Tag: maldives news

DRP accuses MDP MP Mustafa of terrorism for intimidating former president

The opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) have accused Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Mohamed Mustafa of violating the Terrorism Act with comments intended to “intimidate” former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

Mustafa had recently criticised the former president and DRP ‘Honorary Leader’ for deciding to take part in an official DRP protest, despite earlier claiming to have resigned from politics.

The DRP today said that Gayoom’s participation in protests “does not mean that he is involved in political events. We believe he can take part in the DRP events to strengthen the unity of the party,  as he is the DRP’s Honorary Leader,” the statement said. “We do not believe that those speaking against this have a valid point.”

Mustafa was recently arrested for allegedly bribing a Civil Court Judge.along with Deputy Leader of minority opposition Peoples Alliance party (PA) and Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Ahmed Nazim.

However, the Criminal Court released both MPs due to lack of evidence when of police appealed at the court for an extension of detention.

The Statement said that the former president “deserves the protection afford him under the constitution”, whether other political parties liked it or not.

“That protection cannot be violated when one party dislikes it,” DRP said. “Therefore, the actions of MP Mustafa were to smear the respect of the former president, which violates the Terrorism Act. We will take legal action against him.”

Mustafa replied that DRP’s thinking was “still back in the ancient ages.”

“They are angry because I said that if a former president is becoming affiliated with protests and political events, I might have to take allegations that the person was involved in torture to the court,” Mustafa said. “I also said I will take those issues to the International Court of Justice.”

Mustafa said that to file a terrorism case against him for these comments was “impossible.”

“Maybe it is possible according to the constitution made before Maumoon’s blue constitution,” he said. “One no longer gets sent to the torture chamber for mention the name ‘Maumoon’.”

“There is no treatment or medication for people spoiled with communism,” he added.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

HRCM leadership on parliament’s schedule for first sitting

Parliament has scheduled the endorsement of the President and Vice President of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) for the first sitting of the next session this Monday.

President Mohamed Nasheed had nominated commission members Mariyam Azra as HRCM’s President an post and Aiminath Jeehaan as Vice President, however the matter was still in debate when the last session of parliament closed in August.

HRCM’s former President Ahmed Saleem last month condemned parliament’s inaction on the issue as “unforgivable”.

“It’s all because HRCM and human rights are not as important to the Majlis as taking their leave,” he told Minivan News.

“The Majlis is destroying this country and leaving the government incapable of doing anything.”

On Monday parliament will also vote on proposed amendments to the Finance Committee’s report on salaries, the Parole Bill, Bill on Importing Animals and Birds, the government’s amendment to the Decentralisation Bill and the Domestic Violence Bill.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Aishath Azra was nominated as HRCM’s President. This has been corrected to Mariyam Azra.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Comment: New regulation on strikes lacks legality and would wipe out resort workers’ constitutional rights

Citizens in Maldives have recently won important rights. The 2008 constitution guarantees fundamental rights, such as freedom of speech and association. The constitution also guarantees the right to strike, which is an extremely important right for workers. Without the right to strike workers are left powerless. In dictatorships like Saudi Arabia or Burma, the denial of the right to strike is a key weapon in suppressing democracy.

However, it seems that employers in the Maldives, unsatisfied with workers finally having human and labour rights, are doing their best to convince the government to effectively deny those rights.

This has come to light with regard to a draft Ministerial regulation on strikes dated August 11, 2010. The working draft looks to have been written as a birthday present for the resort owners, so one-sided it effectively nullifies workers’ constitutional right to strike.

Does the Minister have the authority to make a regulation on strikes?

Before examining the details of the draft regulation, there is an even more glaring error: it is doubtful that the Minister actually has the authority to make the regulation under the present law.

The first clause of the working draft notes that the regulation is made according to clause 89 of the Employment Act of 2008. That clause states: “Unless otherwise provided in this Act, regulations required to administer this Act shall be made by the Minister.”

What is crucial in this clause is the phrase “administer this Act”. That means regulations can only to be made for matters that the Act has defined, thus regulates and thus are in need of administering.

The Employment Act is concerned with the conditions and regulations of workplaces and the contract relationships for the provision of labour which exist between an individual (a worker) and an employer (which might be a person or a firm). The Act also covers the individual’s entitlements (such as maternity leave, working hours etc).

