Tag: maldives

Development projects speed up in central atolls

The government has this week signed contracts with Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) for the reclamation of Guraidhoo and Madifushi islands, both in Thaa atoll.

In Guraidhoo, MVR75.2 million (US$4.8 million) will be spent on reclamation of 27.5 hectares of land, while 45 hectares will be reclaimed from Madifushi with a budget of MVR126 million (US$8.1 million).

Meanwhile, the mayor of Addu has said that the city – the country’s second most populated area with over 30,000 inhabitants – is being hit hard by government budget cuts.

Development projects have to be approved by the Ministry of Environment through an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA)  -which is reviewed by the EPA. Minivan News has learned that the EIA for the Guraidhoo land reclamation was approved within four working days.

Earlier this month the government signed contracts with Boskalis International for the reclamation of four islands – Eydhafushi, Thulusdhoo, Dhaalu Meedhoo, and Kudahuvadhoo.

The combined projects will cost MVR572 million (US$37 million). The work is expected to begin within a month of signing, and to be completed within 540 days.

Abdulla Sodig has said that the MVR700 million that was approved by the Housing Ministry to be included in the budget for Addu City later disappeared when the government sent the budget to parliament for approval.

“Hithadhoo harbor project that started in 2011 is on halt now, we still need another MVR3.5 million for that. But only MVR1.5million was allocated for that. Similarly, Hulhumeedhoo harbor project is also on halt now,” Sodig said today.

Other projects budgeted for Addu City development include road construction with MVR10 million and MVR25 million for water and sewerage, an amount Sodig claims is insufficient.

Compared to Addu’s large urban population, the average population of the six islands involved in the proposed reclamation projects is approximately 1,300.

Addu City has long been a stronghold of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party – a fact reinforced in recent local council elections, while the six islands involved in the proposed reclamation projects, with the exception of Meedhoo, all gave majority votes to President Abdulla Yameen in the 2013 elections.

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Jabir moved to Malé jail, appeal documents granted

Recently imprisoned MP Abdulla Jabir has been moved from Maafushi to Malé jail following reported complaints lodged by his family members.

Jabir’s legal team has confirmed that the Maldivian Democratic Party MP has been relocated. Vnews has quoted Jabir’s wife Dhiyana Saeed as saying that her husband had been kept alone in a poorly lit cell, contrary to international conventions.

The Kaashidhoo representative’s legal team suggested earlier this week that their client was denied a fair trial, and that his constitutional rights were denied by the Criminal Court.

Jabir was last week sentenced to twelve months‘ imprisonment after being found guilty of failing to provide a urine sample when arrested as a suspect in a drug related case on November 16, 2012.

After complaining that the court has failed to produce documents vital to Jabir’s appeal, a member of his legal team was today able to confirm that the necessary documents had since been forthcoming.

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Government says “iconic” Malé-Hulhulé bridge can be finished in two years

Describing the project as “iconic for the whole region”, the Economic Development Minister last night pledged that the Malé – Hulhulé bridge project would take two years to complete.

“Looking at the bridge project, out of the 19 companies that had expressed interest, 7 were international parties,” Mohamed Saeed is reported to have said during a ceremony held to celebrate 100 days of President Abdulla Yameen’s government.

Deputy Minister of Housing Abdulla Ziyadh – whose ministry will become actively involved as soon as a contractor is selected – explained that the government is currently evaluating the received bids.

First touted as a campaign pledge of thirty-year President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom in 2008, the idea of a bridge connecting the congested island of Malé with its relatively spacious suburbs was also an aim of Gayoom’s successor Mohamed Nasheed.

The Nasheed government had put to contract out to tender in late 2011 shortly before its ousting in February 2012.

The current government called for expressions of interest in the project in early December 2013, with the window for interested parties to come forward closing on January 14.

The public private partnership contract will require a company to engage in the design, build, financing, maintenance and operation of the bridge.

“Primary objective of the Government is to bring a relief to the socio-economic issues arising from the urban congestion that is present in Malé,” the Ministry of Economic Development has explained.

