Category: Politics

Children, disabled and elderly unprotected: Human Rights Commissioner

The Maldives’ Human Rights Commissioner Mariyam Azra today said the country needed to improve its enforcement of those rights given to all world citizens under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, drafted over two years between 1947 and 1948.

December 10 marked International Human Rights Day. The declaration was adopted and proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly, and is the most translated document in modern history – it is available in more than 360 languages with more translations being added on a consistent basis.

In a statement released on Saturday, Azra said human rights are undeniably given to individuals, groups, and entire societies.

“The state should take particular care in enforcing the rights of children, the elderly and disabled as well as to concentrating on the general condition of the society,” the statement read. Poor education and domestic troubles including divorce and poverty are among the obstacles preventing children from realising their full potential.

Azra also observed that political and economic divisions needed to be overcome to create a more open and accessible society for the next generation.

Rights within the home were recently addressed during “World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse“, and UNDP followed up with “Did You Know?“, a public event to raise citizens’ awareness of their civil rights and how to exercise them in the Maldives’ democracy.

Speaking to Minivan News at the time, Human Rights Commission Maldives (HRCM) Commissioner Tholal attributing misconceptions of human rights in the Maldives to social instability. “There’s this idea that if a prisoner has rights, it’s at someone else’s expense. But human rights are not about protecting one person’s rights and not another’s.”

Tholal expected that public understanding of human rights would improve as the country adapted to the many change it has weathered since the government took office in 2008.

Azra said further measures were needed to guarantee given rights after declaring that children, elderly and disabled were not protected under any coherent system. She said the government has a wide responsibility to promote human rights by providing shelter and medical care, among other social services. According to the statement, the cost of ignoring these services is high.

Azra also reminded the government of its duty to ensure the humane treatment of expatriate workers, a demographic that has received attention for being widely abused and inappropriately imported at alarming rates.

Events are being held world wide in honor of International Human Rights Day. In a statement, the British High Commissioner to the Maldives and Sri Lanka said that while the declaration was “signed in a very different world to the one we live in today”, the core values remain the same across the region.

Social media, he said, is an important means for guaranteeing that world citizens are informed, protected, and able to promote human rights on all levels.

In a recent case, the Maldives rejected UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay’s request that the government issue a moratorium on flogging. As a debate grew over terms of human rights and religious integrity within a Muslim country, Tholal made the following observation:

“The key thing for the public to understand is that the Maldives is a 100 percent Muslim country,” he said. “The rules and regulations that this status calls for can exist within the framework of human rights. They’re not incompatible. If anyone says otherwise, they negate the mission of the HRC. The idea that human rights are compatible with Islam, and the constitution, needs to be accepted by the people.”

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

GMR shares dip on back of Civil Court ruling against airport development charge

GMR shares on the Mumbai stock exchange fell 7.57 percent on Thursday on the back of a Civil Court ruling in the Maldives against its proposed US$25 Airport Development Charge (ADC), India’s Economic Times reported.

The paper earlier reported that the share slip had taken the company to a 52-week low, and that that the decision could leave the airport development project facing an annual funding shortage of US$25 million.

GMR said yesterday that it had yet to receive a copy of the Civil Court’s judgement and was only aware of the ruling through media reports.

“We are yet to receive the copy of the judgment and as such we are not in a position to evaluate the implications of the ruling,” the company said in a statement.

“GMR has been permitted to collect ADC and Insurance charge under the Concession Agreement signed between GMR-MAHB, Maldives Airport Company Limited (MACL) and The Republic of Maldives (acting by and through its Ministry of Finance and Treasury), and as such has set up processes for ADC collection from 1st January 2012 supported by an information campaign to ensure adequate awareness,” the company said.

“The bid for the Concession to manage, develop and operate Ibrahim Nasir International Airport for 25 years was conducted by the [World Bank’s] International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the component of ADC was part of the bid. GMR is confident that Government of Maldives will take such measures as would be necessary to honour its contractual obligation in this regard, given that the success of the development of the airport project is of national economic importance.”

The company noted that the payment of a development fee was “a common concept in many airports globally”, particularly as a part of concession agreements where airports are privatised.

“The reason for the inclusion of ADC in many global concession agreements is to address the funding needs to meet the investment model required to upgrade and develop new airport facilities at significant costs,” GMR stated.

