Tag: maldives news

Politicians behind death threats to Gasim, claims JP

The Jumhooree Party (JP) has alleged that politicians are behind death threats sent to the party’s leader Gasim Ibrahim.

“We will take your life if you keep talking in the media,” and “We will wipe you and your family from Malé,” read the threats sent via text message to the business tycoon last week.

“The death threats are being issued to Honourable Gasim Ibrahim by those displeased or threatened by his efforts in the People’s Majlis, the media, and various other arenas for the benefit and wellbeing of the Maldivian people, in a planned attempt to intimidate him and push him back politically with politicians behind these threats,” the JP contended in a press statement yesterday (August 17).

The party expressed concern with the persistent threats and noted that Article 29 of the Constitution guarantees the “freedom to acquire and impart knowledge, information and learning.”

“And we note that these threatening messages are being sent at a time when the government and the ruling party have been directly targeting Honourable Gasim Ibrahim’s businesses, carrying out actions to hinder them and taking measures that are not being taken against other [businesses],” the press release stated.

Last week, the government terminated an agreement with Gasim’s Villa Air to manage and develop the Kaadehdhoo regional airport.

The Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture meanwhile decided not to renew the lease of Laamu Baresdhoo, an uninhabited island leased to Gasim’s Villa company for agriculture.

Moreover, the fisheries ministry gave a 30-day notice to reclaim a plot of land in Gaaf Dhaal Hoadehdhoo leased to Gasim’s Horizons Fisheries.

President Abdulla Yameen has, however, denied “impeding” Gasim’s businesses, insisting that the decisions were made due to breach of contract.

In a letter to Commissioner of Police Hussain Waheed informing the authorities of the threats, Gasim reportedly revealed that the owners of the numbers from which the messages were sent has denied sending any texts.

Gasim suggested that the text messages could have been sent through the internet using a phone number duplicating software.

The business tycoon appealed for police to investigate the threats with “utmost seriousness.”

Following similar threats sent in June, Gasim objected to lack of security provided to MPs despite the death threats he received, noting that he has arranged for private bodyguards.

Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Spokesperson Major Hussain Ali told Minivan News today that “discussions” were currently taking place between the MNDF and the parliament secretariat regarding security arrangements for MPs.

Asked if MPs would have bodyguards from MNDF, the spokesperson suggested seeking the information from the People’s Majlis secretariat.

A media official at the secretariat, however, was unaware either of the present security arrangements or whether MPs had MNDF bodyguards.

Intimidation

Earlier this month, death threats were sent via text message from an unlisted number to six opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MPs.

While one message threatened to kill MPs who “behave inappropriately,” the second stated that it would not be “a sin to kill those who challenge the word of Allah and call for religious freedom.”

“Afrasheem Ali was an example before your eyes,” it read, referring to the murdered moderate scholar and Progressive Party of Maldives MP.

Police confirmed at the time that the threats were being investigated but declined to reveal further details.

Parliament Secretary General Ahmed Mohamed told local media that MNDF were formally asked to provide security for MPs after a number of lawmakers made requests following the swearing-in of the 18th parliament.

MNDF had not responded as of August 3, he said. In July, Defence Minister Colonel (Retired) Mohamed Nazim assured that security would be provided to MPs and that recommendations for security provisions in the parliamentary rules – currently under review – had been shared with the speaker.

Article 105(b) of the Constitution states, “The security services of the state shall ensure the protection and safety of all members of the People’s Majlis.”

Meanwhile, a number of journalists have also received death threats in recent weeks, warning them against reporting on gang violence in the wake of a spate of stabbings in the capital.

An IT expert with experience in the telecommunications field explained to Minivan News at the time that it would be difficult to identify the culprit if the text messages were sent through an online mass text message service.

“Unless it came from a local IP address it would be almost impossible to trace it back. If they used anonymous proxy servers to send the texts it could be traced back to the SMS gateway, but no further,” he said.

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Supreme Court guidelines should be incorporated in electoral laws, says attorney general

A 16-point guideline imposed by the Supreme Court on the Elections Commission (EC) in a controversial judgment annulling the first round of last year’s presidential election should be incorporated into electoral laws, Attorney General Mohamed Anil has said.

Local media has reported Anil as saying at a symposium on improving the electoral system held at Bandos Island Resort yesterday that amendments to election laws should be submitted to parliament.

The guidelines were issued by the apex court to strengthen the electoral framework and ensure that polls are free and fair, Anil said, suggesting that problems arose during the presidential election as a result of not amending laws in light of past experiences.

