Deputy Leader of the Maldives’ main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), Umar Naseer, has said that the government’s decision to privatise Male’ International Airport is “ridiculous.”
”Privatisation is a good policy, but there should be limitations,” Umar said. ”There are many disadvantages that Maldivians will face in the long term future if Male’ International Airport is privatised.”
He claimed that if the airport was privatised, the Maldives would not have the authority to decide which flights would be permitted to land at the airport.
”That means, if [the operators] allowed it, an Israel flight can come and stop over after bombing Arab countries,” Umar claimed.
He also claimed that “more than 1500 jobs” would be lost.
”More than half the Maldivians working in the Airport will lose their jobs if a foreign company takes over it,” Umar predicted. ”There are currently more than 3000 Maldivians working there.”
He said that if foreigners replaced Maldivians working in the airport, “income which was earned by the Maldives would go to the hands of foreigners.”
”Retail shops in the airport will also belong to foreigners,” he said. ”So money coming into the county will flow out of the country because foreigners are earning it.”
Umar suggested that the airport could charge a US$25 airport development fee for each passenger, the same amount GMR has proposed to collect.
”If that US$25 charge is implemented it will generate an extra US$25 million annually, because more than 500,000 tourists come to the Maldives each year and could be charged upon arrival and departure – which means US$50 from each person could be collected.”
He claimed the government was pushing ahead with the privatisation deal because “there are no successful businessmen in the government.”
”President Nasheed did not even know how to run a carpentry business. In 1990 his father gave him the business, and the president bankrupted it,” Umar alleged.
He said that “any economist” would consider the privatisation deal “ridiculous”.
Today the parliament is voting on whether to amend a Financial Bill stating that any state asset can only be sold or rented by an imposed law approved by parliament.
The signing of the privatisation deal with GMR-KLIA was derailed at the last minute yesterday, in front of assembled press, when representatives of the Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) reportedly disagreed over who would sign the document.
Three MACL board members have now reportedly resigned after disputing the government’s decision to privatise the airport.
Press Secretary for the President, Mohamed Zuhair, said he had not officially received confirmation.
”I also heard something like that unofficially,” he said. ”I have asked for the minutes of the last MACL board meeting.”
Minister for Civil Aviation Mahmood Razee, also Chairman of the Privatisation Committee, said he had no information regarding the matter.
”All the board members agreed to privatise the airport,” said Razee. ”If they are having disputes, that might be an issue concerning individuals.”
MACL board members Shaz Waleed, Moosa Solih, and Chairperson Ibrahim Nooradeen, declined to comment.
The vote on the Financial Bill will go before parliament today.
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This idiot only finished 2nd grade and ran for presidency in 2008 lost and he is a political prostitute.
On what grounds do you have the capacity to comment on airport privatisation...dude, go back to school!
Here come the tool of propaganda, Israel, what's wrong with you ??
opposition is at least right this time. im sure yameen could smell corruption miles and miles away and he cant be wrong when he calls the deal is corrupt. i m sure this is a corrupt and a fishy deal. anni should withdraw from the deal or he might fall into a dirty hole that he might not get out....
this persons stupidity knows no bounds.
i dont care all the board members resigned there all think old days and there are not good in managing any dam thing.some how need to privatisation deal with GMR-KLIA.male' international airport one of the best airport in asia or in the world, not the best in south asia.
@Aisha
I am not against education as such, but, can you tell me which school did Emperor Akbar attend to be able to rule over mogul India?
What we have today is a WEAKLING government who simply cannot administer Maldives without putting all it's assets on JUMBLE SALE!
It's like a husband who can't take care of his wife.
He would try to live a pathetic life by selling her jewellery which she inherited from her parents! WHAT A SHAME!
We the citizens want a DIVORCE from you, ANNI !
YOU CAN'T KEEP US!
I suppose 2nd grade education is alright for breaking backbones. Ask Backbone Mahir :p
@heck,
Looks like you and Umar Naseer are competing for the stupid brain contest.
Are you comparing King Akbar with Umar Naseer? hahahahaaaa.
Your comment will make Umar Naseer's ego fly out of the ozone layer and make the hole even bigger.
You know what? Everytime he make such a stupid comment it is DRP that is made to look stupid. We want democracy and without an effective opposition it will not materialize.
And DRP sadly has such disgraceful leaders.
Umar Naseer: everyone should know it will be him in charge if we ever let those drp dogs into government.
Ridiculous comments! No one wants to look at the bigger picture! I don't like Umar Naseer at all either, but this is not the issue here! Ridiculous!
