Tourism Ministry advises visitors to verify registration of tour agents

The Tourism Ministry has advised visitors to to verify the registration of local tour operators and agents to “avoid unforseen situations”.

The ministry made the remarks after the police announced that they are investigating into local travel agencies involved in scamming tourists by charging money in advance for reservations, without paying the resorts.

“Visitors are advised to check the list of travel agents if reservations are made by a local travel agent in the Maldives. This is to protect clients interest and avoid any unforeseen situations,” the Tourism Ministry said.

A list of all registered travel agents has been published on the ministry’s website. According to the list, a total of 146 registered agencies are operating in Maldives.

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TVM and VTV to broadcast Euro 2012

State broadcaster Television Maldives (TVM) and private Villa Television (VTV) station have been granted broadcasting rights to air European Football Championship Euro 2012, reports local media Haveeru.

Speaking at a ceremony held on Wednesday, Financial Controller of cable operator MediaNet Ahmed Nashid said the move would allow Maldivians access to watch the championship and would provide a “break from politics.”

The Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) have held regular protests calling for early elections since the controversial transfer of power on February 7, which the party alleges was through a coup d’état.

“All we see these days is politics. But the opportunity to watch a match will provide a break from politics,” Nashid said.

CEO of VTV Ibrahim Khaleel said the TV station would immediately start a countdown to the football championship to be held between June 8 and July 1.

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President Waheed returns from India

President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan has returned to the Maldives after concluding a five day official visit to India on the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.

Prime Minister Singh extended US$25 million from the Standby Credit Facility to alleviate short financing issues. India had already extended US$20 million from the Standby Credit Facility in February 2012 as well as the rollover of the US$ 50 million State Bank of India (SBI) Treasury Bonds by a year.

Speaking to the Indian press during his visit, President Waheed announced he would revise the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) set up to investigate the controversial transfer of power on February 7. The Commonwealth’s Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) had warned of stronger measures against the Maldives should the government fail to review the mandate and composition of the CNI to make it more credible and impartial.

Speaking to local media at the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport on his arrival, President Waheed said the Commonwealth had no grounds to take measures against the Maldives.

“I do not believe they will take any measures. We have cooperated with the CMAG. They have no grounds to take measures. If they do, it will be quite strange,” Waheed told reporters.

During his visit, President Waheed met with President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, and other key officials of the Indian government; including Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai, National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon, and Minister of External Affairs S. M. Krishna.

The President also met with the diplomatic community in New Delhi, and Indian business leaders in Delhi and Mumbai, and delivered a lecture at the Indian Council of World Affairs.

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Nasheed vows to continue protests for early elections

Ousted President Mohamed Nasheed has vowed to step up demonstrations for early elections after the government agreed to a Commonwealth demand to revise a commission set up to investigate the controversial transfer of power on February 7.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) youth wing offices on Tuesday night, Nasheed said new President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan had been forced to revise the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) due to popular demonstrations for early elections and called on the public to step up protests.

Nasheed alleges he was deposed in a coup d’état carried out by mutinous elements of the police and military on February 7. Thousands of MDP supporters have since held regular protests since the change of government calling for fresh elections.

“The Commonwealth is with the Maldives. Commonwealth officials can see the vast number of yellow scarves when they step out on to their balconies. Don McKinnon is astonished by the number of people who have come out in support for this in this tiny place,” Nasheed said.

Sir Don McKinnon is the Commonwealth’s Special Envoy to the Maldives. The Commonwealth has called for early elections in the Maldives within 2012.

Nasheed reiterated his belief that Maldives may never see elections again if early elections are not held in 2012. Moreover, he claimed President Waheed’s administration was attempting to influence the Elections Commission by offering ambassadorships and other benefits to the Elections Commission President Fuad Thawfeeq.

The two offices opened on Tuesday night were the Orchard Office on Keneree Magu and the offices of youth activist group “Yellow Force.”

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MDP condemns frequent power interruptions in Malé

The ousted Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has condemned frequent power interruptions in Malé and has claimed the interruptions resulted from two foreign companies involved in power upgrade withdrawing from the Maldives after the controversial transfer of power on February 7.

However, CEO of State Electric Company Ltd (STELCO) Zaid Mohamed has told Minivan News that Germany-based MAN SE and Denmark’s SAMCO companies only left the country for 10 days following the change of government, but returned to the Maldives to continue work on the Fourth Power Development Project.