Among issues that needed to be addressed ahead of the next election cycle, said Anil, were problems with re-registration, assigning constituencies for citizens in the Malé municipality special registry, and strengthening the mechanism for addressing complaints.

Additionally, vote buying, bribery, and campaign finance reforms needed to be addressed, Anil said, adding that the percentage of women in elected public office could also be addressed through laws.

The three-day “Electoral Processes in the Maldives” symposium was organised jointly by the EC and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The EC explained in a joint press statement with IFES and USAID that “the symposium will provide a platform for stakeholders to present their views on key aspects of the electoral process, including legislative frameworks, operations, and inter-agency cooperation.”

“Participants will include the Elections Commission, Anti-Corruption Commission, Human Rights Commission of the Maldives, Attorney General’s Office, Prosecutor General’s Office, media organisations, political parties, civil society, and domestic and international observation organisations and experts.”

In January, a Commonwealth observer group recommended that the People’s Majlis examine the consistency and workability of the Supreme Court guidelines, suggesting that it “appeared to undermine the authority of the Election Commission, were inconsistent with or contrary to electoral law, and were at odds with the Constitution.”

While approval of voter lists was required by the apex court guideline, January’s local council elections went ahead despite only 147 out of 543 independent candidates signing the lists. The EC attempted to obtain signatures from some 2,463 candidates.

While the EC had also criticised the guidelines as “restrictions” that undermine its independence, UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay accused the court of “interfering excessively in the presidential elections, and in so doing is subverting the democratic process and violating the right of Maldivians to freely elect their representatives.”

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Maldives’ interrupted former president again fighting for political foothold: Irish Times

“Down a narrow alley and up the stairs of an unglamorous building in the bustling island city of Malé, a slight-framed, bespectacled man sits alone at a polished boardroom table. His minute stature, reflected on the vast wooden surface under drab lighting, is accentuated,” writes Mary Boland for the Irish Times.

“It is a scene redolent both of the new political reality in which he is swamped and his preparedness, shirtsleeves rolled, to continue pushing a controversial agenda regardless of who comes or does not come to the table.

Mohamed Nasheed, the democracy campaigner, journalist and environmental activist who in 2008 became the first democratically elected president of the Maldives – and the darling of the climate change protest movement – is once again fighting for a political foothold.

“It’s not easy to overcome a dictatorship,” he says, his high-pitched voice rising often to a squeal, his body twitching with energy. “You can change the ruler, you can change the dictator, but it’s difficult to uproot it unless you have some time in between, and unless you have a fair amount of support from others also: from the international community, from international agencies, from NGOs, from everyone. We were not able to muster that kind of international support to nurture democracy in the Maldives.”

The saga of the rise and fall of Nasheed (47), the most popular politician in this south Asian resort archipelago of 1,192 tiny, precariously low-lying coral islands necklaced in the Indian Ocean, reads like a political thriller.”

Read more

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SEZ bill sent to Majlis floor as MDP continues protest

Parliament’s economic affairs committee completed its review of the government’s flagship special economic zone (SEZ) legislation yesterday and sent the bill to the People’s Majlis floor with minor revisions.

While Jumhooree Party (JP) and opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MPs had boycotted meetings last week, the committee resumed the review process yesterday after JP Leader Gasim Ibrahim assured cooperation for continuing the assessment.

However, Gasim and JP MP Abdulla Riyaz reportedly left the meeting later and the bill was voted through with only MPs of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and coalition partner Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) in attendance.

Reflecting its combined 48 seats in the 85-member house, the PPM-MDA coalition has voting majorities on key oversight committees.

Among the amendments brought to the draft legislation, a provision was added to include an MP on a 17-member investment board, which would demarcate and oversee the SEZs.

JP and MDP MPs had walked out of a committee meeting last week alleging procedural violations by the committee’s chair – PPM MP Abdulla Khaleel – and objecting to his alleged refusal to incorporate recommendations made by various state institutions.

The MPs in the minority accused pro-government MPs of deliberately disregarding their input.

Khaleel told newspaper Haveeru yesterday that suggestions from state institutions were included to the extent that “the bill’s main concept would not be lost”.

“Dangerous”

MDP MPs did not attend yesterday’s committee meetings.

Last week, the main opposition party announced protests against passing the bill in its current form, warning of “dangerous” consequences, contending that it would pave the way for drug trafficking, money laundering, and human trafficking.

After boycotting the committee last week, Gasim had also warned that an SEZ law would facilitate massive corruption, threaten independence and sovereignty, and authorise a board formed by the president “to sell off the entire country in the name of economic zones.”

Meanwhile, at a press conference on Saturday (August 16), PPM Parliamentary Group Leader Ahmed Nihan accused opposition MPs of obstructing implementation of the government’s economic policy.