The Civil Court ruled that the clause in the concession agreement with GMR violated the Airport Service Charges Act of 1978, which was amended in 2009 to raise the charge to US$18 for foreign passengers and US$12 for Maldivians above two years of age.

Judge Ali Rasheed Hussein ruled that the Airport Development Charge and insurance charge were service charges “under other names.”

He noted that the Airport Service Charges Act had been amended seven times to raise the charges since 1978 by the legislature, “based on the economic circumstances of the Maldives and the means of the public,” which showed that the purpose of the law was to ensure that enforcement agencies did not have the authority to raise the charges.

The suit was filed by the opposition-aligned Dhivehi Quamee Party (DQP), led by former Attorney General, Dr Hassan Saeed.

President Mohamed Nasheed’s Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair said he believed the government was obliged to appeal the lower court ruling to in order to comply with the terms of the concession agreement.

GMR’s 25 year concession agreement to construct and manage a new US$400 million terminal (to be competed in 2014) is the single largest foreign investment in the history of the Maldives.

The strength of the IFC-monitored bid by the GMR-Malaysian Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB), split 77:23 percent respectively, came from its US$78 million upfront payment (compared with US$27 million from the second-highest bidder) and in particular, its 27 percent sharing of fuel revenue (from 2014).

At the time, the government anticipated that 60 percent of government revenue from the airport deal would derive from fuel – US$74.25 million annually between 2015-2020, increasing to US$128.7 a year from 2025-2035. This in turn was the most significant element of the final ‘net-present-value’ calculations to determine the winning bid.

A briefing document obtained by Minivan News following GMR’s successful bid in June 2010 contained forecasts of the government’s expected earnings from the airport over the lifespan of the contract. It revealed that a majority of the predicted revenue, a major factor in calculating the NPV (net present value) used to determine the successful bid, derived from the 27 percent fuel revenue share once the airport is completed in 2014:

  • 2015-2020: 12.8m gross + 74.25m fuel = US$87.05m per year
  • 2020-2025- 17.02m gross + 90.99m fuel = US$108.01m per year
  • 2025-2035 – 20.43 gross + 108.27m fuel = US$128.7 m per year

The document contrasted this with the dividends paid to the government by MACL over the last three years, noting that the majority of the dividends paid in 2008-2009 were achieved “by taking a loan.” Dividends in 2007 were 2.3 million, 13.3 million in 2008, and 5.05 million in 2009.

On the suggestion that MACL should be allowed to raise finance and invest in the upgrade itself, a predicted US$300-400 million, the document noted that MACL “already has debts of Rf 600 million (US$46.69 million)” and would be unable to obtain further leverage “without a sovereign guarantee – simply not allowed due to the IMF measures.”

At the same time, GMR’s bid offered a significantly lower 10 percent share of gross airport revenue, as compared to the other two bids.

The only historic figures available to the government in estimating this revenue (a staid US$20.43 million by 2025-2035) were derived from the existing commercial revenue from the airport – usage fees, ground handling charges, duty free shop rents, and so forth.

Compared to the glittering Gucci-lined corridors of airports in tourist hubs such as Dubai, the airport’s 4-5 departure lounge shops and dilapidated eateries – some serving pot noodle – were a missed opportunity, given the bulging wallet of the average visitor to the Maldives.

Speaking at the opening of GMR’s cavernous Delhi Terminal 3, GMR Manager P Sripathi told Minivan News that the consortium was very interested in the well-heeled concourse traffic in the Maldives – sufficiently interested to invest a sum equal to almost half the country’s stated GDP at the time.

“It’s a lovely project. The type of tourists coming are from the very high-end tourism market, therefore the business opportunities are plenty,” Sripathi said at the time.

Minivan News reported in June 2010 that some of the investment was to be recovered through a US$25 airport development charge, set by the government for all bidders to be levied only on international travellers at time of departure and added to ticket prices.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Lawyers question reappointment of judges convicted of sexual misconduct

A group of lawyers have questioned the Judicial Service Commission (JSC)’s decision to reappoint two judges, previously removed from the bench for sexual misconduct, as magistrate court judges.

The lawyers, including Former Attorney General Husnu Suood, said on Thursday that  Gaafu Dhaalu Thinadhoo, Meeraaz Ahmed Shareef and Dhaalu Meedhoo Biloori Villa, Ali Shafeeg who were appointed as magistrate court judges had previously been convicted for sexual misconduct.