Daily power cuts result from a delay in completing the Fourth Power project which will add two generators, each capable of producing eight megawatts of electricity, to the company’s functioning 17 generators, STELCO has previously said .

The fourth power project was scheduled to be completed by December 2011, but will now be completed by the end of May, Zaid said.

The MDP in a statement on Wednesday expressed concern over damage to household electric appliances from unscheduled power outages. The party has also claimed the new President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan intends to reduce electricity subsidies to the public.

Meanwhile, Indian media IBN Live has reported that President Waheed asked for Indian investment in providing electricity services during a meeting with Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan during Waheed’s recent trip to India.

Waeed told the Governor “electricity is a major problem in Maldives and said power companies from India can help Maldives to tide over the energy deficiency,” IBN Live reported.

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Weak fisheries sector could benefit from strong tourism

The Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture Ahmed Shafeeu has suggested that the tourism industry might be “tapped” to improve the fortunes of the ailing fisheries sector.

“The internal market is there for agriculture and fisheries. The local demand for fish is huge, including resorts,” he said.

Shafeeu noted that there was potential in closer links between resorts and local producers, and that there had already been suggestions from some island communities that such links be further cultivated.

“The [fisheries] sector needs to be re-prioritised. Recently, the focus has been mainly on tourism. We are very vulnerable if we depend only on tourism,” said Shafeeu.

The most recent statistics from the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) have revealed that the volume of fish exports dropped by 63 percent in the twelve months from January 2011 to January 2012. The value of these exports dropped by 33 percent during the same period.

The statistics, provided by the Department of National Planning, show that tourism constituted around thirty percent of real GDP last year and is projected to represent a similar figure in 2012.

The fisheries industry is predicted to contribute just 1.1 percent of Maldives’ real GDP this year, dropping nearly two thirds from its 2006 contribution. The national significance of the industry however remains huge, providing employment to more than half of the population.

Potential issues that may act as potential barriers to the consumption of local fisheries produce in the resorts seem to be transport and product quality.

Deputy Tourism Minister Mohamed Maleeh Jamaal said that the opening of local airports and the development of transport may make it easier to increase the consumption of local produce in resorts.

He said that there had not been any research done on the exact patterns of consumption on resorts. The MMA figures show that the Maldives exported an average of 43 percent of its fish catch over the five years up to 2011.

“Currently, there are many challenges in the transportation of products,” said Maleeh.

“We hope domestic products can be consumed in our resorts. Fisheries have a high potential. All resorts consume a lot of fish. I think the demand for locally caught fish is very high,” he added.

Maleeh said that the sustainability of Maldivian fishing techniques were a strong selling point of the nation as a tourist destination. He saw this as part of what makes the Maldives unique.

The sustainability of centuries-old ‘pole and line’ fishing methods is not only considered a source of national pride, but also attracts buyers from premium supermarkets in the UK and Europe.

Shafeeu said that the resorts often imported only local reef fish, choosing to import other high value fish products which could potentially be available domestically.

A senior management source at one resort told Minivan News that they did source local fisheries’ produce in their restaurants and in their staff canteen, owing to the low cost.

“We don’t buy from outside,” said the source, although they said the choice was often limited: “It’s not every day we can get what we want.”

They added that this arrangement was possible due to the location of their resort, in North Male’ Atoll. For more isolated resorts, they explained, it is not viable for local fishermen to bring fresh fish every day.

This issue was also touched upon by Maleeh: “Resorts need continuity and consistency of supply,” he said, adding, “The quality of products needs to be maintained.”

Describing alternative methods of improving the prospects of the industry which has suffered greatly from foreign competition in nearby waters, Shafeeu raised the issue of the impact the “major shortage” of fresh ice had on the quality of produce.

“One of the major concerns is getting good ice across the country,” said Shafeeu, explaining that the delays imposed while vessels waited for ice, as well as the potential impact on the quality of the catch, were “not acceptable”.

He added that with the budget being “very limited” he was exploring the possibility of converting funds from other projects to meet this need.

Investment in ice processing plants was described as one of the areas he hoped would benefit from the resumption of fishing subsidies was announced by President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan last month.

The subsidies, amounting to Rf100million a year (US$6.5million), are yet to receive official approval from the Majlis, although Shafeeu said that the chair of the Finance Committee had indicated that a consensus in favour of subsidies had been reached.

