A bill banning threats, use of sharp objects and weapons was been presented by the government to the parliament yesterday, in a bid to reduce violent crime on the streets of Male’.
If the bill is passed, threatening a person will become a crime and will result in a 2-12 months sentence. If someone uses a sharp object or dangerous weapon in a threatening manner, there would be an additional 1-6 months sentence.
The bill says that using or storing a sharp object or dangerous weapon in public is also a crime, which will receive a 2-12 months sentence. Furthermore, importing butterfly knives and flick knives without the permission from the Home Ministry would also become a crime, and receive a 1-3 month sentence.
Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Mohamed ‘Colonel’ Nasheed introduced the bill to the MPs, which was forwarded to debate through the support of Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Ali Waheed.
Spokesperson for MDP parliamentary group MP Ahmed Shifaz said that the bill was mainly focused on reducing gang fighting to make the society “a peaceful and safe place.”
”Right now police cannot arrest somebody walking around with a knife in their hand,” Shifaz said. ”But after this bill is passed, people will not be allowed to use sharp objects and weapons in public.”
He said anything that could be used to injure a person would be designated as a weapon, including logs and batons.
‘Threatening a person with weapons or words would also be a crime under the bill,” he said, ”and even if a police officer threatens a person, that officer can be charged.”
He said the bill would help to reduce crime rate in the country.
DRP MP Abdulla Mausoom said it was very difficult to comment on the bill as it was still in the debate stage.
”Everyone wants to stop crime in the country,” Mausoom said. ”The crime rate has risen in the capital Male’ and big islands of the country.”
Mausoom said anybody who used ‘weapons’ should not be arrested, as they were used for many purposes.
”For instance, people living in the islands – in the early morning they are out working with their axes, knives and other sharp objects,” he said.
He said the most effective solution for rising crime was to have community participation.
Press Secretary for the President Mohamed Zuhair said the bill would help to avoid crimes in many ways.
”The bill will provide a wide range of powers to police to remove the offender,” Zuhair said.
Zuhair said everyone with a knife would not be deemed a criminal, but ”all criminals are now armed with a knife.”
He said the bill was rather an effective ban on threatening a person’s well being.
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Psh. A waste of time. Criminals will not bother to obey the law - this law only serves to disarm the citizen, and strip them of their right to self-defense.
I'll carry a combat knife and a firearm in public just to mock this insult against the citizens of Maldives.
Now victims will get sentenced instead of those who assault. (On top of a fat hospital bill and immense psychological trauma).
Whatever bills are passed and laws are made, the innocent will suffer and the gangsters will flourish...when will people realize that its the judges that are rotten and swarming with 'golha' flies in this country.
Great start from both parties on something we all can agree on. Street Crimes needs to be clamped down on and police be given more power. Now lets see which MPs are serious about this and which ones are not.
Negative thinking, Mr. Karma, you may be right. In that case it is the Coat Guys who will benefit!
Let us see how this is turning! If members try to bluff and make a mockery of this, we would know who are for and who are against the people!
Ahmed Anony: I don't suppose they'd be called criminals if they made a habit of obeying the law, now would they?
"Oh! So sorry I stabbed you! Silly me, I forgot that it was illegal for a second!"
They should make drug dealing illegal next! That would really show them! Oh wait...
In all seriousness though, all these smokescreens are doing is just prolonging inaction; so the police can just keep twiddling their thumbs and fine traffic offenders.
I doubt the country is falling into this state because of a lack of laws.
Oh MP's Please advocate to this bill and make Male' a safe place. I don't feel safe to walk by my self now. The constitution unequivocally says every citizen has the right to live and travel anywhere within the country. The gangs are galvanizing the public in any way they can and doing all sorts of crimes with apparent impunity. On top of all these we need a good prison system including solitary confinement. The prison is now a heaven for criminals and this corrupt culture and system needs a major revamp.
Wait,
So how does a person actually prove that another person threatened said person? wouldn't that be all hear-say and I suppose circumstantial evidence? Whats to stop me from going to the police and complaining that the guy who told me to move so that he could park his bike ''threatened me to move away from his parking space'' ?
The culture of violence is something that was normalised by the efforts of the radical secularists and politically naive and ignorant Islamists.
To learn how did this came abt please read :
www.adduonline.org/articles/newaqd.htm