Southern Utilities Limited signed a water purchase agreement with Biwater International Limited yesterday.
The agreement was signed by Chairman of Southern Utilities, Ahmed Zareer, and chairman of Biwater International, Adrian White.
Biwater International is a UK-based water and waste water treatment company. Under the agreement, Biwater International will improve the supply of drinking water and sewage treatment in South Province.
Biwater International has proposed to provide potable water produced from seawater desalination plants. They will also treat waste water by sewage treatment plants. Biwater will install pump stations, and distribution and collection pipe work systems.
The agreement stipulates that Biwater International will supply water to Southern Province for 20 years, commencing once the desalination plants are built and commissioned.
Police have arrested a man for attacking two people who were walking during Earth Hour, reports Miadhu.
According to police, the incident took place near Galolhu National Stadium at around 11.30 pm on Saturday. A 26 year-old man and a 46 year-old woman were the victims of the attack.
Police said the man was attacked and the woman injured when she tried to defend him.
Police said the man received a cut on his forehead, but neither victim had serious injuries. They were released from ADK hospital after treatment.
Police added the suspect was arrested on Sosun Magu by Police with held from bystanders on the road, as the man was trying to flee.
The Serious and Organised Crime Unit of Maldives Police Service is investigating the incident.
Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) held its parliamentary group elections, reports Miadhu.
Moosa Maniku was the only candidate for the chairmanship of the parliamentary group, and was elected by 20 out of 24 votes cast.
Mohamed Aslam and Ahmed Abdulla were elected as vice-chairs by 21 and 10 votes, respectively. Ahmed Sameer and Mohamed Nasheed also ran for the vice-chair post, receiving eight and seven votes, respectively.
Mohamed Shifaz, Ilyas Labeeb and Eva Abdulla were elected parliamentary whips with 23 votes each.
Hamid Abdul Ghafoor was elected Secretary General of the parliamentary group.
The Human Rights Commission Maldives (HRCM) has condemned the recent riots and political confrontations, reports Miadhu.
In a press statement released today, the HRCM has said the recent conflicts erupting during political activities and confrontations between people of different opinions are causing great physical and mental harm to the people.
The HRCM has requested the people avoid violence and cooperate with police. They have also asked the police to continue their work in preventing and dispersing violent demonstrations, and to respect the laws and Constitution of the Maldives.
They stated that although the Constitution provides “right to freedom of peaceful assembly without prior permission of the State” as stipulated in Article 32, this is limited by the “regulation on freedom of assembly” which was drafted before the new Constitution came into force.
The HRCM also expressed concern over the violent acts that took place in Parliament on 23 March, and requested the Parliament resolve issues by discussion and not to disrupt the work which needs to be done in the Majlis.
President Mohamed Nasheed implored delegates at the Maldives Partnership Forum, also known as the 2010 Donor Conference, to give the Maldives “your spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down.”
“We’re not out of the woods yet,” Nasheed told the 60 representatives of foreign countries and financial institutions participating in this year’s conference, which aims to attract foreign investment to help the government’s decentralisation plan and aid in the economic recovery of the country.
Foreign and local delegates, government officials and media crowded the meeting room for the opening ceremony which began at 10am with a recitation from the Holy Qur’an.
A video was then played for the audience which showcased the Maldives’ transition to democracy and the hope to develop the country in a sustainable manner. Five Maldivians spoke in the video and told their stories.
They included a farmer who hopes that sustainable practices will improve his crops; a woman who wants to run her own business; a man who moved his family to Malé to provide his children with better education and is having difficulty in adjusting to the problem of adequate housing; a girl who moved to Malé for her education and fell into heroin addiction; a boy who notices how the beach on his island gets smaller and how the water comes closer to his house each year.
Speakers
Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Ahmed Shaheed was the first to address the audience. He thanked the guests for participating in the conference, adding that “you have come to the Maldives at a crucial time” in the country’s history.
“There is a lot of work to be done to build a better future together,” Shaheed said, noting the Maldives has “transformed from a repressive society to an open society.”
“It is tempting to think that the hard work is done,” he said, “but truly, it is just beginning.”
Dr Shaheed spoke of the importance of implementing human rights and democracy in the daily lives of every Maldivian, as well as in government practices.
He also hoped that democracy would not be linked to hardship and want in the country’s memory, as he acknowledged it has been a difficult transition.