The majority leader urged MDP MPs to respond to technical aspects of the bill in lieu of “misleading” political rhetoric.

The government maintains that SEZs with relaxed regulations and tax incentives were necessary both for foreign investors to choose the Maldives over other developing nations and to launch ‘mega projects,’ which President Abdulla Yameen has said would “transform” the economy through diversification and mitigate the reliance on the tourism industry.

Yameen has also dismissed concerns with the absence of parliamentary oversight in the legislation – such as requiring parliamentary approval for presidential appointees to the investment board – arguing that that leasing islands or plots of land was the prerogative of the executive and that affairs of governance was outside the Majlis’ mandate.

Filibuster

At today’s sitting of parliament, MDP MPs raised consecutive points of order – for nearly half an hour – contending that the committee completed its review with unprecedented and undue haste after ignoring the views of opposition MPs.

PPM MPs meanwhile urged Speaker Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed to exercise his authority to expel unruly MPs.

However, unable to continue with the day’s agenda, Speaker Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed adjourned proceedings twice.

Following the adjournment, the MDP parliamentary group informed the press that its MPs were protesting in the chamber against efforts to “silence” the minority party as well as the fast-tracking of the SEZ bill review despite assurances from the speaker that opposition concerns would be heard.

At a press briefing yesterday, MDP MP Ibrahim Shareef said pro-government MPs did not allow opposition MPs to amend the draft legislation and insisted that the review process was conducted “dictatorially” in violation of parliamentary rules.

Shareef had warned that MDP MPs were willing to bring Majlis sittings to a halt over the SEZ bill.

The MDP has been holding nightly rallies at its haruge (meeting hall) in Malé to protest “openly selling off the country” through SEZs.

Following last night’s rally, a group of protesters took to the streets and demonstrated in front of President Yameen’s private residence.

The MDP has also launched a petition (Dhivehi) calling on the government to withdraw the SEZ bill, warning that it would “destroy” the decentralisation system as the president could bypass local councils, declare any region an economic zone, and lease land for a period of 99 years.

In addition to import duty and tax exemptions for investors, an SEZ law would allow the president to “divide and distribute various regions of the country” to businesses of senior government officials, the party claimed.

Moreover, companies with foreign shareholders would be able to purchase land without paying sales tax, the MDP noted, which would pose a threat to national security.

“This would be selling off the country’s natural resources dubiously on the cheap for the benefit of a few people,” reads the petition.

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Finding missing journalist of “high priority,” says police

The Maldives Police Services have said finding Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla – believed to have been missing since August 8 – is of “high priority.”

The police held a press conference at 9pm on Sunday night (August 18) and confirmed Rilwan has been seen on CCTV footage wearing black near to the Friday mosque at 12:40am and later around 12:45am at the Hulhumalé ferry terminal in Malé.

However, head of Serious and Organised Crime Department Chief Inspector Abdulla Shatheeh revealed no new information on Rilwan’s disappearance.

According to phone records, Rilwan’s last phone call was made at 10:19pm on August 7 and his last phone activity was at 2:30am on August 8, possibly in the Henveiru ward of Malé.

The phone location conflicts with evidence that points to Rilwan having boarded the Malé – Hulhumalé ferry, including a tweet made at 1:02am reporting seeing local actor Yoosuf Shafeeu onboard the ferry.

Minivan News asked the police if phone records show Rilwan using his phone in Hulhumalé that night, though police declined to comment saying investigations are ongoing.

The police also declined to comment on whether Rilwan may have left the ferry terminal after arriving there. Shatheeh said police are considering all evidence and following all leads.

A police team has been conducting a search in Hulhumalé for the past three days, Shatheeh said, adding that regional police stations have been informed of Rilwan’s disappearance.

The chief inspector called on the public report any new information and pledged protection to any informers or witnesses.

Meanwhile, President Abdulla Yameen’s Spokesperson Ibrahim Muaz Ali said the government is “deeply saddened and concerned” over Rilwan’s disappearance.

President Yameen and Muaz are both in China on an official state visit at the moment.

The ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) also expressed concern over Rilwan’s prolonged disappearance and called on law enforcement agencies to expedite investigations.

The party also called on the public and its supporters to support the search.

Pressure

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) meanwhile held a protest outside the United Nations (UN) head office in Malé on Saturday night calling for assistance in the investigation of Rilwan’s disappearance.

Speaking at the demonstration, MDP MP Imthiyaz Fahmy called on the UN to “pressure” the government to conduct a speedy and thorough investigation.