Is this man a life member of the Flat Earth Society or is he just totally ignorant of basic geography?
@ heck
Maybe Emperor Abkar might not have gone to a university but he wasn't a lunatic like Omar (bi Laden) Naseer. This guy has said publicly on TVM that (in 2008 October Preseidential Election's 2nd round): "I will not in my sane mind give a vote to dictator Gayoom; however, I beleive that Maumoon is more pious than Nasheed (Anni)...".
1) Can you make sense of that satement?
2) How can you listen to Omar when he got the population's 0.01 % vote in the presidential elections?
3) Why has Omar tried to dissolve his own party Islamic Democratic Party on his own without going for a vote of the party's council?
4) Why has Omar Naseer JOINED with the 'dictator' Gayoom's party now?
5) How can Omar calim himself to be a 'successful bussiness man' when he was totally ultra-bankrupted and with no money in running just ONE submarine (which nobody knows how he got the deal)? If one can read the daily papers Haveery when Omar himself declared HIS bankrupcy. It was Gasim (Buruma) who bought some shares and filled in the money to run his sub.
6) How can a guy with extremistic Islamic views even talk about Islam? Especially when Islam (and Mohammed P.B.U.H our beloved Prophet) has taken and accepted Christians and Jews neghbors. Prophet Mohamed has LIVED with Christians, Jews and always reminded to respect others rights to choose their way of living and NOT to attack other ppl's worshiping places.
It's so PHAETHETIC of ppl like Omar Naseer, Dictator Gayoom, Yamin Gayoom, Tasmeen, and others who simply mis-use the terms and words of the TRUE ISLAM and TRUE ISLAMIC PRINCIPLES.
Ya Ya Umar Naseer.
The dreaded Israelis will bomb Arab countries and come to the Maldives.
They will imprison, kill or drive out all the Maldivian men in small dinghies into the wild wild unknown Indian Ocean. They will be soon killed by Somali pirates.
Then the Israelis will look for Maldivian girls with protruding chests and marry them. Soon plenty of little Israeli children will be produced.
Israelis will waste no time! They will build walls around the Maldivian islands and keep all the Arabs out.
They will also pass a bill at the Majilis with Israeli MPs. It will allow the manufacture and sale of liquor in all islands. They will get Israeli companies to grow vineyards in the Maldives and make local wine. The local wine will be named after Bodu Thakurufaanu!
Islamic Centre may have several Bars on the adjoining street. Gays and Lesbians will be totally free and will be so accepted by everybody.
The Israelis love public baths, so they will build one in each island with four in Male. There men and women bathe together in complete peace.
But soon a huge big tsunami will hit Maldives. And all the Maldivians and Israelis will die.
Only one Israeli baby will be left to tell the story to BBC and CNN.
However, unknown to the world Umar Naseer hungs on a tree alive. He will sell this story to Hollywood. And David Cameron will make a movie and get another Oscar Award for him.
That's the end of Maldives before it submerges in 2050.
No need for climate change action, Mr President. Just sell the airport.
Umar is breaking his own back now.
Announcement
Special sale in the Republic of Maldives..All the foreign investors are welcome !!..hurry ,hurry
From the beginning of political parties in The Maldives, Umar is acting like as if he had take an overdose of orgasm pills!
Umar Naseer maybe a retard, but it looks like Presdent Anni is a BIGGER RETARD
heck = heckler?
why bother to interact with court jesters planted to irritate? heck, muthalib, umar..... look at the big picture. where/who does it all lead to?
i don't understand why every one is so upset about this deal, most probably they still have not figured or let alone realized that after 30yrs of the old government our so called international airport is not even an ICAO certified airport, its just a name.....
What board members are you talking about all those fools earn so much and they do not and will not give a damn about the airport all those idiots care is money....
Oh no! Umar Naseer is speaking!
*opens umbrella to protect against the barrage of stupidity*
u no ... u all are ignorant...umar naseer is an economist.. he has a phd in economics from university of maumoon..
thasmeen, yameen and the rest of the gang graduated from the same university..
so they all know it very well..
"heck on Mon, 28th Jun 2010 2:57 PM
@Aisha
I am not against education as such, but, can you tell me which school did Emperor Akbar attend to be able to rule over mogul India?"
I am willing to wager that the Prince Jalaal-ud-din, future Mogul Emperor of India, would have had access to the best knowledge, art and swordsmanship of his day.
But that's irrelevant to this discussion.
Handing over the management of an airport to a private party isn't an unheard of phenomena.