However, the Employment Act does not mention anything to do with the collective rights of workers in employment or their regulation (such as rules regarding trade union rights in the workplace or trade union recognition).

Chapter 4 of the Act (“employment agreement”) does not mention collective agreements which would be signed by a trade union and an employer. The entire chapter concerns the employment of individuals.

Article 30 of the Constitution of Maldives guarantees the right to form trade unions, yet nowhere in the entire Act are trade unions mentioned. The closest the Act comes is in Clause 21(b)(vi) where discrimination against a worker (as an individual) for membership or activity in a “workers’ association” is declared unlawful.

The Act does not mention fundamental matters related to workers’ collective rights and employment such as trade union recognition, collective bargaining, collective agreements or industrial disputes.

As such, a question must be raised: how can a strike, which like all forms of industrial action by workers is a collective act, be administered by Ministerial regulation when the Act does not address the collective rights and acts of workers or trade unions?

The proposed regulation actually has nothing to do with the Employment Act at present. It is almost certainly unconstitutional. The only way a regulation might be appropriate would be if there were already chapters and clauses in the Employment Act dealing with the collective rights of workers and trade unions.

Wiping out the right to strike

As for the details of the regulation itself these would effectively mean that workers would have no ability to conduct a legal strike. Workers would be completely at the whim of the employer.

Clause 6 of the draft regulation would make it almost impossible for workers to reach a stage where they could go on strike. The regulation provides only an example of a Grievance Procedure, thus making the procedure voluntary. How such a Grievance Procedure is to be put in place and how it would work is left completely undefined. Employers are under no legal obligation to include good faith mechanisms or rights protections.

Given current employment practices in Maldives, workers could simply be dragged endlessly through a procedure which is designed not to produce a result and thus not arrive at any point where a strike could be called.

The regulation contains a stunning contradiction. The regulation defines a strike as “stopping work” yet Clause 8(c) forbids strikers “from disturb[ing] the services they provide or should not create any kind of difficulties in the mean[s] of strike.” This clause actually means workers cannot stop work, since by definition, when workers strike, they are withholding their labour and thus disturbing the services of the workplace.

Take the resorts: would a striking front-desk worker still required to check-in guests? Would a striking chef still be required to cook meals? Would a striking house-cleaner still be required to make beds? With this the employer could easily claim any strike is a disruption and thus the strike would be illegal.

This same vagueness is repeated in Clause 11(iv) of the regulations which forbids workers from “interfere[ing] with customers”. This is extraordinarily vague and would allow any employer to simply claim: by going on strike workers are “interfering” with customers and the strike would be deemed illegal.

Clause 9 of the regulation includes a number of professions who are excluded from the right to strike. International labour standards as governed by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) are quite clear that with the exception of police and military, all other professions should retain the right to strike. It is doubtful that a regulation excluding so many professions would be acceptable under international human rights norms.

What to do?

It seems that this regulation, even if the Minister were to sign it, despite its clear breach of most international norms regarding workers fundamental rights, would have to ultimately be declared unconstitutional.

The Employment Act, does not give the Minister any authority to make regulations for matters not covered by the Act. Since strikes are a subset of workers’ collective rights and regulations to these rights are not mentioned in the Act, the Minister has no authority to make regulations to administer non-existent sections of the Act.

It is time for a serious rethink. Resort and hotel workers, in fact all workers, in the Maldives need a proper law which protects their collective rights to participate in trade unions, to collective bargaining and to industrial action. It solves nothing when short-cuts which must ultimately be found unconstitutional are tried.

Moreover, this regulation tramples on workers constitutional right to strike to such an extent it could become an international issue, placing Maldives in breach of its human rights commitments and the conventions of the International Labour Organisation.

The real reason that this regulation is being rushed through at this time is the resort owners in Maldives have consistently refused to recognise the collective rights of resort workers. Low wages, lack of transparency with distribution of the service charge, overwork and the high costs of living all remain unresolved problems for most workers.

Instead of engaging in genuine negotiations to resolve these matters with the Tourism Employees Assosiation of the Maldives (TEAM) – the resort workers union – the employers seek to rebuff TEAM at every opportunity.

TEAM is systematically denied recognition by the employers. The employers refuse to negotiate collectively and threaten workers. Workers are arrested and placed in jail at the behest of employers when they strike. Blacklists of known supporters of TEAM are maintained and distributed among employers. Despite these threats workers continue to exercise their constitutional right to strike because this is the only choice they have to resolve their interests. All other avenues are closed by the employers.