He said that he had instructed ministry staff to advertise the availability of the subsidies so that fishermen could register and receive their vouchers as soon as the Majlis reconvened.

When asked if he felt the fishing industry to be in terminal decline, Shafeeu replied that he did not think this was the case, believing that the industry could still play a prominent role in the country’s economy “if we give it enough attention”.

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Islamic Ministry requests MNDF, police officers be authorised to grow beards

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs has requested amendments to the uniform code of the security services to authorise army and police officers to grow facial hair.

A media official from the ministry confirmed that a letter was sent to the President’s Office this week officially requesting the policy change “to give permission to police and army officers to grow beards as in other Islamic countries, since our constitution is based on Islamic principles.”

Islamic Minister Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed told local media this week that a number of army and police officers had appealed with the ministry for the change.

Shaheem argued that in spite of disagreement among scholars regarding the issue, the Maldivian constitution provides the freedom to adhere to Islamic codes.

He noted that other Islamic nations such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Pakistan permitted beards in the military while Sikhs in the Indian army were allowed to wear beards.

Shaheem explained to local daily Haveeru this week that the Islamic Ministry was not advocating in favour of making beards mandatory for the uniformed bodies, but rather to allow those who requested permission to wear beards.

“While our constitution offers that right, why has it been forbidden by some in an Islamic country?” he asked, adding that he had complete confidence that President Mohamed Waheed “would not turn his back on the request.”

“Mocking the Sunnah“

Dr Ibrahim Zakariyya Moosa and MP Afrashim AliShaheem’s religious conservative Adhaalath Party, part of the ruling coalition, put out a statement yesterday “condemning in the harshest terms” remarks made by two unnamed scholars in a lecture to police officers last week that the party contends “mocked” the Sunnah (way of life prescribed as normative for Muslims on the basis of the teachings and practices of Prophet Mohammed).

The press release did not identify the speakers by name. However, a police media official confirmed that the session was conducted by Dr Ibrahim Zakariyya Moosa and MP Afrashim Ali, a moderate scholar and council member of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).

According to police media, the pair spoke in detail about sources of disputes among religious scholars, including on the issue of beards.

“In his speech, Dr Afrashim Ali mainly explained the importance of knowing how the Prophet’s Sunnah is ranked,” reads the police news item.

MP Afrashim argued that issues on which scholars have not been able to reach a consensus could not be declared either compulsory or heretical as “there cannot be a definite conclusion regarding such problems.”

According to Adhaalath Party, one of the scholars told police officers that there was no benefit to society from an individual wearing a beard “even if, for example, it was established from the Prophet’s Sunnah.”

The remarks implied that growing a beard was not mandatory in the Sunnah and cast doubt on its purpose, the Adhaalath party statement argued.

“As some officers of the Maldives police institution wanted to wear beards, he attempted in his talk to convince them that there was no need to do something that was of no benefit to society,” the statement reads.

Adhaalath Party noted that there was consensus among Islamic scholars that wearing beards was part of the Sunnah. Scholars however disagreed as to whether the practice was obligatory upon all Muslim males.

“This is as clear as the midday sun,” the statement claimed, citing authentic hadith purporting to show that the Prophet “ordered all Muslims to trim their moustaches and grow out their beards.”

In its statement, the Adhaalath Party’s scholars council also urged all government departments and state institutions to “amend all regulations in conflict with Islamic principles.”

Article 10 of the constitution states that the religion of the state is Islam while “no law contrary to any tenet of Islam shall be enacted in the Maldives.”

Religious NGO Jammiyathul Salaf meanwhile released a statement yesterday signed by the group’s President Sheikh Abdulla bin Mohamed Ibrahim, Sheikh Hassan Moosa Fikry and Sheikh Ahmed Sameer bin Ibrahim insisting that beards were compulsory in Islam.

The Salaf statement further claimed that regulations prohibiting beards in the military were unconstitutional as it was contrary to a well-established tenet of Islam.

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MDP government should have continued after Nasheed’s resignation, says DRP MP

Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Ali Azim has told local media that he believes the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) government should have continued following the resignation of former President Mohamed Nasheed on February 7.

The DRP Council Member and MP for mid-Heniveru constituency told local newspaper Haveeru that he did not believe that with the resignation of the former president Nasheed, succeeding president Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan could abolish Nasheed’s cabinet. There was, he said, “a problem” when the MDP was not allowed to complete its five year term which people had voted for in the last presidential elections.