GMR Holdings is the same company that runs the Hyderabad International Airport in India.
Do you, in your right mind, believe that India has no control over who lands in Hyderabad?
Or that Israelis, returning after bombing all of your homeland, will land in Hyderabad - and probably piss all over the poor airport employees for good measure as well, just because they apparently can do this in a private airport?
That is a ridiculous idea. There still exist the good offices of Customs and Immigration in the country.
I believe the whole idea behind privatizing the company is to generate good investment and upgrade the badly required facilities and infrastructure of the airport - money that the current government doesn't have, but the airport needs.
The only room for debate here is whether the money being invested is a fair amount - and that is for qualified financial people to decide.
Ridiculous hyperbole such as Israel bombing the arabs and landing in the Maldives and firing 1500 employees in the process - shows the utter inability of Umar Naseer a Vice President of DRP to form a coherent, sensible argument.
DRP used to be a party with a few educated intellectuals. It is said that Umar Naseer is now doing the speaking for it.
i wish Israel bombers would drop a ton load of Human Poop on Umar Naseer's head
i think leave it like that for a day or so for his hair to take conditioning from it would have a very good effect on is weakly brain of his, whts wrong with this idiot
I'll tell what's ridiculous. it's Umar Naseer and his non-existent geography skills.
Why would Israeli jets need to fly all the way to Maldives and refuel before going to attack Arab countries?
Doesn't Umar Naseer know that Israel is also in the Middle East???!
Spot on Donkey Kong, hit the nail with that one... So the Israli's are gonna bomb Gaza and fly over here to say hello??? Maybe a quick stop over at Bandos..
I award Umar Naseer the stupidest person in Maldives Award...always coming with keywords...israel, islam and so on...seriously is there anyone in this country who respect this type of ignorance??
It will also allow more backbones to be broken.. Gotcha..
You don't hear them? I can even smell them. They are definitely Israeli bombs (Hamas bombs smell of fresh dates). Middle east is doomed. What ave you done, Mr. President?
THE BIGGEST MORON IN THIS COUNTRY AS A VICE PRESIDENT OF THE LARGEST PARTY?
THE PARTY MEMBERS SHOULD FUND THIS MORON TAKE GEOGRAPHY CLASSES SOON OR TELL HIM THAT ISRAEL IS IN THE MID EAST AND AMONG ARAB NATIONS NOT IN THE INDIAN OCEAN.
Alarms BBB (back bone bakari). Umar Alifaan Nivi.
Why don't Umar Nasir say to the DRP supporters ( I assume about 70 percent of the nation ) that North Korean War plans will bomb South Korea and land their plans in Male International Airport to refuel. KEKEEKEK ………….believe me the majority of Maldivians will believe him... seriously they will believe it innocently.
You know they now believe Allah Al mighty had constructed Maumoon in a way that he will be never able to do corruption or do anything evil …they discovered it a few days back. Seriously they believe he is the most pour person in the World. Hahahah soo much fun watching the news and stuff I love this..
Evrery time this dude open his pie hole ...something stupid comes out
Umar doesn’t have clue of what he’s talking.
Delhi International Airport, Hyderabad International Airport & Istanbul Sabiha International Airport is run by GMR!! And am sure they‘ll do a better job in Male!
The main source of income to the Maldives is tourism, but most of it goes outside the country, as there are foreign investors,but there are fare amount of Maldivians employed at all levels in those places, which Umar doesn’t know!
And in Israel there are over 20% of Arab Muslim population, they speak in Hebrew & Arabic. Also one of biggest mosque Al-Aqsa Mosque or al-Masjid al-Aqsa is an Islamic holy place in the Old City of Jerusalem. The site also knows as 'Sacred Noble Sanctuary'or Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, widely considered as the third holiest site in Islam. Israelis don’t need to bomb an Arab city, they are not so stupid like Umar.
Now the biggest fear for foreign investors is instability & the fast growing radical Islamists in the country. They want tourisms to grow at the same time ban alcohol! What a funny system? If all the hotels in Arab including Saudi, serve alcohol to foreigners why not Maldives??
Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar,the third Mughal Emperor of India Hindustan and the grandson of the Zaheeruudin Muhammad Babur, the legendary ruler who founded the Mughal dynasty in India,which was one of the most powerful empires of the age.Emperor Akbar was considered as one of the greatest and the most influential personalities of the world history.
How can anyone compare Akbar Emperor & Umar?!
What a ridiculous claim. The only Israeli influence in this country is with Dhiraagu who use Comverse equipment which is made by an Israeli company. Everyone knows that.