The best solution would be for the Government of Maldives to call for tripartite negotiations including TEAM and MATI, designed to reach an agreement for amendments to the Employment Act regarding trade union recognition, collective bargaining and industrial disputes. Or to produce an Industrial Relations Act regarding these matters. This would protect workers’ rights and produce clear and transparent mechanisms to allow for proper negotiations between TEAM and the resort owners and thus go a long way to resolving the root cause of strikes in the resort industry.

But a regulation with dubious constitutionality that effectively erases the right strike is in no one’s interests and will only harm Maldives’ international reputation in regard to democracy and human rights.

Dr Jasper Goss is Information and Research Officer with the Asia/Pacific regional organisation of the International Union of Foodworkers (IUF), the global trade union federation which represents resort, hotel, food and agriculture workers.

All comment pieces are the sole view of the author and do not reflect the editorial policy of Minivan News. If you would like to write an opinion piece, please send proposals to [email protected]


Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Comment: Kitchen maids step out to business and up to leadership

It was 3:00 pm in the afternoon last Ramazan when someone called and asked me to do a translation. He said that I could charge for the work. I told him to mail it to me so that I could have a look.

What I got was a five page contract with legal terms to be translated from English to Dhivehi, and it had to be done by that night. I called up and quoted him my official price and he flipped out.

“Oh man,” he said, “you are crazy. I am doing this for a friend. Go to the kitchen. It is time to cook for breaking the fast.”

My mind raced! Would he have said something similar in the same tone to a man?

Kitchen maids step out to business and up to leadership!

I grew up with a mother who sold material and tailored to earn money. She worked from home. In many households while men are the official breadwinners, the women work from home to earn an income to make ends meet.

Today farmers in the islands are made up of 60 percent women. In other words, women in the Maldives have a long history of entrepreneurship. When I was growing up, there were a couple of ladies in trading and I saw them in the man’s world. I wonder how they felt and what kind of challenges they had. Today with Maldives advancing into the modern world, more Maldivian women have stepped out into the business world.

Globally, the 1920s were a turning point for women to move from traditional roles to modern ideas. In these years the role of women changed, with gender-defined work such as cooks, dressmakers and farm hands moving to professional and technical jobs like doctors, bankers, lawyers etc. Still today, even in the most developed countries, there are conservatives who find it hard to digest this and feel a woman’s place is at home.

The prevalent environment in Maldives is tough for a woman who wants to run a business. I am a social entrepreneur and I started out on my own in 1999. As a woman I have experienced many hurdles, and I am going to highlight here common issues enterprising women face in the Maldives.

Women entrepreneurs find it a big challenge to get people to take them seriously. Women seeking loans beyond micro-financing have difficulties obtaining funds, even with collateral. I know the case of a woman who offered collateral of her two houses to the Bank of Maldives (managed by women) some years ago and she was refused a loan. When her husband went to the Bank with the same business plan and same collateral (with mortgage rights signed over by the woman), it was accepted.

When women hold meetings, many men do not listen to the business idea a woman is selling. Horrendous suggestions such as meeting late at night and in private environments are an indication of this lack of seriousness among men. It is often seen in the light of a favor she is asking. If I am accompanied by a male to a meeting, I still find him being addressed more than me though it is my business.

Sense of guilt

My female colleagues and entrepreneurs also speak of the “guilt issues” that come into play and which limit their success. Guilt for investing time away from the family, guilt for becoming more financially secure than family and friends, guilt for earning more than a spouse and guilt for being successful.

To make it worse, husbands and partners who cannot digest the success of a woman accuse her of receiving favours. Some people (men and women, friends and family) actually think that a woman who wants to start a business is just looking for something to do as a “hobby”.

Women are trained since childhood to work behind the scenes, to not make a fuss, and to take care of others first. Girls grow up in “female” roles with housework prioritised above studies, and the notion that she will marry a good man to have a life.

The contribution of women to financial stability is treated of secondary importance especially when that money is generated at home. Women’s contribution is not documented in the national statistics either. Women in entrepreneurship struggle to improve conditions that support enterprise development at national level.

