Category: News in Brief

Dr Hassan Saeed slams the “Island President” with new book

Dr Hassan Saeed, Special Advisor to President Dr Mohamed Wahhed Hassan and Leader of the government-aligned Dhivehi Quamee Party (DQP) has this week published a book entitled, “Democracy betrayed: behind the mask of the island President”.  The publication is written about former President Mohamed Nasheed, who contends that he was removed from office in a “coup d’etat” earlier this year.

Speaking to local media at the book’s launch at the studios of private broadcaster Villa Television (VTV) this week, DQP Secretary General Abdullah Ameen claimed the publication detailed reasons why Nasheed had to resign during February’s controversial transfer of power.

According to the Sun Online news agency, Ameen said the reasons mentioned in the book included the controversial detention of Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed and allegations that Nasheed wished to “destroy the values of Islam” in the country.

Both Ameen and the book’s author, Dr Saeed were not responding to calls from Minivan News at the time of press concerning the publication.

However, DQP MP Riyaz Rasheed told Minivan News today that he would be able to discuss the book upon his return to Male’ next week.

Previous publications

In the months running up to the controversial transfer of power on February 7 that saw Nasheed resign from office – a decision he later claimed was made under duress – the DQP had published a pamphlet about the former president entitled ‘President Nasheed’s devious plot to destroy the Islamic faith of Maldivians’.

The former government slammed the publication at the time for containing “extremist, bigoted and hate-filled rhetoric”. The publication also led to successive attempts by the Nasheed administration to arrest two senior members of the party and sparked a debate on freedom of expression and hate speech in the Maldives.

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National netball squad prepares for multiple tournament participation

The Maldives national netball team will be participating in two regional championships over the next few weeks, both of which are being held in Sri Lanka.

The team will first participate  in the eighth Asian Netball Championships beginning Saturday (August 25), before also taking part in the Asian Beach Netball competition that begins a week later, according to the President’s Office.

Before heading to Sri Lanka, the squad, along with Vice President of the Netball Association, Mohamed Nabeel, met with President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan to discuss the sport’s development in the country.

Alongside, hosts and defending champions Sri Lanka, nations including India, Pakistan, Nepal, Brunei and Japan will be participating in the Asian Netball Championships alongside the Maldives.

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Attempted robbery at Miladhoo Magistrate’s court

The Magistrate’s court of Miladhoo was broken into Saturday night (August 18), according to local media.

The court has been operating out of a house on the island since the official premises were damaged in an arson attack last year.

Thieves appeared to have attempted to break into the safe at the property, which at the time was said to have contained MVR125 (US$8), but were unsuccessful, Sun Online has reported.

The court was also targeted by thieves in April this year, who were said to have stolen MVR7000 (US$454). The island in Noonu Atoll has also seen three robbery-related arsons this year, local media has reported.

A police team is said to have arrived on the island as of today.

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Kinbidhoo without power for 24 hours, council claims

The Vice President of Kinbidhoo Council has informed local media that the island’s residents have been without electricity for over 24 hours.

“People are facing a lot of difficulties due to the power cut. It’s not possible to live without electricity anymore, so people are really suffering,” Hassan Mohamed told Sun Online.

It has been reported that technicians arrived yesterday evening to repair issues with the island’s two generators, which had stopped working at 8:00am that morning.

South Central Utilities Ltd is the electricity provider for the 1,200 people of the island in Thaa Atoll.

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Piece of Kiswah presented to President Waheed by King Abdullah

Visitors to the president’s official residence of Muleeaage during Sunday’s Eid celebrations were also able to see a piece of the Kiswah given to the Maldives by King Abdullah bin Abdul Azeez, according to local media.

The Kiswah is the cloth used to cover the Kaaba in Mecca. It is an annual tradition for the 658 metre squared silk cloth, embroidered with gold thread, to be cut into pieces and distributed to Muslim organisations and visiting dignitaries.

The Saudi Arabian royal gave the item to President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan during his recent visit to the country for the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit, Sun Online has reported.

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Defence minister confirms 50 Hulhumale’ flats to be awarded to officers

Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim has announced that 50 flats on the island of Hulhumale’ will be awarded to military officers alongside financial assistance to help them keep up with payments, local media has reported.

Citing a transcript published on the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) website, newspaper Haveeru reported that a committee headed by Brigadier General Abdulla Shamal will oversee the awarding of the properties to candidates from a “pre-set criteria”.

Officers from all ranks are expected to be included in the scheme, which is also expected to provide assistance to officers facing difficulties in meeting the required payments on schedule, according to the report.

Nazim reportedly added that the government had already arranged to cover down payments on the fifty properties in order to facilitate awarding of the housing.

He also claimed that a nine storey building within existing military quarters had also been constructed for officers.  A budget has also been agreed with the government for the further renovation of buildings already used for military purposes, Nazim claimed in the transcript.

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STO puts resort development plans on hold

The State Trading Organisation (STO) has put plans to purchase a resort property on hold, citing “current economic conditions” as a barrier to any potential deal, local media has reported.

Back in June, STO announced its intentions to venture into the Maldives tourism industry, with the company targeting the purchase of “at least three resorts and one hotel” as part of attempts to increase its access to foreign currency.

However, the Sun Online news service yesterday quoted STO Managing Director Shahid Ali in announcing a temporary halt to the company’s resort purchase ambitions.

According to the report, the company remains committed to the ongoing construction of a 5-star hotel on  Hulhumale’ under a contract with USA-based multinational travel company, Carlson Group.

The STO is the Maldives’ state-owned importer, and is the primary supplier of general goods, fuel and pharmaceuticals to the Maldives. It also supplies aviation fuel to Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA).

STO had formerly operated a resort property in the country, before selling it to a private group in 2007. Shahid had told Sun Online this week that the group had been focused on developing the island of Muthaafushi.

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Decentralisation Act not unconstitutional, Supreme Court rules

The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that provisions of the Decentralisation Act were not in conflict with the constitution.

In March 2011, former State Minister for Home Affairs Mohamed ‘Monaza’ Naeem filed a case at the apex court arguing that some provisions of the Act contradicted the unitary nature of the Maldivian state as laid out in the constitution, and requested the conflicting articles to be struck down.

Naeem had argued that the Local Government Authority (LGA) created by the Decentralisation Act was not answerable to any government minister while article 140 of the constitution states that, “A member of the cabinet shall be given responsibility for each authority or institute established by the government or the People’s Majlis, except for independent institutions specified in this constitution or established pursuant law. Such member of the cabinet must take responsibility for the operation of such authority or institution and must be accountable for it.”

The Supreme Court bench that heard the case ruled unanimously that the LGA was not unconstitutional as it was not necessary for a minister to be the administrative head of such an authority or office.

The Justices further noted that article 140 did not envision a cabinet minister to be responsible for elected councils.

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Number of Zakat payers decline

The number of people who paid Zakat (alms for the poor) has declined from 82,570 in 2011 to 80,408 this year, newspaper Haveeru reports.

According to the Islamic Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Mohamed Didi, proceeds from Zakat payments amounted to MVR2.4 million (US$155,642) this year. Didi said the decline was “surprising” as the numbers of people who pray at mosques were steadily rising.

Meanwhile, the number of registered poor in the capital Male’ increased from 10,000 in 2011 to 11,000 this year.

Zakat is one of the five mandatory pillars of Islam. A sum of MVR220 per head was issued by the ministry this year.

Haveeru noted that a considerable number of people paying Zakat through means other than the government.

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