“This government should consist of officials that can sell the ideologies that MDP believed in. I still believe the government should be run with MDP members.  They should be given the duration that they had been elected for. Otherwise, that is a problem,” Azim told Haveeru.

Azim further said that he opposed the idea of DRP joining with the coalition of political parties currently in support of President Waheed’s government. He said he had objected to the decision during his party’s council meeting, and that he was one of the three members of the council who had objected to the decision.

He said he had warned that joining the coalition in support of the new government would pave the way for internal conflicts within the coalition, and that such a coalition could not work in the best interest of the country.

Azim said that the DRP joined the coalition because the party council believed that if the party refused to join, then it would further stir up claims of a possible “political deal” between former President Mohamed Nasheed and DRP Leader MP Ahmed Thasmeen Ali.

Azim added that despite his belief that it should still be an MDP government, he would assist the current government through the parliament and by other means.

Minivan News tried contacting Azim but he did not respond at time of press.

In response to Azim’s statements, fellow DRP MP Rozaina Adam told Sun Online that she believed the government was now belonged President Waheed and his Gaumee Iththihaadh (GI) – which has 2600 members.

“Whoever is in the position of the President, the government shall be of his party. President Waheed wanted a unity government, and therefore it is now the government of President Waheed. This government has the support of the DRP,” she told the newspaper.

However Adam added that even though her party supported the government, it would not support any actions of the government which it was dissatisfied with.

“If this government carries actions about which the DRP disapproves, we will not stand in support of such actions,” she added.

Minivan News contacted Rozaina however she said that she had already spoken to the media about the issue and that she did not wish to speak about it again.

Following the controversial resignation of Former President Mohamed Nasheed on February 7, then Vice President Mohamed Waheed Hassan was sworn in as President on the same day. Afterwards, Waheed dismissed Nasheed’s cabinet and announced the formation of a ‘national unity government’, which consisted of the political parties that had opposed Nasheed’s administration.

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Government agrees to CMAG demands “with conditions”

The government of the Maldives has agreed to the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group’s (CMAG) demand to revise the composition of a commission set up to investigate the controversial transfer of power on February 7, but has set conditions for the appointment of a new member to represent ousted President Mohamed Nasheed on the commission.

Attorney General Azima Shukoor said Nasheed’s nominee must not have served in a political position in the past two years or taken a public stand on the transfer of power. Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) have challenged the conditions and called them “nonsensical.”

The CMAG in April warned of “stronger measures” against the Maldives if new President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan failed to revise the composition and mandate of the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) by May 16.

The Commonwealth had already suspended the Maldives from the CMAG and placed the Maldives on its formal agenda following Nasheed’s claim that he was ousted in a coup d’état on February 7, carried out by mutinous elements of the police and military.

Speaking to the press on Tuesday with only a day remaining before the CMAG deadline, Shukoor said the CNI will continue to retain the three members appointed by President Waheed, but will now include a Commonwealth-chosen judge as co-chair of the commission and a member representing Nasheed. The government has already accepted a retired Singaporean judge as co-chair, but has rejected nine candidates fielded by Nasheed and given him a two week deadline to fill the post.

Regarding CMAG’s call to revise the CNI’s mandate, Shukoor said a “misunderstanding” had taken place and that the mandate would be “clarified and refined.”

“Nonsensical”

At a press conference immediately following the government’s briefing, MDP Spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor hailed the government’s decision to revise the CNI composition as “historic”, and said the commission “is now independent.”

However, MDP lawyer and former Youth Minister Hassan Latheef expressed concern over the government’s “nonsensical” conditions for Nasheed’s member. In addition to prohibiting any candidate who had served in a political position and taken a public stand over the transfer of power, the government has also stipulated that the nominee must have “good behavior and integrity.”

Latheef said the latter conditions were “subjective”, and added that if the government required a candidate who had not yet taken a public stand, “then they are saying Dr Waheed will appoint President Nasheed’s representative.”

If Nasheed was not allowed to appoint his own candidate, the opportunity “lacks any sincerity”, Latheef said.

The nine candidates fielded by Nasheed include MP and former MDP chairperson Mariya Ahmed Didi, former Environment Minister Mohamed Aslam, former Youth Minister Hassan Latheef, former Education Minister Shifa Mohamed, former President’s Member on the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) Aishath Velezinee, Nasheed’s cousin Hudha Ahmed, former Airports Company board member Ibrahim Saleem, and former President’s Office political appointee Fareesha Abdulla.