The Women Entrepreneurs Council (WEC) was initially under the umbrella of the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and was dissolved three years ago without the WEC itself being notified. The move was part of a calculated change in the Executive Board to push out chamber board members, including distinguished and dedicated men committed to economic development of the country. and who supported the Wec.

The media (including Minivan News) ignored the case (with evidence) that the WEC presented, and the report did not appear in the daily newspapers or on the television. The Registrar of the Home Ministry at the time ignored the evidence. The Attorney General (on a personal level) made an aimless attempt to look into the issue that compromised women. Today the documents lie on the table of the present Chamber President who considers an internal audit of the time (with the last five years) possible but has not had the time to look at them.

The documents are in the Ministry of Home Affairs waiting for the present Registrar’s attention. Three registrars have changed since the documents were submitted and the present Registrar has promised to lend us an ear.

The WEC was just beginning to stand on its feet with a successful trial record of development and half a million Rufiya in its account, a solid development plan for four years and a potential contract with UNDP, when the Council was crippled by the Board of the time.

Earlier this year, His Excellency the Vice President listened to the story but it remains one without an end. The President’s staff have been scheduling a meeting with the leadership of the ex-WEC for the last two and half years.

Women experience sexist banter, demeaning comments and exclusionary behavior and continue to push for conditions where they can do business in a politically and socially fair environment.

Assumptions about women, such as in my introductory paragraph, view women as inferior business professionals. Expectations on pricing and wages – with the implication that women lack professionalism – are abusive.

Women tend to devalue their skills, abilities and experience more than men do. Women must value their offerings in order for customers and prospects to value them. The ability to be compensated well for the value a woman provides lies squarely on her ability to look the customer/prospect in the eye and state, with confidence, that it’s worth the price she is charging. So my fees remain… discounts come only after quotation.

Ownership and control of an enterprise by a woman is a big thing. Most women entrepreneurs are very compassionate and caring people, thus bringing complimentary value to business. While women want to express their skill and talent to the world, they should also possess the qualities of devotion, innovation and the capabilities of management and control, lessons that can be learnt from enterprising men. Women are great networkers, tenacious, and are great at relationships, so there is no hurdle too big to overcome.

Once on an interview, a producer of a VillaTV program wanted the presenter to question me about whether a woman would have time to take care of her family obligations if she was engaged outside home. In my opinion, the word obligation puts conditions on women that are interpreted by someone else. A woman should define her priorities and balance her life between work and family. This is one of the hardest challenges for a woman entrepreneur even in developed countries.

To break the ice, women have to put themselves forward and overcome a lifetime of behavioral training – a daunting task for many of us. Men remove one hat before putting on another. Work is work, play is play and family is family. Women insist on wearing all their hats at once and are determined to balance them all. When we enter into business mode, we are still mothers, wives and friends. We are easily distracted by our many other priorities and find it challenging to focus all our attention on one area at a time. Focus ladies!

To be successful as an entrepreneur a woman must be independent, humble, highly successful at personal growth and, for the most part, non-emotional. As a male colleague noted the other day, one big challenge a woman has are the other women who don’t understand her – her values and drive.

It was evident at the Validation Workshop in October 2009 held in Holiday Inn where I sat at a round table with women from the Ministry of Health trying to bring in the perspective of women from private sector into the national plans. The barrier I faced was so impenetrable that I had to get the Counsel of UN facilitator to talk to them to include some of my suggestions.

Women must be bolder and demand respect by showing their success. To receive respect, women should be respectful. To be respectful, women should work with values and rules that shows her principles such as using formal friendly language (a great way to draw the line between personal and professional relationships), staying firm and focused in discussions displaying a professional attitude, keeping meetings to working hours and if necessary stretch to early evenings but not late night hours, setting the latest reachable hour to business contacts by phone, meet in open public places or office during working hours, establish a code for no physical relationships with staff and potential business partners, learn to draw the line when people get abusive or suggestive at meetings, stop mothering when dealing with male business colleagues (sorry ladies but I observe this happening) and dressing professionally.

Women should always be upfront and transparent about their professional experience and what they have accomplished. Upon doing so, people can no longer have ignorant assumptions of women. So women out there, it takes every core of your being to stand above these who choose to talk about people, so you can walk instead with those who prefer to discuss ideas.

Aminath Arif is the Founder of SALAAM School.

