Category: News in Brief

Perils of fundamentalism in the Maldives: International Security Observer

In recent months several newspapers, blogs and academic outlets have highlighted the tumultuous domestic skirmish between Nasheed and Waheed in the Maldives as well as the strategic balancing act of the archipelago state between India and China, writes Djan Sauerborn for the International Security Observer (ISO).

Surprisingly however the troubling rise of religious fundamentalism within the Maldives has not fully moved into the limelight of international media and organisations. This is especially astonishing, because the battle between moderate and extremist forces within the country not only has a strong impact on the upcoming elections in September but also on civil society as a whole.

Islam, which only decades ago did not play a major role within the public sociopolitical sphere, has turned into a divisive “game changer”. Moderate, peaceful and inclusive forms of religious expression are being violently pushed aside by adherents of fundamentalism.

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Sri Lanka rejects Human Rights Commissioner’s critique

Sri Lanka has rejected United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay’s critique that the country has neglected its investigation of war crimes allegations and is leaning towards authoritarian rule, the Financial Times reports.

Sri Lanka’s civil war with the Tamil Tigers ended in 2009, with a civilian death count of approximately 40,000. International bodies and Western powers have been pushing for thorough investigations into allegations of war crimes committed by the government.

Concluding a high-profile week-long visit to Sri Lanka, Ms. Pillay said on Saturday, “I am deeply concerned that Sri Lanka, despite the opportunity provided by the end of the war to construct a new vibrant all-embracing state, is showing signs of heading in an increasingly authoritarian direction.”

On Sunday, Sri Lanka’s information ministry claimed that Ms. Pillay’s critique “clearly transgresses her mandate and the basic norms which should be observed by a discerning international civil servant.”

Financial Times notes that Sri Lanka’s resistance to international input is uncomfortably timed. In March, the UN Human Rights Council passed a US-sponsored resolution criticizing Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa for limiting independence in the parliament, judiciary and media.

Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper has already made clear his decision to boycott the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) summit, due to take place in Sri Lanka in November, on account of the country’s poor human rights record.

Speaking to Financial Times on condition of anonymity, one Western diplomat claimed that “America has lost patience with the Sri Lankans, but there is now real worry about credibility…If the US and its allies can’t even get a small country like Sri Lanka to behave itself, what hope does it have in more difficult cases, let alone somewhere like Syria?”

The Sri Lankan government reportedly took limited steps to address international critiques immediately before Pillay’s arrival, including the establishment of a commission to examine civilian disappearances during the civil war.

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Indian election observers arrive in Maldives

Indian election observers have arrived in the Maldives ahead of the 2013 Presidential Elections.

According to a statement from the Indian High Commission, the team includes former Chief Election Commissioners of India, JM Lyngdoh, B B Tandon, N Gopalaswami, and former High Commissioner of India to the Maldives, S M Gavai.

“The team is visiting Maldives on the invitation of the Elections Commission of Maldives and will undertake visits to a number of polling stations in different islands,” read the statement.

Current High Commissioner of India to the Maldives Rajeev Shahare hosted a reception for the delegation attended by President of the Maldivian Elections Commission, Fuwad Thowfeek, and members of the Elections Commission of Maldives as well as international community including the UN Resident Coordinator Tony Lisle and Head of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, Dan Malinovich.

“In the interactions with political leaders in the Maldives, the Government of India has emphasised the importance of conducting free, fair and credible elections in a peaceful environment followed by a smooth transition,” stated the Indian High Commission.

“India is committed to strengthening the institutions of democracy in the Maldives. In this context, the Election Commission of India is working closely with the Elections Commission of Maldives to further strengthen its capacity. India is also arranging for the training of Maldivian judges in India and is working closely with the Majlis.

“India attaches the highest importance to its relations with Maldives, a close and friendly neighbour, and desires to see a peaceful, stable and prosperous Maldives,” the statement added.

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Supreme Court annuls 10,000 member minimum for political parties

The Supreme Court has annulled the 10,000 member minimum for political parties, stipulated in the recently-passed Political Parties Act.

Local media reported with the Supreme Court’s ruling, the minimum membership will fall to 3000 members as per previous legislation.

Following ratification of the 10,000 member limit, 11 smaller political parties were effectively dissolved, including the Gaumee Ithhiaad Party (GIP) of President Mohamed Waheed. He is contesting the upcoming election as an independent candidate.

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22 year-old man to be charged for sexually abusing 17 year-old girl

Police have sent the name of a 22 year-old man to the prosecutor general (PG) to press charges for alleged fornication with a 17 year-old girl multiple times on the island of Kulhudhufushi in Haa Dhaalu Atoll.

The man was identified by the police as Ahmed Hassan, 22, of Kulhudhufushi.

