaf Alif Villigili, DRP Vice-President Ibrahim “Mavota” Shareef said the price had been raised to Rf10 in the past and there was no reason it should stay atRf7.

Shareef claimed that the fisheries ministry was not informed before Adhil Saleem, state minister for economic development, took over management of MIFCO’s Koodoo Fisheries Complex.

The controversy over Koodoo shows the lack of coordination and organisation in the government, Shareef said.

Moreover, he said, despite Adhil Saleem’s efforts, the greivances of Koodoo staff, who had staged protests last month over reduced benefits and working hours, were still unresolved.

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14 new islands to be leased for resort development

The government has decided to lease 14 new islands for resort development to finance regional airports and housing projects.

According to the government gazette, six islands will be leased on a tender basis to develop regional airports in Dhaalu Atoll Kudahuvadhoo, Thaa Atoll Thimarafushi, Shaviyani Atoll Funadhoo, Gaaf Dhaal Maavedhhoo, Gaa Alif Atoll Raavereha and Fuvahmulah.

A further eight islands will be leased to raise funds for housing development and housing subsidies.

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Three new island councillors appointed

President Mohamed Nasheed has yesterday appointed three new island councillors with local council elections due to take place later this year.

The councillors were Mohamed Azleen as the councillor of Haa Alif Vashafaru, Mohamed Sadiq as the councillor of Haa Alif Thakandhoo and Ali Rasheed as the councillor of Noonu Manadhoo.

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MDP wins Democracy and Human Rights award

The ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) , the first political party in the Maldives, has been awarded the Norwegian conservative party’s ‘Democracy and Human Rights’ prize.

The award was accepted on behalf of MDP by Ibrahim Hussein Zaki, special envoy of the president, at a ceremony at Oslo on Saturday.

Along with Zaki, Hulhumeedhoo MP Ilyas Labeeb will address the annual convention of the Norwegian conservative party.

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Govt owes civil servants, says DRP

The amount reduced from civil servants pay this year constitutes “a debt owed to civil servants by the government” which had to be paid back, Kendhoo MP Ahmed Thasmeen Ali has said.

At an opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party rally in Gaaf Alif Villigili on Friday, the party’s newly elected leader said if the government refuses, the DRP would make sure that funds were allocated in next year’s budget to pay back civil servants.

Last month, the civil court ruled that the finance ministry did not have the authority to overrule the Civil Service Commission on determining salaries and allowances of civil servants.

While the commission ordered government ministries to prepare salary sheets to give out the restored salaries from January onward, the finance ministry has insisted that the “special economic circumstances” that warranted pay cuts in October last year had not passed.

“It is a debt owed to civil servants by the Maldivian government,” said Thasmeen. “It has to be paid back sometime. This is very clear in legal terms. The legal framework of the country does not allow the government to chip away at salaries whenever they want.”

The attorney general’s office has lodged an appeal at the High Court challenging the civil court ruling. The High Court has issued a preliminary injunction ordering all parties involved to restrain from any course of action until its final deliberation.

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Police arrests a boy with suspected stolen items

Police have arrested a boy under the age of eighteen with allegedly stolen items in Lhaviyani Atoll Naifaru.

Police reported that Rf4000, two mobile phones and two sim cards were found with the boy.

Police said they suspected the items belong to a doctor working in Naifaru Hospital.

Naifaru police station is investigating the case.

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Adhaalath Party launches English website

Adhaalath party has officially launched their English website, at http://www.adhaalathparty.com/

The party said that the English website was intended to give information and events of the party to foreigners.

All the sections in Dhivehi website will also be in the English section of the website, the party added.

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Veto could impede local council elections, says EC

The Elections Commission (EC) would be in “a difficult situation” if the president ratifies the decentralisation bill but vetoes the complementary local council elections bill, EC President Fuad Thaufeeq has said.

If the president leaves more than a 28-day period between the ratification of the two bills, said Fuad, the EC would not have enough time to prepare for the elections.

President Mohamed Nasheed has said he will veto the local council elections bill as article four of the legislation woul disenfranchise “half the electorate” as it requires citizens to be present in their registered constituency to be able to vote.

“If he ratifies the decentralisation bill first, it states that elections should take within 150 days,” Fuad said. “But the other bill, the local council elections bill, gives a period of 122 days. So even if the Majlis passes amendments as soon as possible, say in June, we won’t have enough time to prepare.”

He added that the EC believes the two bills should be ratified together in order to avoid the clashes.

Moreover, if an amendment is passed to allow remote voting, the EC would need “double the funds to allow people to vote anywhere”.

The EC would need “a lot of manpower” as there would be 279 constituencies and some islands would require 100 different kinds of ballot paper.