Dr Shaheed wished to “bequeath our successors a country that is…. free.” He also hoped the conference would help the government in consolidating democracy through the five key areas being addressed as part of the economic reform of the country: macro-economic stability, public reform, governance and democratisation, climate change adaptation and social development.
World Bank Country Director for Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Naoko Ishii, was second to speak. She said she felt “privileged to have witnessed your journey, your very tough journey, into democracy” and made special reference to the importance of donor cooperation.
Ishii noted that many challenges still remain for the government and the people, but assured that the conference was a positive step in finding the right international partners to “shape the future of the Maldives.”
She mentioned waste disposal as an especially worrying issue, but said “there are numerous actions being taken by the government and the donors. [They] are making every effort.”
Ishii added the “Maldives can continue to take many positive steps” and mentioned that she would have liked to sign a contract under water on behalf of the World Bank.
Next to speak was Coordinator for the UN in the Maldives, Mansoor Ali. He said “we stand at a very historic juncture. Maldives is a success story of political transition.”
He wanted to present a different side of development, saying “the other side of this island paradise remains unknown for many.”
Ali focused on human rights, violence against girls and women, and the challenges being faced by Maldivian people: food shortages, rising fuel prices, the financial downturn and rising unemployment, which he said was up to 14.4%, with youth unemployment being a high concern.
He said the conference was “an unprecedented opportunity” to address these issues and to find solutions.
“The UN system is proud to have worked with [the government] in the Strategic Action Plan…which becomes a good vehicle for the sustainable development of the Maldives.”
Ali said the Maldives needs to be assisted through a comprehensive plan and thanked the donors for their vast support to the UN and the Maldivian government.
President Nasheed speaking to media
Democratic progress
President Mohamed Nasheed delivered the closing speech for the ceremony, saying Maldivians “are a diverse collection of people” who are “brought together by a common goal: we all want to see a peaceful and prosperous Maldives.”
President Nasheed said despite the “considerable progress” the country has made in the last 18 months, “there is so much work to do” since the country is still in “the infancy of democracy.”
He spoke of the transition to democracy and the issues that still need to be addressed to assure equal rights to every Maldivian.
“I don’t make a secret of my concern over the capacity of the judiciary to expend justice. Nevertheless, we respect their independence and hope that…it will grow to be a respected institution.”
He spoke of freedom of the press, noting that although the press could now “report and comment as they see fit,” he urged “certain sections of the media to be more responsible.”
He said journalists should be mindful of the consequences of their actions, and asked journalists “to try to the best of their ability to report the truth.”
He noted that the Maldives had climbed 53 places in the Reporters Without Borders’ Press Freedom Index, and warned that the government would take action against anyone who tried to undermine press freedom.
President Nasheed said “Maldivians enjoy more freedom today than at any other point in history,” and added that the government believes “people need liberty to progress.”
The president spoke of civil servants and the need to cut down on government expenditure, saying he is working with the international community “to assure we don’t spend more than we can afford.”
Politics
President Nasheed said according to the World Bank, the Maldives was facing the worst economic situation of all countries going through a democratic transition, attributing this to the fact that “we inherited an economy in crisis. We inherited a huge national debt and millions of dollars of unpaid bills.”
He said the way it worked in the past was “when international diplomats and observers come to this country, we try to patch everything up and try our best to show a clear, clean picture. But I think otherwise.”
The president said he wanted to show the donors “the worst of what we have” to give them a clear view of the situation the country is in.
“There are a lot of people who do not like the things that we are doing. But most members of the opposition are sensible and respectable politicians.”
But he criticised some members of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) who this weekend were “doing their best to get arrested” and disrupt the donor conference, saying that in his mind, “violence only creates violence.”
He said he did not believe arresting DRP leaders was the solution to the recent political unrest, or to past violations of rights, adding “if we took everyone implicated in corruption and torture, we would end up arresting most of the opposition.”
“It’s time that certain politicians left the nursery and learn to grow up.”
Leader of the opposition DRP Ahmed Thasmeen Ali meanwhile wrote an open letter to delegates of the donor conference claiming that under Nasheed’s leadership, the Maldives was “sliding into political chaos and instability”.
“It is my humble request that you may please exercise the powers of your good offices to address the issues of democratic deficit in the current administration,” Thasmeen wrote. “Counsel against the efforts of the government to consolidate absolute power in their hands, and advocate for the discontinuation of their endeavors to eliminate an effective political opposition.