Former Minister of Economic Development Mahmoud Razee – a member of Nasheed’s cabinet – told Minivan News today that a bridge would improve local commerce as well as reducing traffic congestion in Malé.

“There will be a mediation of the traffic because what happens in Malé – in the afternoons and evenings – a lot of the traffic is leisure traffic as motorcycles are out on the road, not to go to any particular place but for the sake of having a ride. If these are connected, the area they are able to mill around is increased by several kilometers,” he explained.

The former minister noted that an extension of the bridge westward to connect with Gulhi Falhi and the industrial island of Thilifushi would bring down the cost of warehouse space in the capital.

The final location of the bridge has yet to be announced by the government. Options considered in the past involved connecting Hulhulé with Malé at the tsunami monument area, or from the northern harbour via Funadhoo island.

Razee also echoed the comments of the current Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb who has acknowledged that the project is not viable without commercial components.

Mohamed Saeed was reported as suggesting last night that the bridge would be equipped with facilities to generate between 4 and  6 megawatts of renewable energy.

While Razee was skeptical of this proposal, he suggested that bridge could be used to lay cables between islands, reducing the need for expensive undersea cables to transfer production capacity across the Greater Malé area.

Saeed has previously described the building of the bridge as a “challenge”, but said the task is one of the pledges of the coalition government.

When the concession is awarded, Saeed has pledged, investors will not suffer damages, and the project will receive “protection” from the Maldives constitution.

Investor confidence in the Maldives had been negatively impacted under the Presidency of Dr Mohamed Waheed, with the Yameen presidency targeting its restoration as a key foreign policy aim.

During last night’s ceremony, Vice President Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed launched a book detailing the key elements included in the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives’ ‎manifesto, and the government’s achievements in its first 100 days.

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Feydhoo primary annulment case accepted by Civil Court

The Civil Court has reportedly accepted the case of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Alhan Fahmy, who has requested the annulment of the the Feydhoo constituency primary election.

After losing the contest for next month’s Majis elections, Fahmy claimed the contest was fraudulent and that any candidate who won the MDP ticket through fraud cannot be a valid one.

After Mohamed Nihad won the primary, Fahmy alleged that the list used on polling day were different from the [eligible] voter lists.

Alhan called for a fresh vote in the constituency, claiming the voter list used at polling stations was outdated and did not afford 67 party members the right to vote.

The election committee confirmed that 67 members were indeed missing from the list at the ballot box, but decided against holding a re-vote, arguing the primary outcome would not change even if these members were allowed to vote.

After attempting to file the case with the High Court, the MP’s legal representatives were told that the court did not have the jurisdiction to look into internal party matters.

Alhan was stabbed in public on February 1 and is currently recovering in Sri Lanka. He has announced he will contest March’s People’s Majlis election as an independent.

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Health Protection Agency warns of cold and conjunctivitis outbreak

The Health Protection Agency has warned of a potential cold and conjunctivitis epidemic in the country, local media has reported.

Vnews reported that agency as urging anyone displaying flu-like symptoms to contact a doctor as well as staying away from public areas.

The capital city Malé is one of the world’s most densely populated islands at around 18,000 people per square kilometer.

The agency warned those with symptoms not to touch their eyes, as this causes the infection to spread more easily.

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‘Unlimited Aasandha’ scheme will be sustainable, says President Yameen

President Abdulla Yameen last night inaugurated the ‘Unlimited Aasandha’ universal health scheme, a presidential campaign pledge and part of his first hundred day programme.

Criticising the Aasandha service introduced by President Nasheed, Yameen said the new Aasandha will have no limit on the amount of money that can be spent or with regards to age categories.

“Today the state of Aasandha is that every one has one lakh rufiyaa limit. Without any regard to the illness the person has, how much has to be spent, it is over for them when the one lakh limit is reached,” Yameen said.