All comment pieces are the sole view of the author and do not reflect the editorial policy of Minivan News. If you would like to write an opinion piece, please send proposals to [email protected]

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Mind the gap: is lack of education the main reason for extremism in the Maldives?

“Extremism spreads because extremism is being taught, not because of inadequacies in the education system,” Minister of Education Dr Musthafa Luthfy told Minivan News.

“Extremism is a form of teaching in itself, and it is being taught by some people,” Dr Luthfy said. “It is not in the schools that it is taught, but outside of them.”

He said Islamic Affairs Minister Dr Abdul Majyd Abdul Bari was right in saying yesterday that extremism might be spreading because proper religious education is missing from the curriculum.

“Proper religious education,” Dr Luthfy said, “is very difficult to define. It means different things to different people.”

The subject of Islam is taught, he noted, according to an approved formal national curriculum in Maldivian schools from primary right through secondary school.

The education system is not the reason for extremism but extremism does affect the education system, Dr Luthfy said.

“Some people don’t want students to play; some don’t want them to do art; some don’t want them to do music – some say those are activities are haraam (forbidden) in Islam.”

He also added that there have been instances where some people advocated making it a regulation for male students to wear their trousers folded up a few inches above the ankle or to make beards compulsory.

Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr Bari told Minivan in an interview yesterday that a large share of the blame for the religious extremism in the Maldives lies with the education system.

Many Maldivians who turned to extremism were those seeking religious enlightenment that the education system could not provide. They sought such knowledge abroad, and ended up in unregulated institutions such as the madhrasaas in Pakistan, Dr Bari said.

Dr Luthfy agreed that there were inadequacies in the education system that contributed to contemporary social problems.

Between leaving school and reaching adulthood most Maldivian youth spend two years without a job, a sense of direction or purpose. A large number of contemporary social problems take root during these two ‘gap years’.

Latest Education Ministry figures show that an overwhelming majority – close to seventy percent of students who sit O’level exams – fail them. Of all the students who take the exams, only a small minority go on to take A’levels.

The rest, still legally children, fall outside of the school system and remain unemployed. Minister of Education Dr Luthfy said these two years were crucial.

Keeping the children within a formal education system until they are legally adults, at the age of 18, he said, is necessary for changing the current status quo. A polytechnic will soon open in Male’ that will address the problem, Dr Luthfy said.

Plans are also underway to setup vocational training centres on several islands using resources that already exist or by establishing new ones. The training centres would be subsidised by the government, and run by private organisations, Dr Luthfy said.

While the government’s plans remain in the pipeline, Salaam School, a social project launched under her own initiative by Aminath Arif, is attempting to plug the holes. It offers the children in an educational limbo an opportunity for personal development and trains them for the job market.

“There is very little help, direction or guidance given to such children,” Arif said. “They arrive at Salaam with very little language skills, and with almost no prior career guidance. For many, it is the last hope finding a way into gainful employment.”

“It is very easy to point fingers,” she said. “We can blame the internet, or we can blame something else.”

The problem, she said, is the very ethos of the education system: “It rarely encourages children to develop their creativity, to grow into their own individuality.”

Education Ministry figures show that compared to the ‘Enlightenment disciplines’ of the West such as the social and natural sciences, almost all school leavers sat the exam in Islam. In comparison, only a quarter of the students sat exams in any of the natural science subjects.

Humanities received even less attention from students with most subjects in its disciplines getting less than one percent of the total student population of the country. And, there were more students taking the Arabic language exam than the O’Level English language.

A 2004 survey of members of extremist Islamist groups found that over 60 percent had some higher or further-level education. The survey, by Marc Sageman, also found that about three quarters of extremists came from upper- or middle-class backgrounds.

Many extremists, research has also shown, were in professional occupations such as teaching, medicine or in skilled or semi-skilled employment such as the police or the civil service when they became radicalised or joined a group with extremist ideologies.

Such recent research, as was discussed in the European Journal of Criminology, undermines the previously accepted view that “Islamic extremism can be attributed to ignorance or lack of education.”

Social identity, group loyalties, social marginalisation, discrimination against particular groups, status and personal rewards as well as perceived injustices, research has found, contribute to the radicalisation and the creation of extremists in a society.

The substantial number of Maldivian youth on their enforced ‘gap years’ are broadly perceived as a negative force within society, Aminath Arif said.

“The marginalisation of youth on most islands is endemic throughout the country,” Arif told Minivan.