Climate change
As a major platform of his campaign and presidency, President Nasheed spoke to the participants of the conference on the reality of climate change and the need to take action.
“Climate change is real,” he said, “and time is of the essence and it seems we are falling behind. The world needs to go carbon neutral by mid century.”
President Nasheed said his government wants “to break the link between carbon and development,” noting that “carbon neutral development is not just possible but profitable.”
The president said donors were investing in the Maldives, despite the challenges of climate change and highly-publicised threat of submersion, “because they want to maintain, adapt, protect and uplift the country. If you want to protect something… then of course you will come and donate and you will help.”
“This is a crucial period in time. We can actually introduce adaptation and litigation measures quickly enough to save the Maldives, so I think that’s why the donors are investing,” Nasheed said.
Participants at the Donor Conference
Donor Conference
President Nasheed thanked the donors for their participation, saying it is “so important and deeply appreciated.”
He said that thanks to the transition to democracy, “I believe the Maldives is becoming a better and fairer place,” and added that “with your assistance, we can help ensure the long term survival of this country and this land.”
World Bank aid
After the opening ceremony, Minister of Finance Ali Hashim and Naoko Ishii signed an agreement, on behalf of the Maldivian government and the World bank respectively, for an additional US$13.7 million in aid.
The Attorney General Husnu Suood has proposed a bill to be presented to parliament removing the right to remain silent during investigation of people suspected of commit serious crimes.
The bill removes the right given under Article 48[N] of the Constitution that a person need only reveal their name and thereafter remain silent during police questioning.
The bill proposes that the right to remain silent should be removed in such cases such as threatening a person, attacking a person or his property, assault on a person using sharp objects or weapons, murder, drug trafficking, storing drugs to deal, importing drugs, using a sharp object or dangerous weapon in public without a valid reason, storing a sharp object in secret without a valid reason, gang rape and terrorism.
Press Secretary for the President Mohamed Zuhair said that the government believed it was necessary to remove the right to remaining silent on these cases.
”Why should we provide the right to remain silent for a man arrested with five kilograms of dope?” Zuhair asked.
”If the bill is passed people arrested in connection with these kind of crimes will be convicted for objection to order if they remain silent.”
He said the police would only arrest a person in the first place if they had conclusive evidence.
Spokesperson for the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) parliamentary group Mohamed Shifaz said the MPs had tried very hard to introduce the right to remain silent.
”The government would try to remove it in certain cases only when they notice a credible reason,” Shifaz said.
Vice president of Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Umar Naseer, a former police officer, agreed, saying the right to remain silent “should be removed for all the cases.”
”This would make it very easy to prosecute criminals, so I think it is very important,” he said.
The Maldivian Detainee Network issued a statement saying it was “concerned by the news that the Attorney General proposes to narrow fundamental rights afforded to persons accused of certain serious crimes.”
“We urge the Attorney General and Parliament to ensure that any legislation proposed or passed fully embodies the principle that all persons are innocent until proven guilty. Furthermore, any narrowing of rights must be done in accordance with Article 16 of the Constitution which states that “Any such law enacted by the People’s Majlis can limit the rights and freedoms to any extent only if demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.”
The NGO added that while it was concerned about the recent rise in crime and “the inability to successfully prosecute criminals, we would like to caution against reactionary steps which threaten fundamental rights.”
“The answer to rising crime in society is the full and effective implementation of a rights-based system by addressing the numerous issues within the criminal justice system,” it urged.
“The rush to discard fundamental rights is not only a short-sighted strategy which not only ignores the moral and practical imperatives behind those rights, but also risks returning to a society in which innocent citizens needed to fear the criminal justice system.”
Deputy Attorney General Abdulla Muiz did not respond to Minivan News at time of press.
Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Ali Waheed has said the party will put forward a no-confidence motion against Home Minister Mohamed Shihab, after police detained Waheed and several other senior party figures in an effort to defuse violent clashes between the supporters of both parties on Thursday night.
”We decided to take the no-confidence motion against Shihab because he used his powers and influence against the law,” Waheed said, adding that details would be provided tomorrow.
Waheed alleged that when the situation in Male’ broke the peace of the country on Thursday night, “Shihab was relaxing in a nearby resort.”
He said the party had received information “from a trusted source” that President Mohamed Nasheed gave the order to police that night to arrest the senior party leaders.
”The police have no powers, they only have to take orders from their leader,” he said.