The EC did not raise concerns with article four as it would be fairer for those living in their registered constituency or island of birth to elect local government representatives.

“It would be better for those who actually live in the island to be able to vote than those who are registered,” he said.

In his weekly radio address on Friday, President Nasheed said article four would disenfranchise “at least 60,000 people” from the atolls currently residing in Male’.

Nasheed said he would ratify the bill only as “a last resort”.

“In my view, it is not the right thing to do. It is not a good bill,” he said.

Mohamed Zuhair, president’s office press secretary, said parliament had to bear responsibility for the problems as “they passed the bill knowing all these periods were in there”.

In addition to problems regarding process, he added, the president had to consider economic, social and legal ramifications.

“We can’t sacrifice content or substance because it could compromise the process,” he said. “But the president hasn’t made a final decision and he will serious consideration to these issues.”

Although article four did not allow for remote voting in the original draft legislation submitted by the government, MPs of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) proposed an amendment to allow people to vote anywhere in the country.

However, the amendment did not garner bipartisan support as MPs of the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) voted against it.

Vili-Maafanu MP Ahmed Nihan said the DRP said he participated in a “heated debate” at a meeting with the EC over article four.

Nihan said the DRP agreed to keep the article unchanged based on the EC’s recommendations and the government’s assurances.

“We passed the bill the way it was sent to us by the Attorney General,” he said. “Now [MDP] are trying to blame us. We have said we will submit an amendment to allow everyone to vote even if takes three times more money.”

Nihan said the DRP parliamentary group was ready for an emergency sitting of parliament to vote on amendments, but added that the president should ratify the bill first as further delays would put the government and the Majlis “on the back foot”.

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President sacks economic minister

President Mohamed Nasheed has dismissed Minister of Trade and Economic Development Mohamed Rasheed from his post.

Rasheed belongs to the Gaumee Iththihaad Party (GIP), the same party as Vice President Mohamed Waheed Hassan, who has publicly voiced criticisms of the government and recently led a political rally to boost support for his party.

The President’s Spokesman Mohamed Zuhair said Nasheed has made the decision “based on the existing political realities on the ground.”

“It is nothing personal against the economic minister, and nothing to do with his performance,” Zuhair emphasised, although he noted that a likely outcome would be restructuring of the Ministry to be more “result-oriented”.

The decision to remove Rasheed from cabinet was made over the weekend but announced this morning, he said.

Meanwhile, staff at the ministry were “in shock” this morning, reported Permanent Secretary Yousuf Riza.

“[Rasheed] is no longer coming to the office, but the Ministry will continue to function,” Riza said.

“We will continue issuing trade and investment permits, however the Minister’s dismissal will hamper decisions about policy.”

DRP Spokesman and Deputy Leader Ibrahim “Mavota” Shareef meanwhile claimed the dismissal was because of the “obvious friction between the President and his Vice President. I heard [Rasheed] was dismissed because he was asked to sign with the ruling party and refused.”

“Rasheed is one of the most qualified people in the government, and he has been dismissed for no apparent reason. As long as a minister does his job properly there is no reason to dismiss him,” Shareef said.

“I think this is very sad this is happening. We might be the opposition party but we do not have any ill will towards the government.”

Amid speculation that Rasheed’s removal was due to the icy drop in temperature between GIP and MDP, a senior government source suggested it was more likely that the dismissal was part of a “larger picture – something to do with [MDP’s] declining support in the Majlis to the point where it has become ineffective. They need support.”

The recent scuttling of MDP’s provinces bill in parliament is a sore blow to one the party’s key pledges, the decentralisation of government.

No replacements have yet been put forward: “The president has time before choosing a new minister to put forward for parliamentary approval,” Zuhair claimed.

Mahmoud Razee, currently Minister for Civil Aviation and Communications, is one potential candidate, given his proven palatability with parliament and work on the privatisation committee. Razee was promoted to his current role after the dismissal of another minister, Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed.

However, MDP Spokesman Ahmed Haleem revealed that the party had begun talking to the People’s Alliance (PA), currently in coalition with the opposition DRP, seeking the party’s support in passing a new economic minister through parliament.

“DRP are always against us and they have control of a lot of the media,” Haleem said. “But [PA leader] Abdulla Yameen has some commitment to the people – he was trade minister in 1998, he is an economist and he is well educated. I think he is OK.”

The Maldivian economy was sorely troubled “and a lot of people are suffering very badly and are very poor,” Haleem said. “[MDP and PA] have the same goal, we want to stabilise the economy and we are looking for support. Yameen’s seven members could support the parliamentary approval of a new minister.”

Vice President Mohamed Waheed Hassan declined to comment on the matter, and Mohamed Rasheed did not responded to calls at time of press.

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