“We call on the UN to provide cooperation to all of us, the Maldivian people, in investigating [the disappearance] because we are certain that the government of Yameen Abdul Gayoom cannot investigate the abduction of people, intimidation of journalists, intimidation and death threats to members of parliament, and death threats to ordinary citizens,” Imthiyaz said.

Imthiyaz noted that the Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) has brought the matter to the attention of UN and that the MDP has alerted the international community over the disappearance.

“We know that the only party to stand up when the rights of the Maldivian people are violated is the MDP,” he said.

The MDP would not sow discord in society or incite strife, he added, but was protesting over a real and serious issue.

“The reason we suspect that a journalist has been abducted is because that journalist himself has previously received death threats. And the journalist had told the paper that he had been followed,” he said.

He also referred to death threats sent to a number of journalists via text message earlier this month as well as the arson attack against opposition-aligned private broadcaster Raajje TV and near-fatal assault of Raajje TV journalist Ibrahim ‘Asward’ Waheed.

“We don’t see a full investigation being conducted into any of this or [police] finding those behind [the attacks]. This is why we want to bring this to the UN’s attention,” he said.

Fahmy said he had also raised concerns at a workshop organised by the UN yesterday.

While writers who criticised the government were jailed without due process in the past, Imthiyaz contended that journalists were facing the same intimidation and fear after the “toppling” of the MDP government in February 2012.

The government should properly investigate Rilwan’s disappearance “if only to show” that it was not involved, he continued, and called on the police and the Maldives National Defence Force to launch a joint search operation to find Rilwan.

“MDP wishes for the blessing of Allah and for success in the efforts of Rilwan’s friends and family [to find him],” he said, adding that the MDP would do “whatever we can” to ensure that the missing journalist is found.

A free press was essential for good governance, he said, accusing the government of attempting to undermine to “destroy” free media out of fear that its “atrocities” would be exposed to the world.

After rising to 51st in the Reporters Without Borders’ Press Freedom Index in 2009 under the MDP government, Imthiyaz noted that the Maldives plummeted to 103rd “after the coup government took over”.

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Buried ancient relics found in Utheemu

Buried ancient relics have been discovered on the island of Utheemu in Haa Alif atoll, reports newspaper Haveeru.

Utheemu Island Council Chair Asrar Adam told the local daily that the relics were discovered while the island’s football stadium was being flattened.

The relics included three pots and a number of cowries shells, which were used as currency in antiquity, Adam said, adding that glassware was also found inside the pots.

The items would be handed over to the heritage department, he said.

The relics were discovered about 250-feet from the palace of Boduthakurufaanu, a former sultan and national hero who hailed from Utheemu.

While there has been no dwellings in the football grounds area in living memory, Asrar said the council has learned that it might have been inhabited in the past.

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High Court overturns acquittal of accused drug smugglers

The High Court has today overturned the Criminal Court’s acquittal of two men accused of smuggling more than a kilo of drugs and sentenced the pair to life imprisonment.

In 2011, the Criminal Court had found Abdul Latheef Mohamed, from the Daily Blue house in Fuvahmulah, and Hassan Ali, from special registry number 3033, not guilty of drug smuggling charges.

Police arrested the pair in December 2010 during a joint operation with the Maldives Customs Service after discovering 1083.4246 grams of cannabis in a box in the trunk of Latheef’s car near the T-jetty in Malé.

The lower court had ruled that state prosecutors were unable to prove that the accused were aware that the box contained illicit narcotics.

In the judgment (Dhivehi) delivered by a panel of three judges – including Chief Judge Abdulla Hameed – the High Court ruled that the pair must bear responsibility for being in possession of the drugs as they had loaded the box into the car voluntarily.

While the drugs were smuggled from India, the High Court noted that Latheef had received a text message from an Indian number before he collected the package.

The text message said ‘1 2 3’ and the same digits were written on the box, the High Court noted. Moreover, evidence submitted by the prosecution showed that the pair had called the suspected Indian supplier on numerous occasions after the drugs arrived in the Maldives.

In March 2011, the High Court invalidated a letter by the Criminal Court ordering police to transfer Latheef to house arrest.

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PPM seeking to silence minority voice in parliament, says MDP MP Imthiyaz Fahmy

Speaker of Parliament Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed has proposed an amendment to the parliamentary rules of procedure to require a vote to accept a resolution before opening the floor for a debate, opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MPs have revealed.

At a press conference today, MDP MP Imthiyaz Fahmy explained that Speaker Maseeh – a member of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives – had sent a letter to the general affairs committee requesting the revision.

Under the existing rules or standing orders, a resolution submitted to parliament has to be debated on the floor ahead of a vote.

