President Mohamed Nasheed has decreed the establishment of Felivaru Fisheries Maldives Limited and Kooddoo Fisheries Maldives Limited, two limited liability companies with one hundred percent government shares.
The companies aim to develop further the Maldives fishing industry in a sustainable manner. They aim to do this while providing maximum socio-economic benefits for the people.
(0)Dislikes
(0)The inauguration of new NGO Thirees Nuvaeh (‘thirty nine’), dedicated to promoting traditional Maldivian culture, has been postponed until next week because of rain in Male’.
The name ‘39′ is a reference to Article 39 of the Constitution, which states that all citizens will “participate in the cultural life of the nation.”
The organisation claims it will work towards “strengthening and consolidating democratic principles, human rights, gender equality and social justice; and, to lobby the government, the parliament, the judiciary, political parties, independent commissions, private agencies and individuals.”
One of the founding members of 39, Mohamed Nazim, said “we are losing cultural activities, because some groups and political parties are trying to push other ways of life.”
He said the purpose of the NGO was to bring back traditional Maldivian culture, and things people are no longer doing “because of political and other reasons.”
These include to traditional activities like thara jehun and bandiya jehun, traditional music and dance, both of which will be part of the inauguration ceremony tomorrow night.
Nazim said women in particular had stopped taking part in these activities “because they are not allowed or have been convinced it’s not good for them.”
“We are trying to tell people, ‘keep your eyes open, we are losing something valuable to us,’” Nazim said.
He noted they had approached most political parties, who have “indicated assistance and support” for the organisation.
Nazim said since “party politics are the main show of the town,” it was good to have close ties to the parties, but that while “we will take advice”, the NGO will not be a political organisation.
“We are trying to stay out of politics,” he said, adding that 39 has “members of all political parties” already signed up to the organisation.
Nazim said the NGO was founded after a group of 32 young Maldivians approached the president earlier this year to talk about Maldivian culture and moderate Islam.
He said there were currently no civil groups advocating for the strengthening of culture in the country, and “there was nothing they or the government could do.”
So they decided to found the NGO and lobby for cultural activities to be a more prominent part of Maldivian life.
“We want to bring these issues to the public,” he said.
The NGO will offer “seminars, functions and training sessions” to the public, and will bring professionals from overseas to help with the material.
“They will help us on how we’re going to survive and keep our rich culture growing,” he said.
Additionally, 39 has been contacted by many local NGOs from the islands and by foreign organisations who wish to assist them. The group said it hoped to work local organisations who are “like-minded” and promote their ideas.
Nazim explained that many of the local NGOs have “great ideas and objectives” and could do a lot for the country if they had better funding.
“Many NGOs are still not functioning because of lack of funding,” he said, noting that they already had pledges for funding from different people.
There are twelve founding members in Thirees Nuvaeh, but no full membership as of yet, “as we only received our registration from the Home Ministry yesterday,” Nazim said.
The inauguration was scheduled begin at 8.45pm on Friday night, but has been postponed due to the weather. Details about the new date will be available next week.
(1)Dislikes(0)The Prosecutor General’s Office will file a case against the Principal of Lale Youth International School, Serkan Akar, at the Criminal Court tomorrow morning.
Police confiscated Akar’s passport last Thursday after he attempted to flee the country, pending a police investigation into allegations of child abuse.
Deputy Principal Suleyman Atayev told Minivan News last week that Akar had a return ticket and was trying to escort two children to an Information Communications Technology (ICT) Olympiad when immigration stopped him at the airport, although staff at the school questioned why the principal had packed up his apartment.
Atayev said he was confident any allegations against the Principal would be proven false.
Deputy Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem said the PG’s office intended to prosecute Akar on charges of assault and battery, ensuring he remained in the country while police and the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) completed their investigations into other allegations.
“The case is proceeding and his passport is held, but we need to prosecute if want to hold it any longer,” Shameem explained. “We are still awaiting some documents relating to his passport,” he added.
The PG’s office had attempted to file the case today, he said, “but the criminal court has this odd thing where they only take the submission of cases between 10am to 11am. We will submit the case tomorrow.”
Deputy Minister for Education Dr Abdulla Nazeer told Minivan News today that Akar had resigned as principal of Lale, and Atayev had been appointed acting principal in his stead.
“The replacement principal has arrived but he is on a tourist visa and cannot start work until immigration issues him a work permit,” Dr Nazeer noted, adding that the company behind the school, Biz Atoll, “only has the quota for one principal.”
“My understanding is that Akar’s resignation automatically means the principal’s [quota] is vacant,” he said.
Nazeer said allegations against the principal were of an individual nature and not necessarily a reflection on Biz Atoll, although the agency is responsible for the agreement between the privately-run school and the Education Ministry.
Earlier this month the Minstry said it had amended the contract with Biz Atoll to require the departure of Akar and the appointment of an appropriately-qualified principal within a three month window, and inserted a termination clause.
“We are waiting for the HRCM report, and based on that evidence we may review the Biz Atoll contract,” Dr Nazeer said.
HRCM said the commission’s report on the school will be released next week.
(0)Dislikes(0)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.
(0)Dislikes(0)‘Thirees Nuvaeh’ (‘thirty nine’), a new NGO dedicated to promoting Maldivian culture, will be launched this Friday night at the Artificial Beach in Malé.
The NGO claims it will work towards “strengthening and consolidating democratic principles, human rights, gender equality and social justice; and, to lobby the government, the parliament, the judiciary, political parties, independent commissions, private agencies and individuals.”