However the President’s Office said yesterday that the government had full confidence in police and “absolutely no involvement” in the decision to remove the DRP leaders from the protest.
But Waheed claimed that the police “cannot arrest MPs while a no-confidence motion is ongoing inside parliament.”
”The police lied to us, saying that they were taking us to police head quarters to calm down the situation,” he said. ”Instead they took us to Dhoonidhu and took our mobile phones, and treated us just like the other criminals there.”
Vice president of DRP Umar Naseer said that there were “many things” the Home Minister had done, including “attacking peaceful protesters with tear gas.”
”He arrested MPs while there was a ongoing no-confidence motion in the parliament which is against the law, did not stopped MDP thugs attacking us, and did not enforce the law,” Naseer said.
He also claimed that President Mohamed Nasheed was “giving the orders to police that night”, claiming the party had obtained the information “because 90 per cent of the police and Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) support the DRP.”
Press Secretary for the President Mohamed Zuhair confirmed that President Mohamed Nasheed went to the police headquarters on Thursday night, “but not to give orders.”
”He went there because he is the owner of all the powers – police and MNDF,” Zuhair said, ”but the Commissioner of Police was the one giving the orders.”
Zuhair claimed that the opposition was trying to take no-confidence motion against ministers “one by one” to delay more productive bills sent to the parliament by the government.
”Countries with civil wars pass more bills in parliament than the Maldives does,” Zuhair said.
He said the opposition “is jealous and cannot accept their failure.”
”They are trying to show the people that they still have powers,” he suggested.
MDP’s parliamentary group spokesperson Mohamed Shifaz said the party would stand against the no-confidence motion on the home minister as ”we have not noticed home minister doing anything against the law.”
He said the party’s parliamentary group would continue to discuss the issue.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) released a statement appealing to the police to respect laws and to treat everyone equally when they work to disperse crowds.
HRCM said that ”political parties meetings are interrupted due to differences among people on political issues.”
The commission said it had noticed that regulations governing the dispersal of protests “are not being applied equally among everyone”, and that Article 32 of the Constitution guaranteed ”freedom to gather peacefully without prior permission from the government.”
Home Minister Mohamed Shihab and State Minister for Home Affairs Ahmed Adil did not respond to Minivan News at time of press.
I welcome you to the Maldives and extend good wishes for a pleasant stay in our country. Your visit to the Maldives to take part in the Maldives Donor Conference 2010 is testimony that you wish our country and its people well. I thank you for your kind interest in the Maldives and its well being.
Maldives has experienced some challenging milestones in the recent few years. A new constitution was enacted in August 2008. A new government was formed in November 2008. A new parliament was elected in May 2009.
All of these are fruits of an ambitious and extensive agenda for democratic reform that was put into motion by the government that preceded the current administration. All of these provided faith for the Maldivian people that the country would usher in a modern and liberal multiparty democracy that was inclusive, participatory, open and transparent.
However, with sixteen months into the current administration, we have been confronted with some sharp realities which are of concern to a people who are anxious to embrace a modern and liberal democracy based on human rights, rule of law and good governance.
The country is consumed in destructive politics. The political opposition continues to be intimidated and harassed. The political actors in the opposition are being subjected to undue restraint and control in the exercise of their conscience.
The parliament continues to be disrupted and prevented from the conduct of its constitutionally empowered mandate of holding public officials and government responsible. Every act to ensure accountability is being viewed as an obstruction to government and an attempt to oust it from power.
The private media is at the receiving end of sharp criticism and unequivocal objection from government officials and politicians associated with the government. Officials and owners of certain private media are being subjected to unnecessary harassment and public ridicule.
The judiciary continues to meet with harsh political rhetoric from politicians associated with the government and certain public officials. Independence of the judiciary, although guaranteed by the constitution, is increasingly becoming an untenable reality in the current climate.
The independent institutions of the state are also being controlled through restrictions put on their expenditure and budget. Additionally, those institutions such as the Human Rights Commission, Anti-Corruption Commission and the Civil Service Commission are being subject to unnecessary and harsh rhetoric from politicians associated with the government.
The shift in the economic policy has seen the creation of some twenty over government companies within the last one year where activists and sympathizers of the current government and the political parties associated with it, are being rewarded with directorial and other positions even though they are far from being competent for those positions.
The economic policy of the government is also seen as a roller coaster ride of privatization of various government undertakings including sale of profit making state assets and enterprises, without any transparent public bidding or credible policy or process.