Imthiyaz contended that the move by the majority party – which holds a comfortable majority in the 85-member house – was intended to “silence” the minority.

If the amendment is brought to the rules, Imthiyaz explained that resolutions submitted by the main opposition party would not be put up for a debate. A vote would first be called on whether or not to accept the resolution.

The MP for Maafanu North noted that a resolution he submitted in July calling for a parliamentary debate on a controversial decision by the Judicial Service Commission clearing Supreme Court Justice Ali Hameed of misconduct has yet to be tabled in the agenda by the speaker.

The resolution was submitted after pro-government MPs voted down a motion without notice submitted by the MDP for a parliamentary debate on the issue.

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Parties reach agreement for committee to resume review of SEZ bill

Political parties in parliament have reached an agreement for the economic affairs committee to resume its review of the governments flagship special economic zone (SEZ) legislation after the Jumhooree Party (JP) and Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) boycotted proceedings last week.

At a meeting held last night to resolve the impasse, JP Leader Gasim Ibrahim reportedly assured cooperation for continuing the review process, explaining that he had walked out in protest of the committee chair refusing to incorporate recommendations from state institutions.

The business tycoon said he boycotted Wednesday’s (August 13) meeting after his suggestions to address “one or two issues” in the bill were ignored.

Representing the main opposition party, MDP MP Mohamed Aslam insisted that the party’s concerns should also be addressed.

If not, Aslam said, the party would “take to the streets” in protest. On Thursday (August 14), the MDP announced protests against passing the bill in its current form, warning of “dangerous” consequences.

After walking out of Wednesday’s meeting, Gasim had also warned last week that an SEZ law would facilitate massive corruption, threaten independence, and authorise a board formed by the president “to sell off the entire country in the name of economic zones.”

Further meetings of the committee – where the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and ally Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) have a voting majority – had been cancelled following the boycott.

At last night’s meeting, PPM MP Ahmed Ameeth proposed holding a meeting today to approve a timetable to conduct the review process. While MDP MPs voted against it, the proposal was passed with the JP MPs’ support.

Subsequently, at the meeting this morning, the committee passed a motion proposed by Ameeth to give authority to the committee’s chair – PPM MP Abdulla Khaleel – to hold meetings every day of the week except Friday to fast-track review of bills.

The motion was passed with five votes in favour. While JP MPs Gasim Ibrahim and Abdulla Riyaz voted against the motion, MDP MPs on the committee did not attend today’s meeting.

Khaleel has previously declared his intention to complete the review process and send the bill to the Majlis floor for a vote before the end of August. Parliament breaks for a one-month recess at the end of the month.

Parliamentary oversight

The MDP has meanwhile been holding nightly rallies at its haruge (meeting hall) in Malé to protest “openly selling off the country” through SEZs.

Speaking at a rally Thursday night, MP Eva Abdulla objected to the absence of parliamentary oversight in the draft legislation, noting that a 17-member investment board appointed by the president would have the authority to create SEZs.

While the president’s nominees to independent institutions required parliamentary approval, Eva noted that parliament would not have a similar confirmation role for endorsing members to the board.

As investors would not have to pay import duties or taxes for a 10-year period, Eva contended that the public would not benefit from the SEZs.

Investors would also be able to bring in foreign workers under relaxed regulations while companies with foreign shareholders would be able to purchase land without paying privatisation fees or sales tax.

In other countries, Eva said, such incentives were offered to investors in exchange for creating job opportunities for locals.

At a rally in Addu City on Friday night (August 15), MDP MP Rozaina Adam urged the public to consider why President Abdulla Yameen did not wish for parliament to exercise any oversight despite the PPM’s comfortable majority in the People’s Majlis.

The MP For Addu Meedhoo suggested that the president did not want his own party’s MPs to be aware of the “illegal activities” and “massive corruption” that would take place in the SEZs.

Responding to the criticism from the opposition, President Yameen told reporters prior to departing for China Thursday night that leasing islands or plots of land was the prerogative of the president or the executive.

“Parliament could make rules. That’s why we’re making a law. But after the rules are set, it is not the parliament that would designate the economic zones. Parliament is not concerned with governance,” he argued.

Parliament could amend the draft legislation to address shortcomings, Yameen added, suggesting that the president having authority to create SEZs was no cause for concern.

On the tax incentives, Yameen contended that resorts were also developed with similar tax exemptions.

“Even now, everything brought in for a new resort under development is exempt from [import] duties,” he said.

“So they have enjoyed the benefit of special economic zones without a law through the tourism law. What we’re trying to do now is to give that benefit through the special economic zone.”

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