Speaking to Minivan News, Suood said the two judges were removed from bench in 2010 because they did not possess the “high moral character” required to be a judge according to the article 149 (a) of the amended constitution.

According to the records, Shareef – appointed to Gaafu Alifu Dhevadhoo Court – was sentenced to two months under house arrest on July 30 2001, for having an affair. He was former Chief Magistrate of Thinadhoo in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll.

Ali Shafeeg, appointed to Kaafu Gaafaru Magistrate Court, was sentenced to four months banishment and subjected to seven lashes in 1989, for having an affair with a married woman.

Suood noted that, article 149 (a) of the amended constitution states “a person appointed as a Judge in accordance with law, must possess the educational qualifications, experience and recognized competence necessary to discharge the duties and responsibilities of a  Judge, and must be of high moral character”.

Referring to the previous convictions of the Judges, Suood said that the “two judges were not up to the moral standards required and that’s why they were disqualified in 2010”.

“We are preparing the documents to submit to JSC requesting them to investigate the case. It’s up to the JSC to hold the integrity of the judiciary,” he said.

JSC spokesperson Hassan Zaheen noted that Shareef and Shafeeg were also removed in 2010, under the article 285, which allowed  JSC to dismiss judge failing to meet the requirements in article 149.

However, he added, that Shareef and Shafeeg were reappointed “because the Judges Act now allows it.”

According to the article 15 of the Judges Act – which came into effect five days after the reappointment of judges with life time tenure – a judge will be considered as failing to meet the required ethical and moral standards if they had served a sentence for a criminal offence in the seven years prior to the appointment.

“Shareef and Shafeeg were sentenced before the seven year period,” Zaheen added.

In 2010 when Shareef was dismissed from the bench, he also protested against the JSC in court, claiming his conviction was 11 years old when he was removed from the bench on August 5, 2010, and his sentence had been suspended. The Judges Act was being debated in the parliament at the time of Shareef’s removal.

Therefore, JSC pointed out at the time, the Judges Act post-dated its decision to remove Shareef from the bench, and argued that it could not be expected to rely on legislation that did not exist.

The JSC reiterated that he was removed from bench under the article 285, that allowed JSC to dismiss the judges failing to meet the moral and ethical requirements of article 149.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

MP witnesses summoned to PG Office for questioning in vote-buying corruption case

The Prosecutor General’s Office has reportedly summoned MPs involved in bribery allegations concerning Jumhoree Party (JP) MP Gasim Ibrahim to present for questioning.

Police detained Gasim and People’s Alliance (PA) MP Abdulla Yameen in early July 2010 on accusations of bribery and, according to the police charge sheet, “attempting to topple the government illegally.”

President Nasheed’s cabinet had resigned en masse the week prior, in protest against what they claimed were the “scorched earth politics” of the opposition-majority parliament, leaving only President Mohamed Nasheed and Vice President Mohamed Waheed Hassan in charge of the country. The move circumvented regulations blocking the arrest of MPs while no-confidence motions were pending against sitting ministers.

Several days later, audio recordings of conversations between several MPs, including Yameen and Gasim, were leaked to the media. The recordings carried implications of vote-buying within parliament, suggestions of collaboration with the officials in the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), and details of a plan to derail the progress of a taxation bill.

Later in July 2010, the President’s Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair told Minivan News that the government had felt obliged to take action after six MDP MPs came forward with statements alleging Yameen and Gasim had attempted to bribe them to vote against the government.

At the time the opposition PA-DRP coalition had a small voting majority, with the addition of supportive independent MPs. However, certain votes require a two-thirds majority of the 77 member chamber – such as a no-confidence motion to impeach the president.

“These MPs are two individuals of high net worth – tycoons with vested interests,” Zuhair said at the time. “In pursuing their business interests they became enormously rich during the previous regime, and now they are trying to use their ill-gotten gains to bribe members in the Majlis [parliament] and judiciary to keep themselves in power and above the fray. They were up to all sorts of dark and evil schemes. There were plans afoot to topple the government illegally before the interim period was over.”

Local media reported this week that police had reopened the case against Yameen and Gasim, following a response by Police Inspector Mohamed Riyaz to a question from parliament’s Privileges Committee on the status of the investigation.

