Tag: cabinet

President’s speech on the resignation of cabinet

The following is a literal Dhivehi-English translation of the President Mohamed Nasheed’s speech to the media at the President’s Office on Tuesday afternoon, announcing the resignation of his cabinet members.

Today I meet the Maldivian media because the ministers of the government have noted that they are unable to fulfill their responsibilities according to their oath.

All the members of the cabinet are saying that they do not receive any cooperation from the Majlis, that many members of the Majlis are not acting in line with the spirit of the constitution and that they are also violating the articles of the constitution.

Believing a huge majority is with them, and through this majority members of the parliament are violating the very spirit of the constitution we are trying to implement and enforce.

The ministers have said that they are finding it extremely difficult to carry on with their responsibilities, and that therefore they wish to resign until the Majlis acts in a different manner.

All the members of the cabinet are requesting this, so today in accordance with the constitution which reads that after I receive the resignation of all cabinet ministers, myself and vice president Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik will only remain in the cabinet.

I assure the citizens that this government’s one and only aim and goal is to serve the people. This government was formed to establish a system which listens to the voice of the people, and to establish a system which fulfills the needs of the people according to their pulse and also to follow up with that system of governance.

So I request the honorable members of the Majlis to not cloud the atmosphere of governance in the country and to lend me their cooperation while continuing with their work.

I am obliged to look into the complaints made by the members of the cabinet about the Majlis members, therefore today I will start looking into them and I shall do everything possible, in the boundaries of the law, to look into these complaints and issues.

I am the head of state of this country. I am also the head of the police and defense forces. I have put myself up to the task of leading this country to serve the people. We did not come to power with the intent to do whatever we would like to the extent we are able to do. So I am obliged to look into the complaints of the cabinet members and I assure the citizens that I will look into these complaints.

I intend to accept the letters from the ministers in front of all of you. I have not yet received their letters but the cabinet secretary had informed me that he had received the letters. So I ask the cabinet secretary to hand the letters over to me and afterwards I will answer your questions. A bit of time would be required for this (handing over the letters) but I cannot spend too much time on this today.

When the letters of the cabinet ministers are kept on this table, they have been accepted by me by default.

<President accepts letters of resignation>

Among all the letters I just have looked into, only the letter missing is that of Home Minister Mohamed Shihab, as he has mailed it since he is currently not in (Male’).

I sincerely and from the bottom of my heart, thank the cabinet ministers. The strength they have shown, the discipline and integrity they have maintained and their loyalty and readiness to serve this nation and to uphold the features and the spirit of the constitution, I believe never will be doubted by the citizens of this country.

In the history of this country, rarely does a minister resign. If cabinet ministers cannot fulfill their legal duties and responsibilities due to any reason, I do believe that they would have to think about it.

Today my responsibility is to look into the complaints right away. I will look into the complaints of the ministers and I will take necessary action afterwards. I assure this to all citizens of this country.

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Religious unity regulations on hold

The new regulations under the Religious Unity Act of 1994 drafted by the Islamic Ministry will be reviewed and amended by the Attorney General’s office before publication in the government gazette, the cabinet decided yesterday.

While the regulations were completed last month, its publication was delayed due to “ambiguities and policy issues”, according to Mohamed Zuhair, president’s office press secretary.

Zuhair told Minivan News at the time that the president’s office received complaints from individuals and religious NGOs regarding some of the provisions.

State Minister for Islamic Affairs Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed said today he was “very happy” with the cabinet deliberations.

“They actually raised some good points. They’re not really policy issues,” he said. “I believe the recommendations and suggestions that were made could improve and strengthen the regulations so that they will be more beneficial to society.”

Shaheem said the changes recommended to the draft regulations were “minor” and to “a few provisions.”

“We are working together with the attorney general’s office and Insha Allah it will be published soon,” he said.

He added that he will reveal the specific amendments or changes at a later date.

The Islamic Foundation of Maldives called on the government not to publish the regulations yesterday as it had identified five issues that could be problematic.

On the criteria for issuing preaching licenses, the Foundation argues that requiring scholars to be at least 25 years of age was both unconstitutional and not specified in Islam.

Article 27 of the constitution states that everyone has the right to freedom of thought and the freedom to communicate opinions and expressions in a manner that is not contrary to any tenet of Islam.

The association “strongly condemns” sub-clause four of provision 16(b), which would disqualify anyone convicted under the Religious Unity Act, as the law was used to imprison religious scholars by the former government.

Religious scholars arrested under the former regime reportedly had their beards shaven with chili sauce.