Yameen stated that the new scheme will be “sustainable and funded by the state budget”. Cabinet Minister Ahmed Adeeb has suggested that ‘Unlimited Aasandha’ and other enhanced social services will be financed through long term government bonds.

President Yameen noted that the following will be covered by the new ‘Unlimited Aasandha’ scheme;

  • Sports injuries – including surgical procedures and rehabilitation treatment for professional athletes
  • All accidents and emergencies that happen while abroad
  • Emergency transfer of patients from islands
  • Transportation tickets for medical escorts to travel abroad with patients under 18 and above 65 years
  • Organ transplants and any permanent medication that is required after such a surgery
  • Unlimited coverage for pregnant women
  • Free annual medical checkups for every citizen above 30 years of age, and for school children

Though persons with special needs are not exempted, their temporary, permanent, and physical aids will not be covered through the service, said Yameen. The president pledged to find a solution to this problem during the next Majlis.

As the ‘old’ Aasandha was reportedly abused by members of the public and even health care providers and pharmacies, Yameen urged all to use the service “in good faith”.

“This is a service that is spent from people’s money for all citizens. So everyone should use it responsibly”.

The new unlimited service is an upgrade from the existing Aasandha programme introduced by President Mohamed Nasheed which encountered a number of issues, particularly with regards to sustainability.

After reaching the brink of financial collapse in August 2012, small charges were introduced to the scheme at private clinics. The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) suggested that Yameen’s Progressive Party of Maldives and the coalition alliance had deliberately sabotaged the service.

Financing the pledges

The government has also made assurances that it can fulfill its pledges to increase old age benefits and to pay fishermen an allowance of MVR10,000.

The MVR2,000 pension for individuals over 65 years of age was increased to MVR2,300 through an amendment to pension legislation, while President Yameen has pledged to further increase it to MVR5000 starting from 1 March 2014.

The pledge to pay MVR10,000 to every fisherman regardless with or without any catch had later been explained by the Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture as an insurance scheme whereby fishermen would pay a monthly premium of MVR500 (US$32) during the fishing season to gain MVR10,000 (US$ 650) during the off-season.

On Sunday, however, President Yameen said the insurance scheme for the fisheries and agriculture sector was just one of the pledges to have been achieved within the first 100 days and that the  MVR10,000 allowance would be provided for fisherman as promised starting next month.

The government will need to generate MVR1 billion (US$64.9 million) from investments this year to sustain the pension increase alone.

“The economic committee [a cabinet sub-committee] decided to utilise a long term finance instrument based on a long term bond and t-bills through seven to five years,” Minister of Tourism Ahmed Adeeb said at a President’s Office press conference yesterday.

Assuring that the model was capable of financing the increases, Adeeb said that funds could be increased through legislative changes, and suggested that the Maldives could combine various funds – such as housing fund, health insurance, and pensions – into a single fund.

“If you look at countries like Singapore, all these funds are the contained in a single fund,” he said, stating that as a small country it is a good financial model for the Maldives to create a single strong fund.

Budget deficit

Commenting on Adeeb’s proposals, Mahmud Razee – former economic development minister under Mohamed Nasheed’s administration – said that both T-Bills and bonds, even if it they long term, will increase the national debt.

“These are loans, and taking loans is acceptable to invest in to increasing productivity. But this is not such an investment, this is something the government is spending. Eventually people will have to bear the burden of this,” Razee said.

Referring to the proposal to combine funds, Razee said that if the government was serious about it they should establish the necessary legal mechanisms for such a system.

“When we talk about Singapore, we should know that they can do it because they have that level of savings. But that is not the case with us,” he said.

The money in the pension fund has been entrusted with the state by people who want pensions, and it should not be mixed with other funds, Razee argued.

Selling treasury bills and treasury bonds has been one of the main approaches the government has taken to finance the budget deficit over the past few years.

Last December, the central bank and regulator – the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) – advised the state to pay all due treasury bills and treasury bonds and to turn existing short-term debts into long-term ones.