Riyaz clarified that while both MPs had been arrested over the matter, “we could find no evidence against Yameen. The bribery case only concerns Gasim.”

While bribery was the stipulated offence Riyaz observed that this was “not necessarily only money.”

Police sent the case to the Prosecutor General’s Office on August 2 last year.

Inspector Riyaz told Minivan News that the Prosecutor General had tried to summon the MPs who gave evidence in the case for questioning over the matter.

While it was “not common for witnesses to be taken to the PG’s office”, Riyaz said he hoped the MPs would cooperate with the PG’s office and clarify their statements. In the statements taken by police, the MPs were “quite clear” about what they had been offered, he added.

Zuhair today said that police had submitted “irrefutable evidence” that six members of parliament had been offered bribes, and that the Prosecutor General “should take the matter forward.”

“This is a very serious issue that last year led to the abrupt resignation of cabinet, and transpired to nearly stop the functioning of government,” Zuhair said.

The Prosecutor General was not responding to Minivan News at time of press.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Civil Court rules airport development charge invalid as GMR opens airline office complex

GMR today opened a new Airline Office Complex beneath the International Terminal in a step towards consolidating check-in and security procedures for passengers.

The Civil Court has meanwhile ruled against GMR in a case filed by the Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP), challenging its right to collect a US$25 (Rf385.5) Airport Development Charge (ADC) and US$2 (Rf30.8) Insurance Charge commencing January 2012. The DQP had claimed that a pre-existing Airport Service Charge (ASC) of US$18 (Rf277.56) invalidates the ADC. The legal dispute with DQP could cost GMR Infrastructure US$25 million annually, India’s The Economic Times estimated.

The Civil Court today ruled that the clause in the concession agreement with GMR violated the Airport Service Charges Act of 1978, which was amended in 2009 to raise the charge to US$18 for foreign passengers and US$12 for Maldivians above two years of age.

Judge Ali Rasheed Hussein ruled that the Airport Development Charge and insurance charge were service charges “under other names.”

He noted that the Airport Service Charges Act had been amended seven times to raise the charges since 1978 by the legislature, “based on the economic circumstances of the Maldives and the means of the public,” which showed that the purpose of the law was to ensure that enforcement agencies did not have the authority to raise the charges.

President Mohamed Nasheed’s Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair said the government would likely appeal the lower court’s ruling given its contractual obligation to GMR.

“The government will do everything it can to adhere to the concession agreement,” he said.

GMR has not yet issued a formal response following the Civil Court ruling. However speaking today prior to the ruling, INIA CEO Andrew Harrison told Minivan News that GMR was “delighted to be subject to scrutiny, and will stand up to it.” He said the company was confident in its concession agreement with the government.

Harrison called the allegations and public criticism of GMR “unfair.”

“A lot has been done here,” he said, pointing to the number of renovations completed in the past six months. “I think you can see that locals and tourists are now getting the upgraded facilities befitting an airport like INIA.”

Harrison added that the next six months will see five new food and beverage facilities in international, domestic and land-side areas; a plaza for tourist arrivals; six new air service buses; and the beginning of a new terminal. “Many of these improvements go well beyond the concessionary agreement we have with the government,” said Harrison.

“It’s important to align the airport with passenger expectations, whether their destination is a resort or the warm welcome of a Maldivian home.”

At an event earlier today the company unveiled 30 new airline offices on the first floor next to Immigration.

“The old offices were small and since they were on the first floor rather than the ground floor, they were harder to access for passengers,” noted Harrison.

Airline personnel now have direct access to check-in counters from “some of the best offices in Male'”, situated along a bright white corridor.

The complex hosts four carriers with approximately five airlines per carrier; a few spaces have been left available for additional airline partners, such as Air France and AlItalia, which are expected to begin service to the Maldives in the next few months.

Harrison pointed out that the real reason for building a new complex was to centralise security check-points. Currently, security check points are located at gates one through three, and four through six. Passengers often face a queue, and are consequently more stressed about making their flights, Harrison explained.

“Now, that space is freed for all security check-point equipment to be located right next to Immigration, making passenger traffic smoother and allowing for more time in the airport terminal rather than in queues,” he said.

Harrison added that situating Immigration and Security offices in close proximity was a standard feature of international airports.