The name ’39’ is a reference to Article 39 of the Constitution, which states that all citizens will “participate in the cultural life of the nation.”
The launch will be at 8:45pm on Friday at the Artificial Beach, and attendees are encouraged to wear traditional diguhedhun, dhivehilibaas (women), mundu, gamees (men), or smart casual.
Addendum: This event has been postponed until next week due to inclement weather. Minivan News will update when we receive more information.
(0)Dislikes(0)Today’s National Security Committee meeting regarding the transfer of Guantánamo Bay inmates to the Maldives has been rescheduled, after Speaker of Parliament Abdulla Shahid requested to cancel it.
The meeting has been postponed for next week, after a call from Shahid to the Chairman of the committee and leader of the People’s Alliance (PA), Abdulla Yameen.
He wanted to postpone the meeting until Parliament reconvenes in June and all committee members are back from leave.
Yameen said the meeting “was cancelled by the speaker,” and has been rescheduled for next Sunday. He said although he was not sure if all members of the committee would be present at the meeting, “we will have quorum.”
He did not want to comment on the issue of the detainees “as of yet.”
Independent MP for Kulhudhuffushi-South, Mohamed Nasheed, said “when the chair wants to hold a meeting, the speaker has no right to postpone it.”
He said the decision to hold a committee meeting, whether during recess or session, was completely up to the chair of the committee, “and there’s nothing the administration or the speaker’s office can do.”
Nasheed said the Majlis committees were all “very democratic institutions,” and all the powers vested in the chair were provided for in the codes.
“The only people who can object is a majority from the committee itself,” he added.
Nasheed said “the meeting will not be cancelled” and there will be “lots of hearings” with the Foreign Ministry, Police, and the Attorney General, among others.
He said the situation will be verified, details asked for and documents submitted on the matter.
“The committee will then make an assessment and then report to the Majlis.”
Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Ahmed Nihan said Yameen had decided “all the party should be present,” and added “the Parliament should be involved” in deciding upon the issue of the detainees.
He said it was important the meeting was held with “the inclusiveness of all [11] members,” and should be postponed until all members returned from leave.
“If anything happens to Maldives, we should all be concerned about this.”
Price per head
MP Nasheed said he was “not in favour of the meeting going in a particular way,” but he believes it is “a serious issue” where law and policy must be looked at carefully.
He said the government was trying to paint the detainees as “innocent and helpless Muslims,” but, he asked, “if they don’t want them in the jurisdiction of the US, why keep them in a third country?”
Nasheed argued that the detainees’ fundamental freedoms were still being encroached on. “Their movements are still controlled. Why do all these things?”
He said although the “government’s spin” was that they were innocent, he noted that Bermuda’s government was paid US$9 million per head for each Guantánamo detainee they settled in their country.
“They ought not get into this deal just for the money,” Nasheed said, adding that there were children in Vilingili orphanage who needed families, money and staff to look after them. “Why take in Chinese or Palestinians?”
“If they’re innocent, free them,” he said. “But the government is saying they are not even capable of committing a crime. This is absurd.”
He noted the government had initially tried to transfer two Chinese nationals who had been detained at Guantánamo, until a Chinese delegation came to the Maldives protesting that the two men were terrorists.
He said the government withdrew its intention to resettle the two men “only after China issued a press release.”
Precedent
The small South Pacific island nation of Palau, a former US territory until 1994, agreed to take in 17 Muslims from China last June, according to The Times (UK).
The men, from the Xinjiang area in China’s north-west, belong to the Uighur ethnicity.
They claim to have been persecuted for decades under Beijing’s rule, and fled to neighbouring Pakistan.
They were taken to Guantánamo on the basis that they had received a small-arms training, which they claim was to defend themselves from China.
China has repeatedly asked the US government to send the men back to China, claiming they are terrorists, but their plea has met with harsh opposition. The US fears they will be killed or tortured if sent home.
China has also asked many other countries not to take the men in, leaving Palau as the sole country on the list of volunteers to resettle the Uighurs.
They were found innocent in 2004, but remained in Guantánamo until Palau’s government agreed to take them in. Palau is one of the few countries that does not recognise China, but maintains diplomatic relations with Tibet.
Additionally, the US gave Palau US$200 million in “development and budget” aid, but the White House has denied the money is tied to the transfer of the detainees. The Pentagon, on the other hand, has called it a “pay-off.”
Correction: When stating that US$9 million was paid per detainee, MP Nasheed was referring to the case in Palau, although the government of Bermuda also accepted four Uighurs from Guantánamo Bay. Whether Bermuda’s government accepted money from the US was not made public.
(2)Dislikes(0)The Maldives Customs Service has launched a healthy and fitness program for staff, reports Miadhu.
The program, named ‘Healthy Lifestyle Program’, is part of the ‘Sports for All’ national program being organised by the Customs Recreation Club (CRC) with the collaboration of the Ministry of Human Resources, Youth and Sports.
The program aims to increase the level of education and awareness of health issues among customs staff.
A basic fitness-awareness course will begin shortly, after which participants will continue with a gym instructor.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Maldives National Chamber of Commerce and Industries (MNCCI) has signed an agreement with the Centre for Career and Technical Education (CCTE) which will allow the CCTE to develop courses, training programmes, workshops and seminars to develop the retail sector, reports Miadhu.
The agreement was signed at a ceremony held yesterday at MNCCI. It was signed by Ahmed Adheeb Abdul Gafoor on behalf of the MNCCI and Mohamed Siraj Haleem, for the CCTE.
(0)Dislikes(0)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.
(0)Dislikes(0)