In a 2013 report which described the Maldives as “spending beyond its means”, the World Bank noted that the government had spent over MVR900 million on Aasandha from a budget of just MVR720 million.

Suggestions regarding Aasandha include decreasing the cost of drugs predominantly used by the poorest segments of the population, limiting spending for overseas treatment, moving toward a more close-ended provider payment system, and targeting subsidies only at needier patients.

This year’s record MVR17.95 billion (US$ 1.6 billion) budget has a deficit of MVR1.3 billion (US$84.3 million). The People’s Majlis recently approved a number of revenue-raising measures, while the government has announced it is aiming to reduce expenditure and achieve a balanced budget within a year.

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Project for 100 houses in Vilifushi initiated

The Housing Ministry has begun a project to build 100 houses for the people of Vilifushi in Thaa atoll who were displaced by the 2004 tsunami.

Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Dr Mohamed Muizzu told Sun Online today that this first phase of the project will be started within the next two weeks and should be completed in 12 months.

The houses, for which all residents of the island are welcome to apply, will cost MVR2,500 per month over a 15 year period, said Muizzu.

After being devastated by the tsunami, with the entire community – over 1,800 people – displaced, Vilifushi was later reclaimed using donor aid before resettlement began in 2009.

Last December, President Abdulla Yameen noted that 427 families throughout the country still required permanent housing after the tsunami, pledging to rehouse all those in need.

The Human Rights Commission also noted that it continued to receive complaints from survivors, largely regarding lack of permanent shelter, compensation for damages caused to houses  and delays in housing projects.

The 2004 tsunami resulted in 82 deaths and 26 missing persons in the Maldives. Figures from the UN show that the disaster displaced nearly 10 percent of the Maldives’ population, severely damaging a quarter of inhabited islands with 14 completely evacuated.

Noomadi Resorts Private Limited has been commissioned to carry out the resort, reported Sun.

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Islamic minister calls for dialogue following mosque closure

Following the closure of Dharumavantha Rasgefaanu mosque earlier this month, Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed has stressed that all religious differences can be settled through dialogue.

“Those who pray separately at certain mosques, please come to us. Let’s discuss this matter. There’s nothing that can’t be solved if we sit down and share religious information,” he told local media.

The Mosque was shut down on the home minster’s order following an unauthorised congregation which had reportedly prayed for the government’s destruction. Shaheem himself has previously described the group as “extremists”.

The worshipers at the mosque also prayed against the heads of the government, the Islamic ministry, and the city council, asking for their ill-health and for a calamity to befall upon them

“Some media have reported that the mosque might be demolished, or people might be arrested while they are praying at the mosque. The present government, the government of President Yameen Abdul Gayoom, would not do anything against Islamic principles. They would not demolish the mosque, or inflict injury on anyone unjustly,” Sun Online quoted the minister as saying today.

Sun also reported that the congregation has continued to assemble at the mosque despite the government’s actions. Current legislation places all mosques under the authority of local councils.

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Framework for teacher evaluation introduced

The Ministry of Education has introduced a technical framework for the evaluation of teachers, local media has reported.

“We created this criterion after observing how it is done in other countries, the status of teaching staff currently working in the Maldives and after having considered the things society accepted as which should be stated on the teacher’s work contract,” Sun Online quoted State Minister for Education Adam Shareef Umar as saying.

“Teachers will be able to identify what they can do to improve themselves in the light of this criterion,” he said, speaking at a ceremony held in the ministry yesterday (February 24).

Earlier yesterday, Education Minister Dr Aishath Shiham expressed satisfaction with her ministry’s efforts during the government’s first 100 days.

Although Dr Shiham noted that work is in progress with regards to increasing allowances for teachers, the Teachers Association said the it had no knowledge of such efforts, and was still awaiting an opportunity to meet with ministry heads with regards to pay discrepancies.

“The government have started some things within this period, and they maybe important things and good policies. But it is more important to fix the existing loopholes in the education system,” said association President Athif Abdul Hakeem.

He said the association was continuing to plan nation-wide strikes in relation to the issue.

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