GMR is currently overseeing the renovation of INIA, as per a contract with the Maldivian government. In the past six months it has upgraded two lounges and expanded baggage beltways; it is currently adding eight check-in counters and two security lanes. Tourism Minister Maryam Zulfa previously expressed satisfaction with GMR as “an example for the Maldives as it moves forward.”

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new terminal will be held later this month – the structure is due for completion in 2014.

Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) today announced that the lease agreement between GMR and the government allows for a 10-year extension from the initial 25 year time frame, pending the agreement of both parties.

GMR began circulating the Airport Source Quality program survey in October to evaluate INIA’s ranking among 34 airports in the two to five million passenger category. The airport initially ranked 33rd, but Harrison said improvements are visible.

“In December alone it has already moved up three airports. By the time the new airport opens, we are convinced that INIA will be number one in the two to five million [passenger] category,” he said.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Finance Ministry refutes reports of 40 percent police and armed forces salary increase

Finance Minister Ahmed Inaz has disputed claims by People’s Alliance (PA) MP Abdulla Yameen that police and armed forces MPs will receive a 40 percent salary increase in 2012.

Instead the 2012 budget for police and armed forces will increase 9.51 percent “to cover the salary increment for officers who receive promotion and salaries of those who are to be employed next year,” Inaz told newspaper Haveeru.

The 2012 budget includes the provision for 50 additional police officers, while the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) will only recruit to vacant posts, Inaz stated.

Yameen allegedly learned of the proposal from the budget review committee rather than the budget itself, Haveeru reported earlier this week.

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) has meanwhile requested parliament include any unpaid civil servants’ salaries and allowances in the 2012 budget without conditions.

Several independent institutions, including the Maldives National University (MNU), meanwhile raised concerns this week over cuts made by the Finance Ministry to their proposed budgets for 2012.

The program-based budget submitted by some of the institutions was revised by the Finance Ministry to maintain recurrent expenditure in line with projected income.

The Rf 14.6 billion (US$946.8 million) state budget for 2012 was submitted to parliament on November 28 by Finance Minister Ahmed Inaz. It is now being reviewed by parliament’s budget review committee headed by local business tycoon, MP Gasim Ibrahim.

The committee met with senior officials of the Local Government Authority (LGA) and the MNU this week, as well as several other institutions, during which they complained about cuts made by the Finance Ministry during the revision process prior to the submission to parliament.

Finance Minister Inaz was not responding to calls at time of press.

The Constitution requires parliament to finalise the budget before December 28. Previous budget committees have significantly increased the budget submitted by the Finance Ministry.

President Mohamed Nasheed’s Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair observed that additional subsidies and salary increases allocated by parliament for political reasons made it “very difficult” for the government to adhere to the budget.

” “The budget submitted to parliament is a product of exhaustive consultation. Last year no reference was made as to which sector the Finance Ministry should deduct the extra expenditure, and the Minister is required to use his discretion,” Zuhair said.

The Finance Minister has claimed that the government will cover recurrent expenditure in next year’s budget and reduce the deficit to 9.7 percent. However Yameen has claimed that Rf2.3 billion (US$150 million) has been allocated to repaying loans, and that the country’s debt now amounts to Rf 16,000 (US$1037) per head.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Nepalese SAARC monument stolen during police shift change

Nepal’s monument, a gift to the Maldives in commemoration of the 2011 SAARC summit, was stolen today around 1:00pm during a police shift change,  authorities have confirmed.

Police were to guard the monument until 6:00pm, and it was confirmed present at noon today. It has not been seen since.

“The police were on duty until 12:00pm today,” said Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam. “The monument was taken when the police shift changed.”

Shiyam said police have launched an investigation, but could not provide detail at the present time.

Addu City Mayor Abdullah Sodig confirmed the theft and said the remaining monuments would be placed under 24-hour surveillance.

“We regret what has happened,” he told Minivan News. Sodig described the Nepalese monument as a coat of arms that resembles the country’s national symbol. “It was not a religious monument. There is some political motive behind this theft,” he emphasised, citing “opposition party members” as likely suspects.

“Whoever has done this is very clever because they knew we were monitoring the monuments of Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh 24 hours, but the others were only being monitored until 6:00pm. The thief has clearly been monitoring police movements,” he observed.