Ghafoor said the MDP had initially asked for three MDP members on the commission for equal representation, but acceded to a foreign co-chair and a member to represent Nasheed because the party “wants the case to proceed and we want a way out of this.”

According to Shukoor, the government rejected Nasheed’s nominees because they included members of his cabinet, his relatives and MDP activists. “The Commonwealth’s concern is that the composition be independent and impartial. Hence, the government believes the inquiry commission cannot proceed with the [nominated] people,” she told reporters.

The MDP initially challenged the independence of the inquiry on the basis that Chair Ismail Shafeeu was previously Defence Minister under former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s government, at a time when systematic torture was being conducted on political prisoners.

Home Minister Mohamed Jameel said he hoped the CMAG would accept the government’s proposal, and said: “We do not believe CMAG’s demand was to appease a certain person. The government and the majority of the public cannot believe these nominees can be impartial.”

The government has given Nasheed a two-week deadline to field an acceptable candidate. If an agreement cannot be reached, then the government will proceed by appointing a lawyer to the seat reserved for Nasheed’s nominee, Shukoor also said.

Terms of reference, elections

Although  CMAG had called for a revision of the CNI mandate, Shukoor said the terms of reference would not be changed, but had been refined.

MDP’s Latheef provided details of the changes to the mandate, claiming the CNI would prioritise an inquiry into whether Nasheed had resigned under duress and the circumstances surrounding the transfer of power.

The CNI’s current mandate stipulates an investigation into the events starting from the detention of Criminal Court Judge Abdulla Mohamed on January 14 until the transfer of power on February 7. The government maintains Nasheed voluntarily resigned following public furor over the judge’s detention.

Furthermore, instead of relying solely on witness statements, the commission would also accept photos, videos, audios, personal bank statements and phone recordings as evidence, Latheef also said.

The CMAG had also called on the Maldives to hold early elections within 2012, but Shukoor reiterated the government’s position that fresh elections could only be held if the inquiry found the transfer of power to be unconstitutional and added that early polls would require a constitutional amendment.

Formal Agenda

In Tuesday’s press briefing, the government also protested against CMAG’s decision to place Maldives on its formal agenda, and said the move contravened the Commonwealth’s mandate and procedures.

Newly-appointed Human Rights and Gender Minister Dhiyana Saeed said the enhanced mandate of the CMAG approved in Perth in October 2011 only allowed the organisation to place a country on its agenda if there was: “(1) unilateral abrogation of a democratic constitution or serious threats to constitutional rule; (2) the suspension or prevention of the lawful functioning of parliament or other key democratic institutions; (3) the postponement of national elections without constitutional or other reasonable justification; and (4) the systematic denial of political space, such as through detention of political leaders or restriction of freedom of association, assembly or expression.”

Saeed claimed that as long as Nasheed’s allegations of coup d’état remained unproven, the CMAG could not activate its mandate to place Maldives on its agenda.

“Given that no allegations have yet been proven and when the Maldivian government is cooperating with an investigation into the allegations, CMAG has placed the Maldives on its formal agenda outside of the CMAG mandate and process,” she told reporters.

Despite the government’s opposition to being placed on the CMAG’s formal agenda, it remained ready to engage with the Commonwealth in finding a political resolution, Saeed said.

The Commonwealth must follow “due process” by establishing whether an unconstitutional transfer of power had taken place before placing Maldives on its agenda, Shukoor added.

“It is our right to be treated according to those principles, no matter how small or vulnerable we are or how serious the allegation against us are,” she said.

Political parties backing President Dr Waheed have called for preemptively withdrawing from the Commonwealth. MPs of the Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) and the Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) in April submitted a bill to Majlis to disengage from the Commonwealth.

Waheed is currently in India for an official visit, and has criticized the Commonwealth engagement with the Maldives.

“We used to believe that the Commonwealth was the champion of the smaller nations that extended assistance in every way possible. But to the contrary we witnessed the grouping inclined towards Nasheed, head towards punishing us,” local media reports Waheed as saying.

Despite voicing his disappointment with the 54 nation group, Waheed said that he would not back the proposals to withdraw from the Commonwealth and expected the bill to be dismissed as soon as the Majlis returned from its current recess.

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