She travels to islands and identifies the most needy of such youth and provide them with the opportunity to enrol at Salaam.

Such initiatives, however, are few and far between, if not non-existent. Disaffected, marginalised and with no institutional support, a vast majority of Maldivian school leavers stray in a variety of directions.

Attending the ‘schools’ of extremism, or listening to the extremism being ‘taught’, as Dr Luthfy said, might be one of them.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Dhoni Services MD sentenced to six months banishment for bounced cheque

Managing Director of Dhoni Services Ali Moosa, the company awarded a government contract last year to establish a transport network in the South Central Province, was found guilty by the Civil Court yesterday of issuing a bounced cheque and sentenced to six months’ banishment.
The court found that Ali Moosa had issued a cheque of US$100,000 (Rf1,285,000) to local company Sonee in January 2009 from a Dhoni Services account registered in Habib Bank.

While the penalty for the offence is banishment or incarceration for a period between six months to two years under article 39(b) of the Negotiable Instruments Act of 2002, the judge said Moosa would be banished for six months as it was his first conviction.

In addition to the claim by Sonee, Ali Moosa faces a number of civil lawsuits over unpaid debts and bounced checks.

According to local daily Haveeru, the Dhoni Services MD has been sued by different claimants for unsettled debts amounting to Rf50 million.

In September last year, Dhoni Services was sued by a business associate of Ali Moosa for Rf1.2 million and MGH Investment to recover Rf149,034 for oil purchased on credit.

Ali Moosa was arrested in April this year on charges relating to outstanding debts upon his arrival in the country after a long absence.

State Minister for Transport “Maizan” Ahmed Manik told Minivan News today that the conviction will not have any bearing on the government’s agreement with Dhoni Services to provide ferry services to Thaa and Laamu atolls.

“The contract does not mention anything about terminating it if he’s banished or arrested,” he said.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Civil servants salaries could be restored this year, says President

President Mohamed Nasheed has said the salary of civil servants could be restored before the end of this year.

In a statement from the President’s Office, Nasheed “thanked all civil servants for the great sacrifice they have made” and “expressed hope that civil service pay could be restored to the level before the reduction of 15 percent.”

Nasheed also said the government was hopeful reaching its target budget of Rf7 billion before the end of the year.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Police arrest prominent drug dealer

The Drug Enforcement Department (DED) of the Maldives Police Service have arrested a man they claim is a prominent drug dealer in Male’.

Head of the DED, Superintendent of Police Mohamed Jinah identified the person as 40 year old Ibrahim Shameem, who was arrested at Azum in the Henveiru district of Male’.

”He sells a illegal drugs across a wide area,” alleged Jinah. ”He was arrested last week inside Heniveru Azum, with other two persons also suspected to be involved with his operation.”

Jinah identified the other two persons as Ali Nazih, 29 and Ibrahim Shafeeu, 27.

”Shameem was arrested in August 2008 with suspected narcotics and his trial was also conducted in the court,” he said. ”But at this stage we do not know whether he was convicted or if the case is ongoing.

He said large amount of heroin and hash oil was found with Shameem.

”Last week 23 persons were arrested in different cases related to illegal drugs, 36 cases of which were sent to Prosecutor General’s office,” he added.

Last week police seized 1.6 kilograms of drugs from inside a house in Maafannu.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Bride fair showcases local talent

Each year hundreds of tourists hold wedding ceremonies on the pristine beaches of Maldives. Though existing regulations do not allow non-Muslims to marry in the country, tourists can’t resist the temptation of holding ‘mock’ wedding ceremonies against the backdrop of azure lagoons and white beaches.

The ceremony is often Maldivian, with traditional boduberu drummers providing the music for the occasion. The grooms look dashing in shirts while the brides are dazzling in wedding gowns.

Alas the clothes are imported much the time, despite the fact that there are very good Maldivian designers and tailors capable of making unique ‘one-off’ gowns.

The bride fair recently held at Dharubaaruge aimed to bridge that gap.

“We’d like Maldivian designers and tailors to be able to showcase their talents to the tourists who hold wedding ceremonies here,” said Mohamed Shafi, Managing Director of Bride Maldives company which organised the fair.

Wedding masquerade

The Bride Fair aims to be a one-stop place for those looking to tie the knot. Every aspect of the big day was covered by one of the stalls present.