The reduction of the civil service by a third is being achieved not through proper laws on redundancy or lay off, but through a backdoor approach of converting civil service outfits into government corporations and taking those outfits outside the ambit of civil service thereby throwing the security of tenure otherwise available to a civil servant into oblivion.
Citing economic difficulty, the government has unilaterally withheld percentages of salary for public officials and civil servants even though there are laws guaranteeing their pay and benefits. The situation is exacerbated with the creation of hosts of political posts totally unnecessary to discharge the functions of the president, but seen beneficial to reward associates and activists of the president and his party.
Although the current president came to power on a platform of democracy, good governance, human rights and rule of law, there has not been a single policy or project or program that has been unveiled in the past one and half years of his administration that could spell out the vision and strategies of the president to consolidate a democratic culture in the Maldives.
Quite conversely, we are seeing the country sliding into political chaos and resultant instability.
The president has often remained a president for the men and women of his party, and has failed miserably to reach out to the rest of the people of this country by becoming a leader of the nation.
He has failed to institute any mechanisms for participation and inclusion of the political opposition in matters of national importance, or develop a framework for consultation and dialogue with the opposition in the conduct of the affairs of the nation.
That is brief and incomplete overview of the state of affairs in the Maldives under the leadership of the current administration.
Therefore, it is my humble request that you may please exercise the powers of your good offices to address the issues of democratic deficit in the current administration – counsel against the efforts of the government to consolidate absolute power in their hands, and advocate for the discontinuation of their endeavors to eliminate an effective political opposition.
It is also my appeal to you that you may please consider linking of aid or assistance or investment to clear cut standards or processes of democratic consolidation, fair play, good governance, and rule of law in the Maldives.
Earth Hour 2010 took place last night at 8.30pm (local time) and was a global call to action to every individual, every business and every community throughout the world.
It was a call to stand up, to take responsibility, to get involved and lead the way towards a sustainable future.
Iconic buildings and landmarks stood in darkness from the Indo-Pacific to Australasia, to Asia and Europe to the Americas. People across the world from all walks of life turned off their lights and joined together in celebration and contemplation of the one thing we all have in common – our planet.
Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million homes and businesses turned their lights off for one hour to make their stand against climate change. Only a year later Earth Hour become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries participating.
MDNF walking through Male in support of Earth Hour 2010
Global landmarks such as the, Sydney Harbour Bridge, The CN Tower in Toronto, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and Rome’s Coliseum all stood in darkness, as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour.
In one of Earth Hour’s most visually powerful displays of climate action, the world’s tallest building, Dubai’s Burj Khailfa, flicked the switch from top to bottom – all 828 metres – along with other landmarks and icons including the Bujr Al Arab, Abu Dhabi Mosque and Emirates Palace.
The Maldives carried Earth Hour across the Indian Ocean last night. Rather than just turning the lights off for an hour at 8:30, as with much of the rest of the world, the Maldives went several steps further to spread the message on climate change: an enforced road closure took place Male’ wide at 4pm, remaining so until midnight.
This year “the road closure was better enforced” as “the Ministry of Transport called for an Rf750 (US$58) fine for any unapproved vehicles, in addition to a deduction of 15 points for any vehicles in violation,” says Zaha Waheed of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Awareness spread to local schools and environmental groups too.
“The Minister and deputy Minister of Environment, the Minister of Tourism, the Maldives National Defence Force, state dignitaries and staff of the Environmental Protection Agency attended a walk with around 500 students from four schools in Male’,” says Environmental Protection and Research Director, Ibrahim Naeem.
This walk was to “spread awareness for the environmental issues of the world, particularly climate change and energy consumption” he said.
Maldives resorts and hotels also played their part in raising awareness for climate change, with Male’s Holiday Inn stopping the generator and hosting a candle lit gathering with music from a local acoustic musician in the city’s highest venue, ‘Azure’.
People filled the rooftop terrace to witness the spectacle of Male’ carrying the momentum of Earth Hour across the Indian Ocean.
Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort and Spa, offered guests an organic moonlit massage using virgin coconut oil produced by a local community, Bandos Island Resort and Spa “sent awareness information to all guests and cut the whole island’s electricity for an hour,” says Zaina from the resort’s marketing department, along with many other sisland resorts which joined forces to spread the Earth Hour message across the atolls.
Kate Wilson is a marine biologist with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
(0)Dislikes
(0)