Moreover, the Foundation argues, a provision that requires foreign preachers to be mindful of Maldivian culture and traditions was unnecessary as scholars should have the opportunity as long as the sermons were in accordance with the tenets of Islam.

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Cabinet requests amendments on Religious Unity Act

The Religious Unity Act, proposed by the Islamic Ministry, was discussed at the Cabinet meeting yesterday.

It was noted that some provisions needed to be reviewed and some amendments required before publication in the government gazette.

The Attorney General has been assigned with proposing the necessary amendments.

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Cabinet creates administrative framework on land use

The Cabinet has decided on an administrative framework on land use, which was put in place yesterday.

The framework includes how the government can use and manage the country’s land, including sandbanks and lagoons.The Ministry of Housing, Transport and Environment will keep a register of all the lands in Maldivian territory.

The framework stipulates that islands given for government ministries can be given to a third party only with the Cabinet’s approval.

The Cabinet also discussed their 2007 decision to build five airports in different islands, and decided to continue to construction of all five airports.

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Cabinet to decide on matters that could result in the public paying fees

Government offices have been asked by the President’s office to propose any services that could result in the public paying fees or charges.

The President’s Office asked that any information regarding the matters proposed should not be made public until the Cabinet has made its final decision on the matter.

All government offices were also instructed all government offices to execute the Cabinet’s decision on the matter once the decision has been made.

The President’s Office has instructed all government offices to propose any matters that could result in public paying any fee or charge, to the Cabinet through the line ministry. The President’s Office made the instruction in a directive issued today.

The directive state that any information regarding the matters proposed the Cabinet should not be made public before the Cabinet issues a final decision on the matter.

The directive issued by the President’s Office also instruct all government departments to execute the decisions of the Cabinet once the President’s Office informs the relevant ministries of the decision.

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Cabinet briefed on Hanimaadhoo international airport

Cabinet has been briefed briefed by the Privatisation Committee on additional proposals submitted by GMR Group of India to develop Hanimaadhoo airport as an international airport.

Chairman of the Privatisation Committee and Minister of Civil Aviation and Communication Mahmood Razee briefed the Cabinet on the issue.

Razee informed the Cabinet that GMR has proposed to develop the airport in two phases; the first phase overseeing the construction of a 2.8 km runway. The second phase would be started when there is sufficient air traffic.

Razzee said the international airport at Hanimadhoo could see 2.5 million passengers by 2025, provided that 12,000 beds in the tourism industry are operated in the region.

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Cabinet accedes to New York Convention

It was decided yesterday in the Cabinet meeting that the Maldives should accede to the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, also known as the New York Convention.

The New York Convention was adopted by the UN in 1958 which deals with international arbitration; a means of alternative dispute resolution in the areas of international trade and commercial transactions.

According to the Constitution, the Cabinet must send the matter to Parliament. The treaty will only come into force if and when it is approved by the People’s Majlis.

Cabinet members noted that the Convention would provide legislative standards for the recognition of arbitration agreements.

It was also suggested that accession to the Convention would create an “investor-friendly environment” in the Maldives.

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Total shark ban to imposed on 1 July decides cabinet

The long-expected ban on shark trade and export of shark products will come into effect on 1 July 2010.

The decision to impose the ban, which was meant to come into effect on 1 March 2010, was made yesterday in a cabinet meeting chaired by Vice President Mohamed Waheed.

At the meeting yesterday, the cabinet also decided the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture would assist shark fishermen to find alternative livelihoods.

The cabinet also decided to ratify the Agreement on the Establishment of South Asian Regional Standards Organisation (SARSO).

One of the main objectives of this agreement is to develop standards for the region, and to facilitate intra-regional trade.

Cabinet members noted that with the ratification of this agreement, ‘consumer confidence on Maldivian local products will improve’.

The Maldives will also benefit from SARSO assistance in formulating national standards for products.

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Cabinet ratifies accession of Afghanistan to SAFTA

The Cabinet decided yesterday to ratify the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) protocol of accession of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to agreement on South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA).

The protocol was originally signed by all member states of SAARC in August 2008 in Colombo to enable the accession of Afghanistan to the SAFTA agreement.

Afghanistan joined the SAARC in April 2007, during the 14th SAARC summit held in New Dehli.

Cabinet members also discussed their December 2009 decision on the measures to be taken on islands leased for resort development, which are behind schedule. Members decided to defer the implementation of these measures until the passage of bills concerning the issue, which are currently being considered by the People’s Majlis.

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