Police said the man was arrested on August 1 this year and was summoned to the magistrate court in Nolhivaram island. The court had granted an extension of detention for 10 days from August 26.

According to police the man had previous records of assault, threatening police officers near Kulhudhufushi police station, attacking police officers using iron bars and stones, destroying public property, obstructing police duty,and attempting to capture Kulhudhufushi police station.

Police said that the man had two other pending cases at the Prosecutor General’s Office where he is to be charged for objection to order and driving a vehicle without having a driving license.

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Woman hospitalised after falling from third floor

A woman who fell from the third floor of an apartment onto a parked car was admitted to Indira Gandi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) in the early hours of Saturday (31 August 2013).

According to the local media the incident occurred early morning at 1:25am.

Police have meanwhile issued a statement saying that two men, who were inside the apartment, were arrested the following morning.

Police declined to provide further details of the case, while IGMH hospital declined to provide details of the injuries received in the incident.

However, local media did report that she had fallen from the third floor of a house named Mahuma in Galolhu ward.

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Jaufar Easa Adam appointed President’s Office advisor

President Dr Mohamed Waheed has appointed Jaufar Easa Adam as an advisor for the President’s Office.

The appointment is a non-salaried role, according to the President’s Office website.

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Presidential elections bring a chance to start afresh: Economist

Sipping beer and staring at the ocean, tourists on Addu atoll at the southern tip of the Maldives usually ponder weighty questions such as whether to strap on a snorkel or sunbathe on the pristine beaches. An alternative exists: a political safari on the equatorial islands that bob up from the Indian Ocean, reports The Economist.

On the island of Gan, once home to a British military base, the police station is a blackened mess of glass and twisted pipes. Drive on beyond coconut trees and moored yachts and you find the burned wreck of a courthouse. Like other smashed official buildings, it is daubed with abusive graffiti.

Rioters struck in February last year, furious at the ousting of the country’s first directly elected president, Mohamed Nasheed. He, not unreasonably, called it a coup, having resigned under threat of violence. His immediate sin was ordering the arrest of a judge close to politically powerful families.

A new democracy, born with a fresh constitution in 2008, seemed about to die. Yet the evidence from the Maldives, where politicians campaign by speedboat, is that it struggles gamely on. Those who forced Mr Nasheed’s resignation have honoured the constitution and announced they are sticking to the timetable for presidential polls on September 7th, when voters will get a second chance. Parliamentary elections follow next year.

Rocking on a garden swing among coral houses on Addu, the slim ex-president is sure he will soon be back in office. “Statistics and the smiles of the people” suggest victory, he says. His Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) says it has identified that over half the 240,000 registered voters will back him.

Mr Nasheed’s overthrow and subsequent harassment appear to have boosted his popularity. Foreign pressure kept him out of jail. As speakers blare out his party tunes, he says: “Somehow the country rose up in yellow,” his party colour. Voters perhaps also credit him for new pensions, social housing and cheaper health care brought in while he was in office.

It helps that his core supporters, the young, predominate among the population of 350,000: the median age is just 26. Politics is fiercely and widely debated on social media, where the MDP is adept. His party, advised by Britain’s Conservatives, looks professional. Recent local elections suggest strength in a heavily urban population: in Male, the crowded capital, and Addu, the emerging second city.

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Constitutional amendment to limit number of parliamentarians lacks support

A constitutional amendment that would limit the number of elected parliamentarians to 77 was opposed by a majority of legislators today, reports local media.

Previously, the Elections Commission noted that eight additional members of parliament would need to be elected next year, which would increase the total number of parliamentarians from 77 to 85.

Maldivian law stipulates that one administrative constituency must be designated for every 5,000 citizens, while atolls containing less than 5,000 inhabitants must be represented by two MPs, according to Haveeru.

However, the amendment proposed by Maldivian Development Alliance (MDA) MP Ahmed Amir would maintain the same number of constituencies in the Maldives as were established in May 2009.

During today’s parliamentary debate on the amendment, MPs objected that political party members and their leaders had not been consulted before the amendment was submitted.

Conversely, Amir claimed that MPs, lawyers and other experts from various sectors had been consulted. He alleged that increasing the number of MPs will create “various challenges” in light of the Maldives’ current financial and economic state.

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MPs who opposed the amendment noted that amending the constitution during a period of political turmoil would be “unwise”.

“A time of political turmoil is not the time to take apart the constitution,” said MP Moosa Manik. “This should be done through dialogue between political leaders.”

The basic salary for MPs is MVR 62,500 (US$4061) monthly, thus eight additional parliamentarians would cost the state 500,000 MVR (US$32,489) monthly, according to Haveeru.

The parliamentary debate on the amendment is ongoing.

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