The monument had been nailed to the pedestal. Approximately three feet square in size, Sodig believed that one person could carry it.

“I think we need to re-think our strategy”, Sodig concluded. “We may need to move them to another location in Addu with greater security.”

Member nations who attended the SAARC summit in Addu City in November gave monuments representing some aspect of their country or culture to the Maldives. Since then, the monuments from Pakistan and Sri Lanka have been vandalised, drawing international disdain. Pakistan’s monument was also stolen, and a mosque door damaged.

The Islamic Ministry has called for removal of the Pakistani monument, claiming that engravings of pagan symbols on the Pakistani monument are unlawful under the Contraband Act, Religious Unity Act and the Anti-Social Behaviour Act, and should not be displayed publicly in the Maldives.

Pakistan’s monument allegedly portrayed its history, which includes a series of religious conversions over centuries.

Meanwhile, opposition Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) has hailed the vandals as “national heroes.” It subsequently filed a case accusing Customs for permitting the monuments to be brought into the Maldives.

On his personal website, Islamic Minister Dr Bari claimed that the attack on the mosque was in retaliation for the vandalism of the Sri Lankan statue, which protesters in Addu have criticised as idolatrous.

“All concerned authorities will respect the word of Dr Bari,” President’s Office Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair said at the time, but added that it was “very difficult for the government to return a monument gifted to the government, especially when it is handed to us by another Islamic country,’’ he said. “If you think of it diplomatically, it is very difficult.”

Responding earlier to reports of vandalism done to Sri Lanka’s national lion monument, Deputy Sri Lankan High Commissioner Shaanthi Sudusinghe told Minivan News that the Maldivian government had said it would repair and relocate the monuments from Addu City to the convention centre, where they could be given security.

No further conclusions regarding the monuments have been made.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

International Anti-Corruption Day to be hosted in atolls

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) will hold festivities to mark International Anti-Corruption Day, recognised on December 9 since 2008, in Gaaf Dhaal and Gaaf Alif atolls. These atolls reported the most corruption cases this year.

The UN Convention against Corruption was adopted by the General Assembly in 2003, and entered into force in 2005. This is the first year that International Anti-Corruption Day has been held outside of Male’.

ACC President Hassan Luthfee said the decision to hold the event outside of Male’ intends to fill a deficit.

“We need to go to the public area, particularly on islands, because we haven’t been to these parts of the country,” he said. “A majority of cases were reported from Gaaf Dhaal.”

Transparency Maldives recently reported that the Maldives had improved in the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index (CPI) to rank 134th out of 183 countries and territories world wide, up from the 2010 rating of 143rd.

This year, the Maldives scored 2.5 on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 10 (very clean), placing it alongside Lebanon, Pakistan and Sierra Leone. It is still rated as having a higher perceived corruption than regional neighbors including Sri Lanka (86), Bangladesh (120) and India (95).

Project Director of Transparency Maldives, Aiman Rasheed, warned that the ranking could not be compared year-to-year, especially in the Maldives where there were only a three sources used to determine the index (India has six).

“Corruption in the Maldives is grand corruption, unlike neighbouring countries where much of it is petty corruption,” Rasheed said. “In the Maldives there is corruption across the judiciary, parliament and members of the executive, all of it interlinked, and a systemic failure of the systems in place to address this. That why we score so low.”

Faced with such endemic and high-level corruption, it was “up to the people of the Maldives to demand better governance”, he said.

Luthfee countered that the Maldives’ ratings show gradual improvement.

“In 2008 the index ranked us at 2.8, then 2.5, then last year was 2.3 and now we’re back to 2.5. India ranked at 95, but we are very far behind that,” he said.

Understanding the scores in context required a wider public understanding of corruption, Luthfee explained. “In this country, people perceive corruption as some powerful people trying to get money from the government,” he said. “But it’s more than that. Things like human trafficking and political stability are part of the picture as well.” He emphasised the human trafficking was a major concern.

Luthfee said the ACC hosted one workshop in the atoll this year for government employees, school staff and children, and the general public. He attributes the atoll’s high report rate to increasing awareness.

“People are more aware of the reporting mechanism, now they blow the whistle whenever they come across [corrupt situations],” he said.

When asked whether the whistle was being blown too frequently for political reasons, Luthfee recommended greater government control.

