DRP accuse govt of undermining Islam

The opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) said the government had both failed to protect Islam and was undermining Islamic traditions and weakening Maldivians’ faith.

The DRP would block the government’s decision to authorise the sale of alcohol in tourist hotels on inhabited islands, said MP Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, DRP deputy leader, at a rally on Artificial Beach last night.

“Our whole social fabric is being weakened because of activities like this,” he said. “This will cause serious harm to our society. These things are serious atrocities attempted by today’s government and we condemn it.”

Thasmeen criticised the Islamic ministry for being ineffectual in their opposition to the regulations.

“The way things are organised in the Maldivian government, there is no role for the institution responsible for Islamic affairs. There’s no way for them to work. There’s no weight to what they say. They are set aside,” he said.

He further said the attorney general’s remarks, that the regulations did not have legal bearing and should not be implemented, revealed a lack of coordination and inconsistency in the government’s policies.

“Does the attorney general only have a role when the people take to the streets?” said Thasmeen.

Last week, the economic development ministry revised regulations on the import and use of alcohol, pork and products to revoke liquor permits and authorise sale of alcohol in tourist hotels on inhabited islands.

But, following pressure from the public, NGOs and the Islamic ministry, it withdrew the regulations and sent them to a parliamentary committee for advice.

At a press conference on Sunday, Economic Development Minister Mohamed Rasheed said he did not believe alcohol should be sold in an Islamic country and the lack of a monitoring mechanism for liquor permits issued by the previous government for expatriates had created a black market for alcohol.

“So we were studying ways to control it. But in controlling it, we have to consider that our economy is based on the tourism sector and how we could control it in a way that does not weaken the tourism industry,” he said.

Rasheed said the regulation was drafted following consultations with police and customs and was intended to control the illegal sale of alcohol.

“Yellow talk”

Thasmeen went on to say the ministry had not consulted the public before revising the regulation and were now trying to justify its decision by saying it was intended to tackle the illegal sale of alcohol. “This is all yellow talk,” he said.

He added the DRP was concerned because alcohol would be sold across the country.

“The biggest challenge facing us today, the biggest danger, the biggest threat is the effort to weaken our Islamic faith,” he said. “The danger of the effort to destroy, dismantle and weaken our Islamic character.”

The rally was attended by a large number of party supporters, with some bearing placards that attacked the government’s record on religious matters.

Among the speakers, MP Dr Afrashim Ali, a religious scholar, said the decision to authorise sale of alcohol was evidence of the government’s attitude towards Islam.

Afrashim said he believed the government would not win even 12 per cent if a vote was taken today.  

No loopholes

At Sunday’s press conference, Adhil Saleem, state minister of economic development, said the revised regulations were complete and did not have any loopholes. Hotels with over 100 beds would be allowed to have a bar that would only serve foreigners.

Further, it will be illegal to keep alcohol in mini-bars at the hotels on inhabited islands or sell it anywhere apart from the hotel’s main bar.

Maldivians cannot be employed at the bar and all employees of the bar must be registered with the economic development ministry after a police clearance; the bar must further not be easily accessible to people who enter the hotel or visible from outside.

An inventory of the alcohol in storage and daily sales must be maintained and made available to police on their request, while CCTV cameras must be mounted at the storage room at hotel.

Rasheed said police told the ministry the new regulations would make it easier for police to target the illegal sale of alcohol in Male’.