Caterers like Juways and Salsa Catering had stalls.

“We have special menus for weddings and can cater different cuisines like Chinese or Indian depending on the request,” says Ibrahim Amir, Managing Director of Salsa catering.

His participation at the fair was intended to create more awareness and with five bookings to cater for weddings and 37 ‘potentials’ just in one evening, he deems the fair a success.

Brides to be seems to be the main visitors to the fair: “99 percent of the girls who enquire at our stall say they are about to get married,” he observes.

“Weddings involve a lot of things, and even when the bride and groom go for their photo shoot they are still unhappy or stressed out over some thing,” says Shafi,who is confident the fair has helped prospective married couples find all the services they need.

“Locally only two or three [designers] are well known, so we want to showcase unique and talented individuals to the local as well as international market.”

That talent is very much evident at Saadha Ali’s stall.

A diploma holder in fashion designing from Sri Lanka, at Ali’s stall three gowns take pride of place. One with a bodice made up of ties, striped and plain, tapering off towards the waist and held in place by huge orange roses. A white gown has paper birds on its skirt, while an eye-catching orange gown shows that Saadha can dabble in ordinary materials as well as unusual ones.

Not all gowns on display are locally made. Wedding planner Bridal Boutiques showcases an ethereal white gown, imported, and so are the gowns on display at another wedding planner, El Momento.

“In future we would like to work with a local, but to avoid the stress of chasing after a designer we are starting off with imported gowns,” says Hudha Haleem, El Momentos director. With their showrooms in the process of being finished, Hudha says the fair is giving them ample exposure.

“All the gowns are not locally made – we also want to cater for those who can’t afford designer gowns or who get married in haste,” Shafi explains, pointing out that there are Maldivian companies in the business.

In a country where marriages often take place less than three months after the decision, ready-made gowns are also much in demand.

For those looking to venture into the lucrative wedding cake business, EFFES institute stall gave information on their courses, where you can learn basic cake-making in just two weeks.

Even gyms like Heat and Male’ Fitness Centre have stalls, where one can see young women inquiring.

“We mostly get girls who come and enquire about our ready made fitness programs for couples,” says the girl at the MFC stall. Even though a poster on the wall offers three distinct types of fitness programmes for the couple, she says mostly the man declines saying “it’s just for the girl.”

A male staff member of MFC promises that the changes will be evident on the wedding day if one enrolls in the three month programme.

One of the visitors to the stall turns to her female friend and says she “needs to get rid of the flab around my waist.”

As promised, the stalls at Bride Fair covered every aspect of the big day.

Grooms had mohican hair styles

Runway Brides

The highlight of the fair however seems to be the runway show, with photographers jostling for a good view alongside spectators throng to the catwalk podium once it starts.

Shamla is easily the most famous wedding gown designer in Maldives, and showcases her collection first. It’s impossible to get a good view of it.

The crowd settles a bit. Next, Aishath Roza’s collection, modeled to the theme song of Bride Fair ‘Forever bride to be’ by singer Unoosha.

Her collection diverges from the classic white gown, to include a maroon gown with a crunched skirt. An off shoulder gown with a chequered bodice of black, white and maroon and a golden gown with a ruffled skirt, and of course one white gown.

Saadha Ali’s collection is colourful, bright orange and blue wedding gowns give way to light pink and purple ones, a row of red flowers snaking down the bodice of the white gown gives it a pop of colour. Men make an appearance in shirts with pleating details on the front, however its their hair cut in a Mohican fashion, with blue colourings and a pony tail at the back that grab attention. Screams of appreciation fill the air when child models appear on the runway, the boys with the Mohican cut while the little girls sports flowers.

Colours give way to white gowns for the collection titled Venus by Naisha Ibrahim. The gowns are sleek, with detailing like silver bow ties on the bodice, ruffled full skirts, and flowers of earthy colours. Complimenting the gowns is the hair, pulled back and in a bun, with hers  a slight re-working of the classic white gown. The models are breathtakingly beautiful and carry the wedding dresses well.

“All the designs showcased on the runway are made locally by Maldivian designers,” says Nuha.

The sheer variety of the gowns would leave a bride-to-be spoiled for choice. The Bride Fair seemed to be a success both in terms of showcasing local talents and providing a place for would be brides to get help in planning the big day.

Photos: Mahrouf Khaleel

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)