“I do believe there is a huge problem in this area. The government needs to implement reporting mechanisms for the opposition and for the international arena, because they play a major role in the corruption issue. Things are easily politicised, and a considerable amount of allegations are made for a political purpose,” he observed.

The ACC is currently unable to investigate cases involving international parties, Luthfee explained. Giving the example of foreign bank accounts, he said that without proper resources certain financial-political cases escape the ACC’s domain.

Prosecution procedures are also an obstacle. “Our mandate is just to investigate, and if we feel it has to go to the Prosecutor General (PG) we send it there. But none of the 16 cases we filed this year have been prosecuted. The outcome is zero,” Luthfee said.

The PG’s office told Minivan News it would provide the statistics on the number of cases prosecuted tomorrow.

President’s Office Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair said a lack of judicial follow-up was contributing to the hold up, and added that President Mohamed Nasheed was expected to ask the ACC to expedite cases currently stalled at the PG office. “Cases from the previous and current government need to be addressed,” he said.

Zuhair said many corruption allegations were made with political motives. “Right now you have politicians being accused, the government being accused, and all are seen to be for political gain. These are just empty allegations,” he said.

“Some are following the proper procedures but some are not. Without the procedure you can’t get a court ruling, and until something is resolved the perception is all that matters. Most people accused of corruption are believed to be corrupt, and that is very damaging. There needs to be better discipline among politicians.”

Minivan News asked Luthfee what his top recommendation was for combating corruption in the Maldives.

“We as Muslims have to keep our way of life in a way that complies with Islam. People now are just not following the right path, and they should make a stronger effort in this respect,” he said.

For International Anti-Corruption Day, the ACC will distribute information pamphlets at an awareness forum, and will host several activities for students. Haveeru has also reported that the next Friday prayer sermon will focus on the negative effects of corruption in society.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

International Organisation for Migration admits Maldives in bid to improve worker welfare

The Maldives was yesterday admitted to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in a significant step towards improving the welfare and lifestyle of migrant workers.

The Maldives joined the IOM with thirteen other states during the 2011 IOM Council in Geneva this week, raising total membership to 146 nations from all global regions.

This year’s session also marks IOM’s 60th anniversary. The organisation currently runs 2,900 projects in over 400 field locations. It’s 2010 expenditure exceeded US$1.4 billion.

IOM was established in 1951 as an inter-governmental organisation which supports orderly management, international cooperation, practical solutions and humanitarian assistance among countries addressing migrant issues, particularly those dealing with refugees and internally displaced people.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a press release that “IOM experts have already begun work with the Maldives Government to help with the better management of migration in the country – especially in the context of the large numbers of migrant workers in the Maldives.”

Minivan News recently reported a steep rise in human trafficking, which was earlier calculated to be the second largest contributor of foreign currency to the Maldives at US$123 million.

In 2010, the United States’ State Department listed the Maldives second on its Tier 2 Watchlist for Human Trafficking, following a report that Bangladeshi workers were being exploited in high numbers by fake companies promising work permits.

This year 308 cases have been reported to police involving expatriates leaving their sponsors, and more than 4000 passports belonging to illegal migrants have been found.

Thirty-five police officers were subsequently trained trained to combat human trafficking, and took part in the workshop ‘Integrated Approach to Combating Trafficking in Persons’, organised by the IOM.

Maldives Ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Iruthisham Adam, said IOM membership was an honor for the Maldives.

“The Maldives is in the particular situation of being a Small Island Developing State, until very recently a member of the UN’s Least Developed Country category, which nevertheless is a major destination country for economic migrants.”

Economic migrants primarily from South Asia account for approximately one quarter of the country’s population, she noted.

“The Maldives greatly values the contribution they have made and continue to make to our economy and society,” said Adam. “However, the situation also raises a range of challenges, especially relating to our human, technical and financial capacity to manage such population movements.”

Adam said IOM membership would provide valuable support and expertise to the Maldives as it strives to manage internal and external migration “in a way which fully benefits the migrants themselves and the wider Maldivian society.”

Welcoming the Maldives’ membership, IOM Director General Ambassador William Lacy Swing praised the government for raising awareness of the effects of climate change on Small Island Developing States.

Other new members are Ethiopia, South Sudan, the Holy See, Antigua and Barbuda, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Guyana, Micronesia, Mozambique, Nauru, the Seychelles and Vanuatu.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)